Here are 12
steps to become a Catholic Gentleman:
1. Develop a
rousing case for why Jesus Christ is your King – If a
man is asked to describe why he loves his parents, wife, children or friends,
most can quickly rattle off a long list of reasons for his love. But for most
men, Jesus Christ is abstract, conceptual or a long-gone historical figure.
Large numbers of men don’t know Jesus as real, alive and present. Each
Catholic man must to be able to give a rousing argument for why Jesus Christ is
the greatest Man and why Jesus is his King. If a man is not convinced about
Christ’s greatness to the point of being able to articulate the case, his
growth in faith will be stunted and he will be unable to draw others to Christ.
Committed Catholic Men can make the case for Christ.
2. Commit to be
a Saint of Christ the King – There are no nice people or good
people in Heaven, only Saints. Most men have not made a commitment to strive
for Sainthood. Men are stuck in mediocrity and need to raise the bar higher;
there is no higher bar than Sainthood. Christ’s first words of public ministry
were to “Repent!” and every man must repent or die. By making a commitment to
Sainthood, a man starts with repentance and aspires to greatness; in this he
realizes his own spiritual poverty. In the recognition of spiritual poverty, a
man comes to both humbly recognize his need for God’s mercy and to cry out for
it. Aspiring to Sainthood changes everything.
3. Go to
Reconciliation at least once a month – While the Church teaches
each man must go to Reconciliation at least once a year, any man who is
truthful with himself and Christ knows he needs the
Sacrament of Reconciliation much more frequently. Keep a guide
to Reconciliation with you, recalling regularly the 10 Commandments. Make the
commitment to go to Reconciliation on a pre-determined schedule each
month and go to Reconciliation immediately when you fall into grave
sin (e.g. when you view pornography). Regular and frequent Reconciliation
changes men, for supernatural Grace flows to men during Absolution.
4. Pray for 15
minutes every day – Only about a third of Catholic men pray daily; some
smaller number, a much smaller number, pray for 15 minutes. How can a man know
Jesus if he never talks to Him? He can’t. Commit to get to know Christ the King
on a personal basis by approaching His Throne and talking with Him every day
for 15 minutes. It is in this personal conversation that Christ will make His
will known to each man.
5. Discover the
majestic manliness of the Mass – The Mass is the “source and
summit” of the Catholic faith, and yet, the majority of men claim to “be bored
by the Mass” and to “not get anything out of the Mass”. This is because they
don’t know what is occurring in the Mass: they have little understanding of the
manly symbolism of the Mass, a Sacrament that has been devoutly passed down for
2000 years. They don’t realize that during the Mass they are witnesses to the
actual Bloody Sacrifice of Jesus Christ on the Cross. If a man doesn’t actively
participate in the Mass because of ignorance and boredom, he can’t receive the
Graces that flow from the Eucharist. Learn the Mass to such a degree that you
can explain it to others with the reverence and devotion that Christ’s
Sacrifice deserves.
6. Participate
in Sunday Mass + 1 – It is the minimum obligation
of each Catholic man to attend Massevery Sunday; but only about a
quarter of men do so on any given week. This is both a catechetical failure and
an outrageous insult to Our King. In addition to attending Mass every Sunday,
each man should go an additional step to encounter the Eucharist at
least one more time during the week either by participating in
daily Mass or by kneeling in Adoration for 30 minutes. Most men have much to
make up for and precious little time; drawing closer to Christ more regularly
will help men make up for lost time. A warning: never approach the
Eucharist in a state of mortal sin.
7. Pray the
Rosary regularly and carry the Rosary with you – Only about
40% of Catholic men ever pray the Rosary, and only 1 in 10 carry their Rosary
with them. Praying the Rosary draws a man closer to our Holy Mother and to
her Son, Jesus Christ; it is the manliest of rituals, prayed by the greatest
Saints over centuries, in quiet places and in the din of the battlefield. It is
a manly act of loyalty and fidelity. Commit to carry the Rosary as a sign of
your loyalty and faith and as a weapon against the daily onslaught of Satan;
Satan hates the Rosary and fears it. Have the Rosary handy at all times to pray
a decade in times of gratitude and stress, relying on the Holy Mother to bring
your prayers to Jesus Christ. The Rosary is part of the uniform of the
Committed Catholic Man.
8. Get to know
your Patron Saint and Guardian Angel – We believe
in a Communion of Saints. Many men don’t have a personal relationship with a
Saint or their Guardian Angel. Many men don’t feel connected to the
Church, in part because they are not connected to the Saints or to the Guardian
Angel that Jesus Christ has appointed for each man. Saints and Angels intercede
on men’s behalf and stand by to protect and defend men from daily assault of
Satan and his demons. Don’t go into daily battle without a Saint and your
Guardian Angel guarding your back.
9. Read Holy
Scripture for 15 minutes each day – All of Holy Scripture is
about Jesus Christ. When a man reads Holy Scripture, Jesus Christ is with him,
not figuratively or conceptually, but in a real and actual way. Jesus Himself
came to earth to speak the words of Scripture for all men, across all time, to
read and contemplate, drawing strength and wisdom and Grace from His words.
Reading Holy Scripture can be done by working through books of the Bible and by
reading/praying the Divine Office. A man can’t know Jesus Christ without
contemplating His Word.
10.Be a priest,
prophet and king in your home – In the face of a secular
culture that attacks valid patrimony, Catholic men need to reassert their
rightful roles as priest, prophet and king of their family. We are not talking
about being a chauvinistic tyrant, but a true Saint of Christ, with each man serving
his wife and children with humble sacrifice, holy example and courageous
commitment to lead his family to Heaven. Be a priest by leading your family in
prayer. Be a prophet by teaching the truth of Christ and His Church. Be a king
by defending your family from the perversions of the culture, correcting
them when they fall into error and by leading them the Eucharist and
Reconciliation.
11. Build a
brotherhood with other Catholic men in your parish –
In Acts 2:43, the Apostles from the earliest days
of the Church give the “formula” for Catholic brotherhood: And they
devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and fellowship, to the breaking of
bread and the prayers. For a man to grow in faith he must build
brotherhood with faithful Catholic men who can challenge and help him grow in
holiness. There is an epidemic of loneliness in modern men, even in
regular mass-attending men. Make the commitment to build brotherhood with other
Catholic men, particularly younger men, men who are at grave risk as they enter
adolescence and move into adulthood. Gather the men of your parish in large
groups and small, to pray, to learn, to teach and to serve the poor. Be a
catalyst, be a leader, working with your priest. Christ will hold all men
accountable for their personal response to His command to “Go and make
disciples.”
12. Commit to
tithing and begin to work toward it – The willingness of a man to
give his hard-earned money to the Church is a direct indicator of the strength
of his devotion and loyalty to the King Jesus Christ. Sadly, many Catholic men
give little to the Church, both in absolute terms and relative to other
Christian’s gifts to their churches. Tithing is the giving of 10% of a man’s
income to the Church including a parish and other Catholic charities. While you
may not be able to give a full 10% due to economic constraints, commit to
tithing and begin to work toward it, making progress each year, guided by the
Holy Spirit.
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