By Bill Harkins
The weekend of 28 and 29 August, a group of 100 men from all over the Gulf Coast met in prayer, reflection, instruction and discussion. Under the guidance of Fr. Bry Shields, with inspiration from the Holy Spirit, direction from our Savior Jesus and loving nudges from our Blessed Mother Mary and her spouse, our Patron Saint Joseph, we tapped into an understanding of our role as men in modern day America. Not just ordinary men, but strong Catholic Christian men, preparing for our mission as Men of St. Joseph.
What does this mean? What do we do now? We stand up for our principles with strong moral courage. You know, the kind of courage that Saint Paul tapped into when he set the world afire with the Word. Life was not easy for him in the first century and it is not easy for us now. Paul overcame several obstacles, including his horrible past as a persecutor of the same Jesus he was preaching as Messiah. He suffered torture, imprisonment and even death for his beliefs and actions, but look at the results. His efforts led to several “forward bases” of Christian communities that flourished over the years. This was the beginning of a movement that will exist until the end of time, the Church. We are challenged to take up our mission to ensure the continued spread of the Good News, with action and prayer. Just as Paul had a team of brothers in his work, we have our brothers, our fellow Men of St. Joseph to team up with on this task.
How do we get started? It begins at home. Talk to your wife, children, parents, brothers and sisters about your experience at the retreat. Let them know that even when society laughs at and antagonizes us for our moral principles, we must stand firm. Beyond that, we must meet such hate with love, and teach our family to do so. This can be very difficult for us. After all, we are men of action. Reacting with love does not mean you have to be quiet. On the contrary, reacting with love means you reply in a way that clearly articulates our Catholic convictions. Do this without the retaliation mentality that often appears in such situations. Let the attacker know that you disagree, why you disagree and that you’ll gladly continue the conversation if they would like to do so rationally. Make it clear that you will not participate in an emotional debate. This may mean that you end up walking away with a smile and a prayer on your lips as the attacker spews further hate, but we must handle such situations as Christ would want us to. If you act this way, you will have a lasting impact on your adversary, as well as those observing the discussion. Imagine the example you will set for your children when they see you overcome a potentially volatile situation this way.
Another way to positively impact your family and our culture is to pray. Pray with your family in a meaningful way. Lead prayers of thanks and petition to our Lord. Just as we ask our fellow Men of St. Joseph to pray for us, ask the saints for help. Ask St. Albert the Great to intercede for your child who has a difficult math test, after all, he taught St. Thomas Aquinas. Ask St. Ignatius and St. Sebastian to plead to our Savior for the protection of a family member in the military, they were soldiers and know the fear and loneliness of battle. Ask St. Catherine of Sienna to pray for your daughter who needs support in not giving in to peer pressure. This Doctor of the Church held to her convictions so strongly she became an advisor to the Pope during the middle ages when women were to be seen and not heard. During these times of prayer, be an example of love and ask the Holy Spirit to touch those who have offended you in some way. Ask Jesus to provide the wisdom of Solomon and the courage of St. Joan of Arc to our political leaders. Who knows what your family’s prayers can lead to? Is there any better legacy to leave your children when you are gone?
This retreat reminded us of our obligation to stay engaged in what goes on around us. We are called to shine the light of Truth on evil. Just as St. Paul confronted the authorities of his day with the Truth of Jesus Christ, we must let our politicians know that we will not stand for a government that infringes upon our God given rights. Our Declaration of Independence tells the world that all men “…are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Happiness…” Being pro-life is not just a “Catholic thing”; it is as American as our founding documents and as Christian as the Bible. There are plenty of other issues that we can become involved in, but the pro-life cause is critical and in desperate need of the support of strong Catholic Christian men. This a complicated set of issues that range from the unborn to the proper care for the dying. It also includes contraception. We are obliged to understand Catholic teaching on these subjects and defend the Church’s stance.
Many of us, through ignorance or apathy have committed grave sins against life. God will forgive you and give you the grace to forgive yourself. If you have committed sins in these areas, find a Priest, make a good confession and become engaged in the fight. God makes good out of evil. He wants us all to support life from conception to natural death.
An example of a man who lived a life engaging real world issues from a Catholic perspective is Blessed Alberto Marvelli. He lived in Italy during and after World War II. Alberto was politically active, but never compromised his deep Catholic Faith. He was very devoted to the Eucharist and care for the poor, often at the risk of his own life. Even his political opponents respected his integrity and “…profound dedication to the well-being of the community.”
Blessed Alberto had a tremendous impact on his town, even though he died at 28 years old. He followed God’s will by maximizing the use of his talents as an engineer, teacher, athlete and compassionate leader. Your challenge is to allow God to apply your talents where they are best utilized. Are you up to this challenge? As an individual, maybe not, but with the support of your brothers’ of the Men of St. Joseph, definitely so. Blessed Albert, protector of the poor and Saint Joseph, terror of demons, pray for us.
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