A few notes from my recent trip to see Fr. John Corapi

“Let me just take the gloves off, I’m too old and too tired and I don’t care anymore about
playing silly games. We’re witnessing before our very eyes, the
destruction of Western civilization — by our own hand.” 


The moral unraveling of a nation precedes the ultimate unraveling of a nation.

Return to the fundamentals one person at a time.

You neglect the fundamentals to your own peril.


We are at war and our battle is not with flesh and bone.

God by definition is pure simplicity.

God is. God is the word. God gave us the word. God has nothing left to say!


I am a blunt instrument and an equal opportunity offender!


You reach down to your brothers and sisters, but don't stay down there, pick them up.

God is a God of order, not chaos.

If you ran your household, like the government runs theirs, you'd be bankrupt in no time...why? 'Cause you're dumb!

Love is not warm-fuzzy, it's sacrifice!


If you've made it to purgatory, you've made it.


In plain English...GROW UP!


I can't be seen with a woman, I can't be seen with a man, I can't be seen with a child. So, where does that leave me? Right where the devil wants me...Alone!


You can absolutely kill someone with your tongue.


What merit is it to love only those that are loveable?


Abortion is genocide...in plain English!


The #1 form of penance = Acceptance


OFFER IT UP!


What are you willing to do to save a soul?


You love to the degree that you are willing to sacrifice.


If you live in a self-centered way, soon you won't be living at all.


No saint was canonized for what he knew. It doesn't matter what you know, it matters what you do!


God does have unconditional love for us, but He doesn't love the sin that's eating us alive.


Sometimes there are people that need offending! You are not exercising charity by telling someone what they wanna hear! As an equal opportunity offender, I will do a public service and offend someone up one side and down the other! 


You cannot be Pro-Choice and Catholic...Sorry! That's a no-brainer!


What do you think it is in the mother's womb if it is not a human? 
...And it is NOT a potential human being, it is a human being with potential!


The guilty thing is silence, we sift in our complacency. 


Mary conceived Jesus in her heart before she conceived him in her womb.


Immaculate heart of Mary, I place my trust in you!

My revelation from the street...

After class today I decided to swing by the Catholic Bookstore, which is kind of out of my way, but I just had the sudden desire to go. On my way there I had my first encounter. Before turning onto the main highway, I slowed down and was stopped at a traffic light and like most people do, I began to take in my surroundings as I was halted there. I looked to my left and saw a nicely landscaped McDonald's fast food restaurant and in front of me a nice Honda Civic waiting for my same turn and then to my left...I saw it...or, him, rather. I laid my eyes upon a sleeping soul literally wrapped around the trunk of a small tree with his entire livelihood resting upon him in a multitude of grocery sacks and shredded backpacks. This man was homeless and fast asleep at 10am in the morning along a busy highway for all of the world to see and judge. Upon arriving to this stop on my way towards my destination, I had no joke seen two other homeless folk begging for money at the previous stop lights - them I thought nothing about. I figured they just wanted my hard earned money to go and blow on drugs, alcohol, cigarettes and the like. I impulsively looked down to avoid eye contact when they passed my nice new Toyota Celica that smelled of my nice deceased breakfast sandwich that was now resting in peace in my fulfilled stomach. I drove on and even burped with satisfaction. But, what was it about that sleeping man that got me so shaken up inside? What was it about that man that sent my guilt into a frenzy? Why couldn't I take my eyes off of this publicly slumbering stranger? Was it because he had no where to lay his restless head and settled for the softest piece of ground he could find? - I thought about my queen size oasis of a bed at home with my four plush pillows. Was is because he was hiding from the blinding and scorching sun under the only shade he could find? - I thought about my 3200 square foot house just the next suburb over and the state of the art ceiling fan my dad had just installed over my bed. Was it the humiliation that he must have felt partaking in one of the most intimate and private occurrences in a person's everyday life, SLEEP, all out in the open for everyone to see? - I thought of my over-sized room, with it's four walls painted the color of my choice, my window with an optional view of my entire street outside, that came and went with the pull of my blinds, and the solid door that led to the hallway when I unlocked it, turned the brass handle and opened it. Was it his nomadic house that went wherever he went, that sat wherever he sat, that got wet whenever he got wet, that got heavy whenever he got tired? - I thought of my multitude of belongings, especially those that I just had to have and once bought, retired to my museum of a bookshelf collecting blankets of dust. Was it the his shopping cart that was taken from a parking lot out of his own necessity? - I thought of my nice little Toyota and its spacious trunk space that could double with the fold of my back seats. Was it his hand on his aching leg that I could see trembling, even in sleep, from the restlessness of travel? - I again thought of my Toyota and the short distances I would drive it, places that would take 10 minutes to walk, out of extreme sloth and laziness. Then came the revelation.........to be completed soon! 

