Into the Breach

The debonair, womanizing James Bond is presented in popular culture as a near perfect icon of masculinity.

Bishop Thomas Olmsted

Bishop Thomas J. Olmsted of Phoenix finds that ironic.

“His last name is Bond, but he has no bonds,” Bishop Olmsted told Legatus magazine. “He has no commitments, and to be a man means you’re ready to step up and make a commitment for the sake of others. James Bond is the opposite of real manhood.”

Authentic masculinity

Bishop Olmsted calls Catholic men to reclaim and live the virtues of Christian masculinity in his recent apostolic exhortation, Into the Breach: An Apostolic Exhortation to the Catholic men, my spiritual sons in the Diocese of Phoenix. Earlier this year the Phoenix diocese launched an accompanying website and short film.

In his letter, promulgated on the Feast of the Archangels, Sept. 29, 2015, the bishop charges Catholic men to be prepared for the spiritual battles in their lives and to safeguard the souls of their family members.

He counters the false images of manhood, common in popular culture, with the examples of courageous, self-sacrificing Catholic men such as Saints Pope John Paul II, Thomas More, Francis of Assisi, Blessed Pier Giorgio Frassati and others.

“There are so many false images of men are out there today. It can be discouraging to see the way men are portrayed in movies, television and in popular jargon,” said Bishop Olmsted, who also laments a steep decline among men practicing the Catholic faith. He cites statistics from the Center for Applied Research into the Apostolate showing that 14 million Catholics have left the faith since 2000 with corresponding steep declines in baptisms, sacramental marriages, and fewer children enrolled in parish religious education programs and Catholic schools.

Bishop Olmsted writes: “While we know that Christ welcomes back every repentant sinner, the truth is that large numbers of Catholic men are failing to keep the promises they made at their children’s baptisms — promises to bring them to Christ and to raise them in the faith of the Church.”

Catholic men who are actively living their Christian faith have lauded Bishop Olmsted for challenging men to step up — and for offering encouragement and practical steps to help them.

“The bishop rightly realizes that there is a need and an opportunity to speak to men specifically as men, and he’s doing that beautifully,” said Curtis Martin, founder of the Fellowship of Catholic University Students. “You kind of get the sense that he’s a little bit of a football coach, writing them to get ready for the game.”

Martin, a member of Legatus’ Denver Chapter, also said Bishop Olmsted does a superb job of challenging the notion that religion is “women’s work.”

“Sometimes, we fail to recognize that the greatest man who ever lived is Christ — and he was a very masculine man, a great leader before whom angels trembled,” Martin said.

The call to brotherhood

In his letter, Bishop Olmsted emphasizes how a Catholic man is called to love as a brother, husband and father. Brotherhood is a strong theme in the letter, with the bishop stressing the importance of men joining a “band of brothers,” to find fraternity in organizations such as the Knights of Columbus, and to participate in diocesan men’s conferences.

He wrote Into the Breach after listening to men whom he admires share their perspectives and insights into the daily struggles and challenges facing Catholic men today.

“The spiritual battle is the primary one I see underlying all the battles around us,” said Bishop Olmsted, who links false notions about masculinity and fatherhood to the confusion that society has suffered since the sexual revolution of the 1960s.

“I think first we need to know who we are,” he said. “It’s important to get a clear notion of who we are and who is the man we should follow — and that’s the Lord Jesus. In the Sacred Scripture, we even hear it through the mouth of Pontius Pilate: Ecce Homo [Behold the Man]. He is exactly the man we should be looking to.”

Alan Sears

Phoenix Legate Alan Sears, president and CEO of Alliance Defending Freedom, a Christian nonprofit legal organization, said Bishop Olmsted recognizes the “human factor” by noting in his letter that all men have sinned and fallen short of their call to love and serve others.

“The bishop speaks to the lives of countless men and says, ‘Hey, you know what? It’s very common that all of us have had stumbles. We all have had problems, but there is this incredible news that Christ and his Church offer you a way out from the stumble.’ What a message!”

Allen Hunt, vice president of strategy and content for the Dynamic Catholic Institute, agreed with the bishop’s emphasis on brotherhood.

“If you ask men, ‘Do you have a friend you completely trust and can share things in confidence with and can share some of your deeper thoughts or feelings with?’ the average man either has zero or one person like that,” said Hunt, a member of Legatus’ Atlanta Chapter.

“A really close friend is vital so that you don’t feel alone in the world. In a brotherhood of men, we make each other better. We can hold each other accountable, encourage each other and understand each other through the struggles that we’re all facing.”

God’s fatherhood

Bishop Olmsted also emphasizes the point that all men, no matter their state in life, are called to reflect God’s fatherhood — imperfect though that will be.

He writes: “The question for every man is not, ‘Am I called to be a father?’ but rather, ‘What kind of father am I called to be?’”

Fatherhood, he said, is rooted in a sense of responsibility.

“If we know who we are, then it helps us understand what we are called to do and be for others,” he said. “This applies to every man. It’s written into our nature and in marriage. Even if you’re not married, you’re still called to a life of fruitfulness — and that includes protecting others, defending others, and offering leadership by one’s example in whatever one’s responsibilities are.”

Bishop Olmsted concludes Into the Breach with a call to action by encouraging men to go forth in their vocations and to embrace the authentic freedom offered by Christ. “A false notion of freedom, tied to a confused notion of masculinity,” he said, “will lead to James Bond.”

Learn more: IntoTheBreach.net

BRIAN FRAGA is a Legatus magazine staff writer.