Abstinence Satisfies the Will

So consider one last time the practice field. Football players gather together knowing that practice is nearly impossible if their teammates do not show up. In order for the team to be successful, in order words, achieve victory on game day, they must all show up for practice and practice their hearts out. Furthermore some players realize that they may not start, and perhaps never actually step foot on the field of play on game day. 

Every player must be prepared to play, knowing that he may never actually be directly involved in a specific play on game day. This perhaps is the most difficult position and the most admirable player, the one who served the team on the bench. Unfortunately we tend to ignore them or worse yet pity them. To think that we have reduced a man’s importance to “making plays” is not sad but disheartening. I doubt if “making plays” is the purpose of practice.

Those real men who practice their hearts out yet remain on the bench are to be honored, for here lies in the virtue of abstinence, combating gluttony! I would argue that such players who are admirable for their discipline despite never playing a "real" snap, point more directly to the real essence of football. They, who sit on the bench, who remain only sons and brothers, point more directly to real victory. 
Likewise I would say that those men who abstain from married life because of a “higher” calling point more directly to the genius of masculinity, found as a brother of the Lord. So if I take this football analogy and genius of masculinity to a vocational call of men, you would have the priesthood. 

How strange society has viewed the genius of our masculinity...to pity the player who practices their heart out yet sits on the bench. I, on the other hand, see the genius of our masculinity shining forth and would prefer to honor our brothers who “sit on the bench” wearing that honorable collar.

Diligene that Tempers the Heart of Man

On the practice field, we put our bodies through “everything” so that our hearts can take it all. Yet here is exactly where things are amiss. Here is where my “twisted vision” hopefully makes clear what has become distorted: The only way for my heart to endure what lies ahead is not by hardening it, but by softening my heart. The vice of sloth (laziness) actually hardens the heart while the virtue of diligence, softens the heart of man, making it agile. Remember that the heart is a muscle…and like any muscle, the heart is honed in discipline.

The purpose of the practice field is discipline, in order to temper the tension within, to establish discipline so that sons may become brothers, a band of brothers holding one other on the line, conditioning our hearts. When diligence tempers or softens the heart of man, his words and actions become the instincts or habits of a gentleman. 

So if I think that I can become “tough” through hardening my heart, I will become a tyrant out of fear, for such walls surround to hide weaknesses not to protect strength. If on the other hand, I know that I can show strength with the suppleness of my heart, walls become useless and my heart flexes as my body adapts. 

Will my heart become brittle as reality chips away the façade of manhood? Or will my heart beat tirelessly even to the point of bleeding like a Christian man? Know that the potency of our masculinity lies in our ability or power to bleed for the sake of others. Think of the Sacred Heart of Jesus.

Temperance Practiced in Brotherhood (highlight)

A highlight from Session II...


The purpose of our fraternity or brotherhood is to test each other in order to make sure that we can hold the line. Recall that the line of tension, learned as sons, is the offense of kindness and the defense of generosity. This tension maybe visually apparent on the field of play, however; the true tension lies in “the line” within. There is a healthy tension that lies within, yet unfortunately due to sin we see the line as conflict, a clash, opposing teams at war battling for field position. Was this the purpose of the son and father tossing the football in the family’s backyard? Were the lessons from the father about violent overthrow or benevolent bantering? Have we lost sight of the purpose of the game? Do we set aside rules for personal gain?

Our call to duty as brothers is to lay down our life for each other on that line (see John 15:13), to hold that line for the sake of our brothers, not for ourselves. This is real “brotherly love.” That tension on the line is mandatory because it leads to discipline, a discipline found in temperance. The temperance necessary to be a brother of the Lord takes practice. So before we go out on “game day,” we must set foot on the practice field where temperance is taught/tout in that tension on the line making us ready for the gridiron. This time we learn to control our bodies with diligence and abstinence. This is how temperance is practiced in brotherhood.