A Look Back...Seminary - Year 2

Just a few scattered thoughts and reflections about this past year! I am so unworthy of this beautiful calling of Discernment to the Priesthood of Jesus Christ. I know I am not qualified, but as a wise man once told me, "God does not call the qualified, He qualifies the called!" Thanks Dad!
And so I continue this incredible journey, I trudge through the rocky terrain, I fall and I get up, I fall and I get up, I fall and I get up, I experience sadness, I experience joy, I experience the pain of others and I experience pain myself; I remain steadfast, my determination can't be wavered, I know what I must do, I see the path that God has set before me, I walk on my head held high, I walk on with a jump in my step, I walk on with my hands raised high...Praised be Jesus Christ!

It is professed in Romans Chapter 5, “rejoice in our suffering, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope. And hope does not disappoint us, because God has poured out His love into our hearts by the Holy Spirit, whom He has given us.” As I continue on this uneasy path set out for me by God, I take pause to reflect on my second year at St. Joseph Seminary College. Thus far it has been a numbing, yet humbling year of unprecedented growth for me. I have experienced God's great love and presence in my life this past year, but I have also experienced a far-reaching desert-like distance from him. Through this experience, I have found great consolation in these words of Paul's to the Romans, for I too have felt a great sense of suffering this year, but what hasn't killed me has made me a stronger and more mature man of God and Seminarian...More to come within the day....check back soon!

Capuchin Friars Visit

This past Spring break I was extremely fortunate to be able to go spend 3 days with the Mid-American Capuchin Franciscan Friars in Denver, Colorado (my hometown) for a Friary Visit and discernment weekend! It was truly a blessing to see and experience the life of a Capuchin Friar. Upon my arrival to Denver, I met a family friend at the airport who was there to pick me up. To my surprise at the baggage claim, my luggage had not shown up. I waited for over an hour and finally after everyone on my flight had received their baggage, I went to the baggage claim desk to talk to the folks in charge. They checked their list, which I was not on, so I made one more visit to the baggage claim and saw nothing but a big bucket with a huge clear trash bag inside, going around the conveyor belt. I walked up to it slowly and couldn't see anything in it. It went around twice before I went and looked again at which point I saw a familiar logo on a black hoodie. My mouth dropped. it was my Seminary logo. I grabbed the whole plastic bucket and forcefully put it on the ground and opened up the huge plastic bag. To my unfortunate surprise it was all the contents of my bag, including my bag, all CUT UP in shreds and covered in oil!! AHHH!....more to come in a few....

Toy Story 3: A GREAT end to the Saga!

I found these cool facts online:

'Toy Story 3' Chock Full of Hidden Facts and Movie References

by Mike Ryan · June 22, 2010

"Toy Story 3" has entertained children and parents alike (and has made at least one childless, unmarried adult male in his thirties cry) to the tune of $110 million dollars in its opening weekend.
Chances are, considering the amount of money the film made over the weekend, that if you're reading this, there's a better than average chance you've seen the film. If you have, there are a few hidden "Easter eggs" (the cinematic term for meaningful images or references buried in a movie) worthy of a second look. Even if you haven't seen "Toy Story 3," it's worth reading on for some fun facts you can impress your friends with.

