Catholic Men – Stop doing these 6 things

By The Catholic Man Show

This is by no means a comprehensive list. In fact, we could make this a 1 bullet point list and be done: 1.) Stop sinning. But that would be an extremely short show and blog so we decided, after a long personal reflection, to compile a list of habits that continue to get in the way of men growing in holiness. We talk about these points on our show that will air this coming Thursday at 7pm. Podcast is available.

• Apathy. Men tend not to be apathetic when it comes to their job. They will strive to do the best they can and put in the extra hours to achieve the company’s goals. They go above and beyond to earn the ‘Employee of the Month’ award or to capture that yearly bonus. Taking pride in what you do and working hard to provide for your family is a noble act and should be encouraged. However when it comes to spiritual gain, some have a lack of desire or interest to “put in the extra hours” or go above and beyond. St. Francis of Assisi said, “Remember when you leave this earth, you can take with you nothing that you have received only what you have given: a heart enriched by honest service, love, sacrifice, and courage.” Do you know what they call someone who goes above and beyond in growing in love for our Lord? A saint.

Be vigilant, stay firm in the faith, be brave and strong. 1 Corinthians 16:13

• Quitting. When did it become acceptable for men to quit? The knee jerk reaction of quitting as soon as an obstacle arises is far from a manly virtue. Trials and tribulation should be viewed as an opportunity. When things get tough, you’re given an opportunity to persist, to push through, to become tougher and stronger.

 Do you not know that the runners in the stadium all run in the race, but only one wins the prize? Run so as to win. 1 Corinthians 9:24

• Comparing yourself to others. It’s easy to look at a friend’s success and desire their fame, power, or money. This is counter productive in growing closer to God. Jealousy and envy does not exist in God’s will for you. If this is something you struggle with, start each day off with the Litany of Humility.

Thou shalt not covet thy neighbour’s house: neither shalt thou desire his wife, not his servant, nor his handmaid, nor his ox, nor his ass, nor any thing that is his. Exodus 20:17

• Watching TV. How many times have you stayed up past your bed time flipping through the TV channels mindlessly watching a show that is of no interest to you? How many times has the TV been on while having a family dinner? The trend of substituting TV for family time or reading needs to stop. Take the initiative to limit the amount of TV your family consumes. Instead of TV, read a chapter of the Bible together, pray a family rosary, and/or talk about the life of a saint.

Watch carefully then how you live, not as foolish persons but as wise, making the most of the opportunity, because the days are evil. Therefore, do not continue in ignorance, but try to understand what is the will of the Lord. Ephesians 5:15-17

• Complaining. Men don’t complain. They don’t cry about how things are, they accept them and do what they need to do to make them better. Complaining is contrary to being Christ-like. Complaining adds no value to the current situation. Men set the tone in families; if the husband/father has a negative attitude, it rubs off on the rest of the family. Be uplifting and look for the blessings. Here’s a video that gives a strategy to overcoming this negative habit.

Do everything without grumbling or questioning. Philippians 2:14

• Know-It-All. Pride is a root of evil. We claim to be open-minded but dig our heels in now more than ever. We take a stance and we have no idea why the stance is taken. Every single human on this planet knows something that you don’t and has something to teach you. Go into every conversation (or social media thread) with humility, not like you’re the professor and class is in session. St. Teresa of Calcutta in her humility list states, “Give in, in discussions, even when you are right.” 

If anyone supposes that he knows anything, he has not yet known as he ought to know. 1 Corinthians 8:2

Bonus!

• Busyness is not the opposite of idleness. Plenty of men aren’t idle in the obvious sense; they are quite busy with jobs, kids school, etc. They may even feel overextended and tired from all they have to do. Yet even with this feeling, they also feel unaccomplished or even strangely stagnant. That’s because they are busy but they aren’t productive. When’s the last time you felt the spirit of competition drive you to push harder? When’s the last time you moved together physically or spiritually with a group of other men? When’s the last time you experienced flow, or felt your limits and pushed forward?

via GIPHY