Put it in Park

By Anthony Tobin, Mobile, Ala. - St. Ignatius

The Gospel for All Saints Day led us into some great discussion and the presentation by Ronnie really made me think about what it is we are trying to do here. To refresh our memories the Gospel was Matt 5, also known as the Beatitudes. What Ronnie rightly pointed out is that the Beatitudes are a call to sainthood. Contrary to telling us what not to do, they are telling us how we need to be; meek, poor in spirit, merciful, pure of heart, ect. Ronnie then went on to share an experience from his life in which he was trying to live out the Beatitudes.

The way I see it, what we are doing here every Tuesday, and further more with every Mass and prayer, can be likened to football practice. It is like we are doing doubles with 6:15 Mass and then an hour of prayer and reflection. Just as football practice is physically exhausting, this can be spiritually exhausting. But what we are doing here is more than a practice, it is a training of our bodies/souls. And just as a football player works hard and drives his body so that when the coach calls him, when it is his time to perform, ‘when it matters’, he will not fail. So we, like a football player, train ourselves and drive our bodies so that when we are called upon, when it is our time to “shine”, we are a reflection of Christ.

Just as Ronnie, we will all be called to “put it in park”. We will all be called in little ways and in big ways to be witnesses and examples of God’s unfailing love. Trust me men, you will be called to play in the game. God will call on you and say, “Show them how I love.” And it will be hard, it will be exhausting, it will be a dying to yourself. This is why we need to do as Paul did, “I drive my body and subdue it, lest after preaching to others I myself should be disqualified.” 1 Corinthians 9:24

Run the Race

By Anthony Tobin, Mobile, Ala. - St. Ignatius

Almost a month has gone by since the Men of St. Joseph retreat and it is so awesome to see you all working hard to be the spiritual leaders of your families. I see when you strive to come consistently to the Tuesday morning meetings, wanting to be there, with ears open to listen and ready to share your faith and even your hardships and struggles. I see this in the husbands and fathers who show up at Mass during the week with their families, committed to bringing their families closer to God. I see this at Sunday Mass when a father comes with his teenage son or daughter to the Lifeteen Mass, trying to instill priority in their lives. And yet, as I know through trying to be a better husband myself, we have to admit there is a struggle to be holy day in and day out.

This reminds me of a picture of the Resurrected Jesus that has a caption that reads “I never said it would be easy, only that it would be worth it.” I know that there are a lot of you who wanted to return home a new man, with a different attitude, a new way of thinking, and thought your wives and children would follow with smiles on their faces. And unfortunately you realized that wasn’t going to happen. All the years of not making God a priority in your family and all the decisions that were not focused on Him, left your family desensitized to God. And so, your wife thinks your “too holy” and your kids refuse to pray with you or go to Mass. It seems like your family is in a different book instead of being on a different page. And at that moment you may realize this, your heart sinks and you understand that this is not going to be easy. Maybe even some of you decided that it isn’t worth it.

I want to reassure you that it is worth it. We can see from our lives that anything that has worth, any accomplishment that has value, comes with struggle. To me working out is a great example of the spiritual life. My legs hurt when I run, but if the minute I feel pain I stop and sit down, I wouldn’t even have run out of my drive way. No, I continue to run through the pain because I know that this is best for my body, that this exercise will help me become healthy, and that as soon as I reach my goal I will be satisfied.

Unfortunately, for us this is a marathon- not a 100 yard sprint. There will be pain, there will be resistance, and there will be times when we just want to sit down or quit. But men, we need to keep running. If our families are not on board right away, keep running. If our kids cry and scream that they hate us, keep running. They will see by your tenacity and consistency that this is real and that more then anything will call them to holiness. So men keep fighting the good fight, keep running the race, so that in the end you and your family may not be disqualified.