By
Father Scott Archer
There
is a modern trend to downplay the importance of men, which may range from
making them a buffoonish punchline to confining them to “masculine” pursuits
such as contact sports or the military. These aspects of our society come very
naturally to men, and they are an important part of a man’s identity. However, when
focus is placed too much on these pursuits, men become single-dimensional. This
has detrimental effects when it comes to our faith, as piety demands humility
and submission to the will of God. Men traditionally learned to be pious from
an early age, watching and modeling the behaviors of their own fathers. To be
the strong leaders their families need today, men need to develop a stronger and
more traditional piety if there is to be any hope of a revived Christendom. We
need families who are resilient in their faith, yet the father’s role as not
only the leader and protector of his family but also a humble servant of God is
being neglected or misunderstood. How does one turn this around or follow a
path that is more balanced? Devotion to the ever-Virgin Mother of God is key. A
trend seems to have grown that views devotion to Our Lady is for women while
men should be devoted to Saint Joseph, as if devotion to Mary is somehow not
manly. This is harmful in developing a healthy spirituality among men. I do not
wish to diminish devotion to Saint Joseph in any way. However, devotion to the
foster father of Christ is purely optional, whereas, devotion to Our Lady is not.
To
be a good father one must learn to be a good son. All of us, men and women, are
children of Mary, the Mother of Christ our Brother. It is from her we learn
true holiness and submission to the will of God, as she exemplified these
qualities so perfectly in her own life. Saint Maximillian Kolbe said, “If
anyone does not wish to have Mary Immaculate for his Mother, he will not have
Christ for his Brother.” If men are to reach their full spiritual potential,
which affects every other aspect of their lives, they must practice traditional
devotion to Our Lady. She teaches men, young and old, what it means to be
attentive to the Word of God, faithful to duty, heroic
in suffering, and fervent sons of the Church. By “traditional devotion” I
do not mean there are devotions specific to men, as this plays right into the
imbalance of which I speak. I mean devotion as it has been practiced by both
men and women throughout the history of the Church.
There
are several natural distinctions between men and women, but when it comes to
the faith and devotion to Our Lady, men have just as much of an obligation to
be devoted to her. Regarding devotion to various saints, your devotion depends
on your spiritual attractions to those saints; however, devotion to the Mother
of God is necessary for salvation. Saint Alphonsus Liguori said, “Mary having co-operated in our redemption with so
much glory to God and so much love for us, Our Lord ordained that no one shall
obtain salvation except through her intercession.”
Our Lady exemplified her fidelity in the words, “Behold the
handmaid of the Lord: be it done to me according to thy word.” Men must be
faithful to God and always ready to do His will in their lives, no matter the
sacrifice demanded. She was the first and most perfect member of the Catholic
Church. Men are very suited to making heroic sacrifices, and if we stand with the
Queen of Martyrs at the foot of the cross, there is nothing we cannot do for
Christ, His Church, and for the Catholic family. Simeon prophesied to Mary,
“And thy own soul a sword shall pierce.” Unite yourselves with Mary and you
will be filled with the graces needed to be the men God wishes you to be, and
through her intercession will obtain salvation. “Open to us, O Mary, the gate
of heaven,” wrote Saint Ambrose, “since you have its keys.”
Kneel
and pray the Rosary while meditating on the events and mysteries in the lives
of Jesus and Mary, wear the scapular of Our Lady of Mount Carmel, pray the
novenas and litanies of Our Lady, and imitate her in every regard, whether you
are a husband, father, son, priest, or religious. Saint Louis de Montfort wrote,
“The greatest saints, those richest in grace and
virtue will be the most assiduous in praying to the most Blessed Virgin,
looking up to her as the perfect model to imitate and as a powerful helper to
assist them.”
The
answer to becoming better Catholic men is to be more fervent sons of Mary. Men,
you must not think devotion to the Mother of God is feminine or unmanly, that
the Rosary must be made more manly with certain colors or materials, or that
imitation of Our Lady detracts in any way from your masculinity. True devotion
to Our Lady will bring you closer to Our Savior and make you better men by all
the graces you receive through the hands of the Mediatrix of all graces!