Slashfilm and ComingSoon.net have put together exhaustive lists of the Easter eggs hiding in "Toy Story 3," and the New Orleans Times-Picayune also did some digging and found a few pieces of trivia that bear repeating. Highlights of those lists include:

• "A113," the number of a classroom at CalTech where many Pixar animators studied, shows up as an Easter egg in every Pixar film. In the "Toy Story" series, it's the license plate on Andy's mother's car.
• Sid, the bully from the first movie who wears a skull T-shirt, appears as a garbage man in the new film wearing the same skull T-shirt.
• There's a postcard on Andy's dresser addressed from the featured characters from last year's "Up," Carl and Ellie Fredrickson.
• Lightning McQueen from "Cars" is referenced a few times throughout the film: A miniature toy car at the daycare center, on a child's shirt at the center and on a fictional train that shares McQueen's number, 95. That number is itself an Easter egg, referring to 1995, the year the first "Toy Story" was released.
• A calendar from Pizza Planet is clearly seen. Pizza Planet has appeared in every Pixar film except "The Incredibles."
• Pixar has a history of hiding a character to be featured in a later movie somewhere in a current film. Nemo first appeared in "Monsters, Inc." and "Toy Story 3" newcomer, Lots-o-Huggins Bear (who, ironically, is not very huggable), first appeared alongside a bed in "Up." A poster on Andy's wall shows a character from next year's "Cars 2." It shows Finn McMissile, a British sports car/secret agent who plays a major role in the sequel.
• Buzz Lightyear's batteries are from "Buy 'N' Large," the giant corporation responsible for ruining the planet in "WALL-E."
• Totoro, the furry, friendly creature from Hayao Miyazaki's Japanese animated classic "My Neighbor Totoro," shows up as a toy that Woody meets. Pixar founder John Lasseter has called Miyazaki an inspiration for his work, and Lasseter produced his most recent film, "Ponyo."
• A significant amount of the film takes place at a daycare center. At the daycare center, Mr. Ray the Scientific Stingray from "Finding Nemo" makes a cameo. Nemo himself appears as a sticker on Andy's toybox.
• "Toy Story 3" director Lee Unkrich performs one line in the movie, as the voice of the Jack in the Box character.
• The "Toy Story 3" screenplay took 2 1/2 years to write and storyboard.
• John Ratzenberger keeps his streak alive of appearing in every single Pixar film made to this point. For "Toy Story 3," he reprises his role as Hamm.
• Ken, voiced by Michael Keaton, was based on a 1988 version of him called "Animal Lovin' Ken" which included his "own chimpanzee to care for and love." Um, okay. The Barbie featured in the film is based on a 1983 version titled "Great Shape Barbie."
• Ken wears 21 different outfits in the movie.
• Woody has 229 animation points of movement in his face. Buzz has 215 animation avatars in his face.
• There are 302 characters in the film.

• "Toy Story 3" marks the best opening weekend in the history of Pixar, which is quite a feat, considering all eleven Pixar films have opened as the number one in their respective weekend. "Toy Story 3" is the first film in the "Toy Story" series to be released in the very lucrative 3D format. Considering the added cost per ticket, plus the demand to see the film, it's little surprise that "Toy Story 3" is on pace to pass the $400 million mark in domestic box office. 

The "C" Word.........C..e..l..i..b..a..c..y.

