8 Tips for Catholic Men

By Randy Hain, The Integrated Catholic Life

I had a recent epiphany as I was preparing myself for Reconciliation and realized that I was about to confess many of the same sins I have been struggling with for years. I have made progress in some areas, but feel that I am going backwards in others. Didn’t Einstein once say that the definition of insanity is “doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results?”

I spoke with a few Catholic brothers the next day and they readily confirmed facing the same problem: we all struggle to break out of repetitive sinful behaviors and avoid self-created obstacles to drawing closer to Christ. We also agreed that we desire a closer relationship with Him, we all want to get to Heaven with our families and we all want to be devout in the practice of our Catholic faith. So where do we slip up? Why do we fall short?

I don’t often write specifically for a male audience, but I believe our gender has some particular and unique challenges to staying on the right path. I hope to offer some useful insight which will help you, me and other Catholic men be more aware of these self-created challenges and take the necessary steps to overcome them. Let me start by listing a few general observations about men which may be uncomfortable to read and acknowledge:

  • We often struggle with humility and let our pride and egos get in the way.
  • We like to be in control.
  • We can be stubborn and inflexible to change.
  • Our identities are often wrapped up in our careers.
  • We struggle to ask others (especially the Lord) for help.
  • We are often inclined to action when reflection and discernment are more appropriate.
  • We are usually uncomfortable with open displays of emotion (ours and others).
  • We may be overly concerned about the opinions of others (What will our buddies think?).

Continue reading.

H/T: Pius X Ranson

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