Episode 35 - Men are Called (Part 3) - Burning Buildings
Jake and Brett, joined again by their friend and ally Sean O’Brien, finish the three part series unpacking Fr. Joe Fitzgerald’s powerful homily from the Men’s Retreat in September 2019.
Key Points
Fr. Joe compares the Church after the abuse scandals to the World Trade Centre buildings on 9/11
Evil is real
Our faith is one of the only places we lower the expectations for our children
It’s time to raise the bar
Will men go into the difficulty and face evil together?
It’s hard to keep our resolve after retreats
Keeping our focus and resolve is an indicator or masculine maturity
In life, we have to make a choice…remaining indecisive is deadly
There’s always opportunity to turn around and reengage in life
In every man’s life there will be things that require his masculinity
The “burning building” is in our day to day life
We live the Gospel by loving the person next to us
We have to be careful to resist the temptation that someone is beyond the grace and mercy of God
There will be parts of us that have to die for us to experience new life
We are, and it is okay to be, a work in progress
The helmet and axe analogy that Fr. Joe uses are practical tools we use in the way of the heart
Learning how to use the “spiritual axes” is important as well
Priests often have to deal with the sins of their brother priests
Discussion Questions
What struck you from this episode?
What struck you about this part of Fr. Joe’s homily?
Think to the last retreat you went on, how are you doing since then? What have kept your heart alive? What has weakened your resolve?
What are the burning buildings in my life right now?
In life right now, I am running away or am I facing the things that require my masculinity?
Is there a part of you that needs to die for you to experience more life?
What is that part? What’s holding up the process?
What do the helmet and axe symbolize for you?
Resources
(None this week)