My good friend and brother seminarian Daniel Root just posted a good thought-provoking question on Facebook today and it did in fact make me think. His question was - "wonders why the only people who are bothered by celibacy are the ones who are not celibate?" I think one of the greatest issues with this is the fact that Celibacy is so counter to our present culture that it in a way scares people, it's not the norm, it yields no offspring, and it seems like a sad way to live - what do you mean you can't have sex for the rest of your life?!? People often ask me, don't you want to have a wife and kids? If I answered no to that question, that would be grounds for great concern. Of course I would like to have a family and kids. I have always wanted to have kids. I even had a good, healthy, generous, Catholic quota in mind - 6 kiddos! Would that have flown with my wife...eh who knows?!? hahaha!  BUT, God has called me to live me life in another way and I am at great peace with that now. Just after two years of Seminary experience and training, I have come to understand a little bit better what Celibacy is and what it means for the Priestly life. Most of my attitudes about sexuality and celibacy, up to my entering the seminary, had been shaped by our secular society and by my friends. So I had to start fresh and remain ope-minded when it came to this particular idea of celibacy. I have always understood what Celibacy is, but on a very elementary level. I definitely knew about the infamous part of not having sex for the rest of your life and this is why celibacy gets such negative attention in our world. Many if not most people see celibacy as a suppression of nature and one that is tragic and unfair. Admittedly, I saw celibacy as just that while I was growing up. After furthering my knowledge of celibacy, which I have committed my self to, I have discovered the true beauty and joy of the priest's call to live a celibate life. I now understand that the true essence of celibacy goes much deeper than just the physical aspects. It became apparent that celibacy should aim for affective maturity, which in this sense, is the ability to live a true and responsible love. Celibacy is hard for most, but I know that God will never allow me to face anything that I cannot conquer or handle. If you believe in God with ALL of your heart, anything is possible through Him! With that inspiration etched into my heart, a sense of ease is brought over me concerns about celibacy and chastity invade my thoughts. I may not ever have the opportunity to be a “biological father,” but joy fills my heart none the less, because I know that through God, if it continues to be His will for me, I will be a “Spiritual Father” and be given the grace to love and serve all of my brothers and sisters, without a wife and children. I have found my true happiness in God; He will fill all voids! Celibacy is a LIFELONG process, just like Marriage is a LIFELONG process. Both are tough and both are beautiful vocations from God! Both require trust and both require God as a central player! I will reiterate, If you believe in God with ALL of your heart, anything is possible through Him!

Below is a short video about Celibacy that goes into MUCH farther depths than I could ever go into at this point in my discernment! Please watch if you are interested or in search of answers and if any of this does not suffice, I challenge you to prayerfully and proactively continue searching for the answers! God Bless!

A Prophetic Calling

   To be “called” by God is a rather daunting and uncommon call and one that isn’t to be taken lightly. Perhaps this is why the many prophets we find within prophetic scripture have such trepidation and doubt when God calls them to prophesy.  This doubt and fear causes most of the prophets to outright reject God from the onset. However, saying “no” to God is like pouring water into the ocean, it’s very ineffective. The prophets eventually accept God’s call to prophesy and they begin to preach His message in obedience, with faith as their guide. The prophets Isaiah, Jeremiah, and Ezekiel are three men that share this similar call from God, who asks them to accept the gift of prophecy and to preach His message. Each of these prophets’ call is thematically similar, but different in circumstance, and each responds in his own unique way.
    Isaiah is an aristocratic southerner whose call to prophesy came in the same year that King Uzziah died, around 742 B.C (NAB  p.936). Isaiah’s call begins with a vision in the Temple, “I saw the Lord seated on a high and lofty throne, with the train of his garment filling the temple. Seraphim were stationed above; each of them had six wings: with two they veiled their faces, with two they veiled their feet, and with two they hovered aloft. ‘Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of hosts!’ they cried one to the other. ‘All the earth is filled with his glory!’ At the sound of that cry, the frame of the door shook and the house was filled with smoke.” Isaiah then cries out in anguish, “Woe is me, I am doomed! For I am a man of unclean lips; yet my eyes have seen the King, the Lord of hosts” (Is.6:1-5). At that cry, one of the seraphim takes an ember from the altar and touches Isaiah’s lips in order to purge his sins and remove his wickedness. Following this initial rejection and purification, Isaiah hears the Lord speak, “Whom shall I send? Who will go for us?” Isaiah promptly responds, “Here I am; send me!” (Is.6:8). God imparts his prophetic mission onto Isaiah, whom then embarks on the task at hand.
    Jeremiah, a southerner from Judah, is also called to prophesy, but his call to that life comes about in a different, and perhaps, more personal way.  This is evident through God’s words to Jeremiah, “Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, before you were born I dedicated you, a prophet to the nations I appointed you” (Jer.1:5). This demonstrates God’s great destiny for Jeremiah, even before he was formed into being. Even more blatantly than Isaiah however, Jeremiah initially rejects God’s call with the words, “Ah, Lord God! I know not how to speak; I am too young” (Jer.1:6). To this, God replies, “Say not, ‘I am too young.’ To whomever I send you, you shall go; whatever I command you, you shall speak. Have no fear before them, because I am with you to deliver you” (Jer.1:7-8). Then in a similar act to Isaiah, God makes contact with Jeremiah’s mouth by stretching out his hand and touching it. God follows this significant act with the words, “See, I place my words in your mouth! This day I set you over nations and over kingdoms, to root up and to tear down, to destroy and to demolish, to build and to plant” (Jer.1:9-10). God continues to converse with Jeremiah and then the prophet, like Isaiah, embarks on the task at hand.
    Ezekiel, an Israelite in the exiled Babylon, is the first to be called to prophesy outside of the Holy Land. Ezekiel’s call from God seems to be more complex and detailed, in that Ezekiel has visions which none of the other prophets had. His earliest vision is that of four living creatures, eventually recognized as cherubim. Above the cherubim, seated on a throne, is God in all his glory. After God’s presence is made clear to Ezekiel, he falls on his face and is lifted to his feet by the spirit when God addresses him by saying, “Son of man, stand up! I wish to speak with you” (Ez.2:1). God again addresses Ezekiel saying, “Son of man, I am sending you to the Israelites, rebels who have rebelled against me…you shall say to them: Thus says the Lord God! And whether they heed you or resist - for they are a rebellious house- they shall know that a prophet has been among them” (Ez.2:3, 2:4-5). In a similar fashion to that the two previous prophets, God then makes special, significant contact with Ezekiel’s mouth, asking him to eat the scroll before him. Ezekiel, in contrast to the other two prophets immediately obeys God’s command and eats the scroll saying, “I ate it, and it was as sweet as honey in my mouth.” (Ez.3:3). God then imparts his prophetic mission unto Jeremiah by saying, “Son of man, go now to the house of Israel, and speak my words to them” (Ez.3:4). Soon after this, Jeremiah follows suit and embarks on the task at hand.
    Each of these prophets, Isaiah, Jeremiah, and Ezekiel, receive an extraordinary call from God to preach with a countercultural approach and each responds in their own distinct way. All have their share of fear and trembling and most reject their call completely. However, God in His mysterious ways, gets all three men to eventually accept their higher calling and all go forth prophesying in faith.

