It is only when a boy faces adversity and accepts responsibility that he grows into a man.
John Wayne said, “to be a gentleman, you first have to be a man.
Some say historical values, traditions, are meant for the trash heap. Everyone who has watched the night fire knows that within the ashes of the fire pit are hot embers – embers that can be fanned into flames.
Men, we need to fan into flames the hidden embers in the ashes of traditional values to put a fire in our belly that will make us strong and maybe even a bit dangerous. He better to fan these embers than the Fire from Heaven – the Holy Spirit!
Be the kind of man who, when you roll out of bed in the morning, makes the demons cower, tremble and think, “Oh no! He’s awake.”
God gave Adam this mission and desire, to have dominion and tend the land – Genesis 1:26, 2:15. It is written on every man’s heart since that first days.
It’s time for men to be the heroes that we know in our souls God created us to be. The Latin root for the word virtue is ‘vir’, which means ‘man’. It is in the very nature, the call, the purpose of man to live out virtue. Man comes hardwired with a call to virtue, to even be virtue itself – to be manly. Despite being born with a fallen nature, there is a deep yearning in him for virtue.
Every man at some point plays the hero. He rides out as the cowboy, fighting the Indians to save the town. He dreams to be the knight in shining armor, riding in to save the damsel. He fights the enemies as a heroic soldier. All games played as a boy dreaming to be that kind of man. The man God wrote in his soul.
Women have a role in this. See your man as a hero. That hero to be called out by you. Every man, when he is up against it, needs a woman, a cheerleader who believes in his virtue and strength as he rises to the challenge. Knights and cowboys of old sought to live up to the virtue the women expected in them. Deep inside, every man still does.
St. Joseph is an example of this virtuous man. On his own, he strove to be a good man, a man of virtue with a good name. He sought to be the kind of man who God’s son could look up to. But, do not doubt there weren’t times when his wife, Mary, had to lift him up. I’m sure there were times he wondered if he were man enough to be the father of God’s Son on earth. It was then that Mary spurred him on and lifted him up to be who he was created to be – the father of Jesus and husband to Mary. And, yes, the demons were dismayed when ‘the Terror of Demons’ rolled out of bed to start the day.
Men today need to pursue virtue. We need to pursue doing the right thing for the right reason at the right time. We need hearts of steel yet full of love. We need strong hands of leather that caress like silk. We need ramrod straight and strong backs that bend to serve those we love.
Start today if you haven’t already, now is an apt time. Open and hold the door for you lady, be tough and do the dishes. Hold her hand as you walk on the traffic side of the road. Let your strength shine while being unafraid to let others see you cry when hurting. Bend your knee to serve your wife and family as you bend your knee before Jesus, your King.
Men! It’s time to cowboy up!