Over the past few months, accusations and admissions of sexual impropriety and sexual harassment have been all over the press, from Hollywood to Washington, D.C. Big name actors and producers in the entertainment field have admitted that they used their power and their influence to abuse both women and men and some have publically apologized for their actions.
This is not the place to name, once again, these figures, nor is it a time for us as a Church to say, “shame on you,” for we have had our own house to clean up, and admittedly, we are doing much better than before 2002. As the sinful human beings who make up the sinless Body of Christ, the Church, we, of course, have more to do in the safeguarding of the innocent.
One female commentator called for “a ban on men,” which is certainly absurd. In and of itself, there is nothing wrong with being masculine. God created us, male and female. The complementarity offered by gender is God’s plan for the human race and allows us all to partake in the Creator’s ongoing work of creation. When we abuse the natural order of the sexes and the role it plays in the passing on of human life, we fail to see the movement of God in our everyday lives.
However, we might need to rethink what it means to be a man, most especially a Catholic man in the world today. The example can come from the patron of the Universal Church, Saint Joseph. This just man, the guardian of the Holy Child Jesus, and the Virgin Mary teaches us the qualities that a man needs in the world this day (and indeed, for all time). Who is Joseph? Perhaps a mnemonic can help: He is just; he is obedient; he is silent; he is an example to his Son (who is truly God’s Son); he is a patron; and a helper to his wife, the Blessed Virgin Mary. (We have Father Francis Peffley’s wonderful article, “Go to Joseph” {http://dads.org/fatherhood/go-to-joseph-six-reflections-on-st-joseph/} to thank for this mnemonic).
Perhaps it is time for us to realize that masculinity is all about being a caring, loving protecting man, one who respects and loves women, that is not always in competition, one who can always see the other as brother (and sister). Being a man is not about dominance and aggression. It is really about living out that fatherly, brotherly principle as seen in the life of Blessed Mary’s most chaste spouse.