Feast of Corpus Christi

I wanted to know more about this great Feast of the Church. Here is some of what I gathered:

The Feast of Corpus Christi is an important solemnity celebrated by the Roman Catholic Church, traditionally on the Thursday following Trinity Sunday. “Corpus Christi” literally translates to mean “Body of Christ,” therefore it can obviously be concluded that the Feast of Corpus Christi celebrates the Holy Eucharist. Due to the centrality of the Eucharist within our Catholic Faith, the Church has deemed it necessary to call this feast day a holy day of obligation for all Catholics.
How did such a feast day come to be? This holy day of the Church can be most attributed to St. Juliana of Belgium. Juliana, from a very early age had quite a devotion and great fidelity for the Blessed Sacrament. It was this strong attachment to the Eucharist, that always left her longing for a special feast in it’s honor. This desire was reinforced through her “vision of the Church under the appearance of the full moon having one dark spot, which signified the absence of such a solemnity” (Mershman). Her sharing of this vision caught the attention of some highly influential men, those being Bishop Robert de Thorete, the future Cardinal Dominican Hugh, Archdeacon Jacques Pantaleon, and eventually Pope Urban IV. Bishop Robert de Thorete was especially enthused by the devotion and vision of Juliana, that he used his Episcopal authority to order a local Corpus Christi celebration in the following liturgical year. He even went as far to order a specific monk to write the new office for it’s occasion.
It was the Bishop of Liege who made the push for a universality of the local feast. By the grace of God, Pope Urban IV was already an aficionado of the feast and shortly after the Bishop’s appeal, published “Transiturus” in September of 1264, which ordered Corpus Christi to be celebrated annually each Thursday after Trinity Sunday. Along with this order, he even granted special indulgences for those faithful who attended the Corpus Christi feast masses.
To this day, Corpus Christi is celebrated annually, the Thursday after Trinity Sunday and in some regions, the Sunday after Trinity Sunday. “Typically Corpus Christi services consist of singing traditional hymns Lauda Sion and Pange Lingua, both attributed to St. Thomas Aquinas” (Bennett). There are certain devotional practices that have, over the years, become the norm. One of these practices is the Corpus Christi Procession of the Blessed Sacrament, exposition of the Blessed Sacrament, ending with Benediction. Within the context of the mass, the liturgical color is white and the readings are on a specific three year cycle. This year, the readings are as follows; Genesis 14: 18-20, Psalm 110: 1,2,3,4, 1 Corinthians 11: 23-26, and Luke 9: 11-17 (Bennett).

