Men's Rosary

My father was not a religious, church-going man.  He did believe in God and did read scripture.  He also loved all the Biblical movies!  Thinking back, he gave me advice that now I see as not only good worldly advice, but also strong spiritual advice.  Advice on how to be a truly Godly man.  He told me, when I was in my teens, that one day I may meet someone I decide to make my wife.  When that happens, he said, everything changes.  Once I become a husband, my needs and wants should take second place.  I was to do everything for my wife.  That would become my role, to love and support.  And when children came along my wants went even further down the line!  Wife and children come first.  To him, this defined answering the call to manhood.  I will say that he gave an impressive example of that.  He was a good man, and he is sorely missed.

I followed this advice as best I could.  I hope he approves.  But I carry this even further into good spiritual advice.  It says as much in Scripture.  “Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility count others more significantly than yourselves.  Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others.” (Philippians 2:3-4)  We as married men, are the heads of our family; and as single men, they have much of the same responsibility to those around them.  Our strength really is measured in how we give.  We are called to serve and follow the example of Christ.  “Let no one seek his own good, but the good of his neighbor.” (1 Corinthians 10:24)  So married men may have a little more pressure on them, I suppose!  The point is that we are to serve the other.  That is how we love as Christ loves.  His time on earth was marked with great service to others.  That was his whole purpose.  He knew this and still served in spite of the passion and death that lie before him.  He put everyone before his needs.  “For even the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.”  (Mark 10:45)  We imitate Christ by doing for our families and others.  We work hard to provide the finances to support the families and provide for their needs,  we give of our wealth and time to serve and provide for the needy.  We also give our wealth and time to serve the Church in her mission.  We are to serve, plain and simple.  No matter how successful and important we are, we are to serve others first.  “The greatest among you shall be your servant.  Whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and whoever humbles himself will be exalted.”  (Matthew 23:11-12)

For most of us, we will not die in order to serve others but there is a different death we will have to face – Death to Self.  Life cannot be about us.  We have to realize that serving others will cost us.  Perhaps it will be skipping the fishing or hunting trip, maybe we will have to miss watching our favorite show or sporting event.  All this to help someone in need or to serve our Church.  Maybe we will have to put off the yard work we wanted to do and need to get done to do housework for an overstressed and worked spouse.  Perhaps we have to make our day more hectic to help out or do something for a child in need – even an adult child.  We have our plans and our share of trouble, but we still are called as men to put others’ needs and burdens first.  “Bear one another’s burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ.”  (Galatians 6:2)

This all seems contrary to the world’s view of being successful. However, it need not be.  We can be successful in worldly affairs and enjoy the fruits of our labor, so long as it is not about us.  We can make it about our family and community.  This is part of being a Catholic man.  As my father told me that everything changes when I get married, so everything changes for us when we are Baptized into the community of faith.  Are we going to grow into men mature in our Baptismal call?  Are we going to be strong, Godly men?  If not, we will be weak men who will never see true happiness.  Choose to be strong, Godly men. Become imitators of Christ!

“How do you know, love, and serve God?  How do you prove that you love him?  In the family, the father proves his love by all that he does for his children, for his wife.  We prove our love for Jesus by what we do, by who we are.”  (St. Teresa of Calcutta)