“Man, created to live in the image and likeness of God, is called to unity…”
Man, created to live in the image and likeness of God, is called to unity, for God himself is eternally a unity of persons, the Trinity. As Christian men, we belong to something much bigger than ourselves: the body of Christ. Somehow, we’ve forgotten this in our culture and replaced the good of fraternity with the fairytale of the self-made man.
What man wages war against a great multitude on his own? What climber attempts to summit K2 without an expedition team? What Olympic athlete stands upon the podium without ever having had a coach or partners to aid him in training? Even a successful businessman (honest or not) never formed his own body out of clay. Rather, he only made it to the top by learning from mentors and relying on partners to help him prosper.
Each man is at his best when he is surrounded by men pushing him to triumph. The eyes of onlookers might keep us on our toes, but it is the active presence of men we can trust that keeps us both perseverant and headed in the right direction. Real fraternity leads to real success.
St. Michael’s Lent is just as much a practice in fraternity as it is in prayer or asceticism. Distaste for prayer or unwillingness to take on ascetic disciplines often reveals a need to grow in those areas. The same is true of fraternity. If you’d rather not be a part of a fraternity, you may be acknowledging that you don’t understand what real fraternity is. This should cause no shame, as too few men have had the gift of real fraternity in their lives. Now is your chance to change that.
To be willing to invite men to join you for St. Michael’s Lent is a sign of commitment to knowing the Christian life without true fraternal support is not what was witnessed to us by our Lord.
For support in bringing men into your fraternity for St. Michael’s Lent, consider using these free resources from the Exodus team:
- Promo cards (free!)
- Stickers (free!)
- Urinal flier (free download!)
- So much more
Men who use tools like these from Exodus are 2x more successful at bringing men into their fraternities.
Be sure to share these blog posts with friends who are discerning to join you as well:
- General Overview of St. Michael’s Lent
- How St. Michael’s Lent works
- Sneak Preview of Day One Reflection