Capuchin Franciscan Friars of Mid-America

God has led me to this beautiful and holy religious order of Priest and Brother Capuchins. If I were to ever feel the call to the Religious life, I would join these great men in a heart beat! Let us pray for an increase of Vocations to the Priesthood and Religious life and for the perseverance of those who have answered the call! Pax et bonum!

Excerpt from vocation story, followed by really cool recent story

["...In the grand scheme of things, God is the only one who knows why a particular person is attracted to the Priesthood or religious life or marriage. But in our own weak human way of analyzing it, I can say that my discernment to the Priesthood took up a long stretch of my rollercoaster ride through life. I am convinced that my Vocation was rooted from the very moment God created me and my first glimpse into that vocation occurred in 2002 while sitting before a priest in the sacrament of Confession. Up to that moment of conversion through the sacrament of confession, I was living a pretty average teenage life, just like any mainstream teenager was living in our modern society. I remember that moment like it was just yesterday, I was sitting inside the Sacred Heart Basilica on the Notre Dame campus with hundreds of other young people my age, yet I felt like the only one in that Basilica. Everyone and everything just seemed to disappear and I began to contemplate my life, my intense struggles and the fact that God seemed to be absent or at least in and out of my life. I began to tear up just thinking about my confusion and my shame and after a few minutes of fighting back the waterworks, my eyes couldn’t hold it in and I began to sob before God and all my "invisible" peers around me. It was at that moment that I became entranced by the presence of God. It was as if he was reaching his hand down from Heaven to say “Jared, I am here.” Moved by the spirit, I stood up from my pew and walked me over to one of the side altars where a newly ordained Priest was silently praying. I sat down in front of him face to face as I hung my head in shame and the minute I looked up to make eye contact with him, I lost it again. He simply put his hand on my shoulder and let me cry as the Holy Spirit did it‘s work. Shortly after, we began to speak. I began to unload everything that was weighing me down. My private struggles, I revealed to him. Pains that were inflicting me, I unleashed. Things that had held me captive for years in the deepest darkest parts of my being, were finally being cast into the light. We spoke for what seemed to be over an hour that night and he spoke some of the most powerful words that have ever been uttered my direction. He said to me, “Jared, Satan is a LIAR! He has been lying to you for all these years. Satan is nothing more than a LIAR!" Through our conversation, I came to understand that the evil one can tempt us, but He cannot touch us, unless we open the door to him. So I needed to close the door to the snares and the deceit of Satan and open wide the doors to Christ! He then said, “God is trying to get your attention, does He have it now?” He proceeded to tell me that God works in mysterious ways, ways that we will never understand, but it is up to us to TRUST, to trust in His will and to follow him with open eyes, an open heart, and an unyielding faith. My faith that had been shaken was immediately beginning to strengthen and reform with every word that Fr. Dan was speaking. And then came the moment of Absolution. The moment that would change my life forever and send me in the direction that God had always planned for me..."]

God was truly present and working through Fr. Dan in his ministry as a confessor. For that I am forever grateful. I want to point out that towards the end of my confession, he gave me his Ordination prayer card, which had his name and ordination date on the back. He also gave me two other prayer cards, one of Christ approaching the future disciples/fishermen for the first time and another prayer card (book mark) with an image of the Holy Trinity. I have kept these cards all these years and of course took them with me to college and to Seminary. One day while praying before the tabernacle at St. Joseph Abbey (& Seminary College), something caused me to look really hard at the painting above the tabernacle and all of the sudden, my contemplation was interrupted by an extreme familiarity of the painting that I had not noticed up to that point. I cut my prayer short (hopefully God understood!) and I raced back to my room in search of the Trinity prayer card Fr. Dan had given to me. Low and behold, the painting on the prayer card of the Holy Trinity was the same painting above the tabernacle in the Abbey. I was speechless; what a beautiful and overwhelming moment it was for me! The same cherished card that I had received from Fr. Dan 7 years earlier during one of my deepest darkest moments of my life, was of the same painting that was above the tabernacle I was praying before as a Seminarian! It was definitely a "God moment!"

