Saturday, March 14 dawned cold, but the stay-under-the-covers temperatures did not deter men who were bound for a Men’s Morning of Reflection at Marian High School, Tamaqua. About 80 men gathered for its 8 a.m. opening Mass, celebrated by Bishop Alfred Schlert.
Their very presence affirmed a truth shared by the Bishop in his homily: “My brothers, the strongest men are not the ones who think they are perfect. The strongest men are the ones who know they need God.”
The Morning of Reflection was centered on the theme of “Authentic Masculinity” as elucidated by Pope St. John Paul II in his “Theology of the Body.”
Hannah Shafer, Assistant Director at the Theology of the Body Institute, was the event’s first presenter. She described how, “through prayer and reflection, JP II got to a place where any time he encountered someone, he was struck with wonder at their individuality.”
This perception moved him to write the Theology of the Body, which explains the ways in which our physical bodies reflect our human dignity.
“JPII says that, once you understand what a human person really is, you're not going to be able to look at anybody the same way,” said Shafer. “And God wants that for you, because it's the most beautiful experience that we can have in this life.”
Shafer went on to answer the question, “How can we reflect on and apply this in our everyday lives?”
She began by pointing out that “the masculine genius is focused outward, and the feminine genius is focused inward,” but “in a shared humanity, you need both.”
This is why men are called to support their wives by “exhibiting both strength and gentleness.”
“In a good, holy earthly marriage, [each spouse] will bring out the ‘other’ side of the other person.”
After Shafer’s presentation was a talk by Father Nikolai Brelinsky, Assistant Pastor of St. Joseph the Worker, Orefield.
“Authentic masculinity is rooted in virtue,” said Father Brelinsky. “By practicing virtue, St. Paul tells us, grace builds upon nature.”
In discussing the relationship between spouses, Father elaborated on St. Paul: “‘Love your wives, as Christ loved the Church.’ His words [can be taken as] a correction of husbands against the temptation to lust.
“For many men, that can be the hard part. To love your wife solely and strictly and faithfully, that can be a real difficulty.”
Father Brelinsky drew a parallel between a man’s vocation to marriage and his own vocation to the Priesthood:
“The decisive moment for me was in Adoration. I said, ‘Jesus, I love you more than I can love any other person on this earth.’ And His word that came back to me was, ‘I love you more than anybody else can.’ So I’m called to lay down my life for my spouse, which is the Church. Husbands, we're all called to that same thing.”
In his morning homily, Bishop Schlert noted that the day’s Gospel, the Parable of the Tax Collector, spoke “directly to the heart of every man” because “it touched on a common temptation – to measure ourselves against other people instead of against God.
“The strongest men are not afraid to ask for God’s mercy. And when a man lives that way, God can do remarkable things in his life, in his family, and in the world.”
The Men’s Morning of Reflection was sponsored by Men Alive in Christ, an outreach of the Diocese of Allentown Men’s Commission. For more information, go to www.menaliveinchrist.org.
Photos by Norm Steinruck.
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