Man Up! Be An Authentic Man of God in a World that tells us otherwise...

Brothers in Christ - There is an ancient war that still rages on to this very day. It is a continuous battle between the Lord Our God and the Evil One Satan, who battle day in and day out for the heart and soul of the human race. 1 John, Chapter 5, proclaims with great certainty that the whole world is under the deceptive control of the Evil One. My brothers, we are on a perilous journey through enemy territory. This world, this life, is our battle ground and we are called to be REAL MEN, REAL SOLDIERS in this fight. So, my question to you this day is, where have all the real men gone? Are you enlisted in God’s army?

My brothers, Real manhood, real masculinity has become so ridiculed and mocked, so twisted and redefined, and almost even demonized that many men are deep down, afraid to be a REAL MAN or don’t even know what it means anymore. As Catholic men, we are not JUST men, but as St. Paul tells us, we are men of God, men aimed at virtue, Godliness, faith, love, gentleness, steadfastness; we are men called to fight the good fight of faith.

Being a man isn’t about wearing certain clothes, or having a swarm of ladies chasing you down, or having the biggest and nicest car, or being the best at sports, or having the biggest biceps, or being the most intellectual or having the most money. NO, it’s not any of those things. It is about being strong and noble, indestructible in your sacrifice for the weakest among us, invincible in the sacrifice for the beautiful gift of woman that God brought into this world, and it is about being a champion for truth!

Brothers, do you seek real manhood, do you seek real masculinity, do you have what it takes to enlist your entire being, all that you are, into God’s army? Are you strong enough to endure a counter-cultural life? Christ did not come into this world and die on a cross for you so that you could have a mediocre faith and live a mediocre manhood. Are you a soldier for Christ, ready to fight the good fight of faith and love. If so, I challenge you now, I challenge you to live by these four “Principles of Manhood” which I now offer to you:
Principle #1 - A Real Man Rejects Passivity - As a man, you must accept social and spiritual responsibilities entrusted to you by God. It all starts with a decision to reject social and spiritual passivity when nothing is the more comfortable and natural option.

Principle #2 - A Real Man Accepts Responsibility - in all its forms. As a man, you must obey the will of God with an unyielding faith. You must also use your unique gifts and abilities for the greater good of God’s Kingdom. One must also treat every woman with respect and dignity and protect her at all times, you must love, lead and honor them at all times.


Principle #3 - A Real Man Leads Courageously - God created us as men to lead, not to follow. Leadership demand that men have the courage to master their passions and bridle themselves with the principles of truth.

Principle #4 - A Real Man Expects the Greater Reward , God’s Reward - Manhood is challenging. Real manhood was designed by God to be liberating and a means of Great Reward. What kept Jesus in the race? The anticipation of Joy! Great Reward! Real manhood is at times rigorous; it demands courage and sacrifice!

My brothers listen to your heart, listen real intently, God is trying to get your attention; He is speaking to you. Are you hearing him, or are you hearing the world?

My brothers, rise up, and put on the full armor of God, so that you will be able to stand firm against the schemes of the devil. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the powers, against the world forces of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places. Therefore, take up the full armor of God, so that you will be able to resist in the evil day, and having done everything, to stand firm. Stand firm therefore, HAVING GIRDED YOUR LOINS WITH TRUTH, and HAVING PUT ON THE BREASTPLATE OF RIGHTEOUSNESS, and having SHOD YOUR FEET WITH THE PREPARATION OF THE GOSPEL OF PEACE; in addition to all, taking up the SHIELD OF FAITH with which you will be able to extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. And take THE HELMET OF SALVATION, and the SWORD OF THE SPIRIT, which is the Word of God. With all prayer and petition pray at all times in the spirit.

My dear brothers and fellow soldiers, DO NOT BE AFRAID to be a REAL man and to fight the good fight, for God is at your side and there he will always be.

It is my continued prayer that an epidemic of faith continues to break out in our world because of men like you.

St. Padre Pio, Pray for us! St. Michael the Archangel Protect us in Battle!