Why Masculinity?

Masculinity ought to, and in fact needs to, be cultivated for a man to really be a man. In C.S Lewis’ book, The Abolition of Man, Lewis notes a trend away from true conviction, virtue, and faith. Lewis uses the image of a man without a chest to illustrate his observation. Without his chest, man is left with his head and his stomach, and we all know which of the two most often dominates the other. Without his chest, man has no heart. Without his chest, man is incapable of true devotion or love. Without his chest man becomes flat-souled and vapid, vile and contemptible: in a word, a villain.  

The man without a chest aptly describes the modern man. Though Lewis used “chest” only as an analogue for the spirit, today this malformity is as true of the spirit as it is of the body. Modern man, in his decadence, has grown weak in both soul and limb. The loss of strength of the one has done much to weaken the strength of the other. 

Such remarks beg the question: how does a man form a chest? The simple answer is to hit the gym, though the real answer is by imitation. When a person wants to become skilled in anything he must imitate one who has the skill. Find a man with a chest and live as he lives, and you will soon find that you are less flat-souled and flat-chested. Find a hero.  

Though the term hero may seem misplaced here, it is really quite appropriate. A hero is not simply someone who “saves the day.” A hero is an example. A perfect model for imitation. A doer of great works. A hero is one who does what he knows ought to be done without counting the cost. A hero is a man who can do hard things. The Greeks had Achilles, the Romans had the Fathers of their Republic, and the Christians have Christ. 

Christ is the example for every Christian. Our goal is to be like Him in every possible aspect of our lives. For many this may seem an overwhelmingly impossible task, in part because there is some disagreement about how Christ actually lived, or at least how he asked his followers to live. So it is that in His infinite Love and Wisdom, Christ gave to His Church His Holy Martyrs, that the faithful might have an abundance of examples of how Christians ought to live no matter their station or condition. 

In an age devoid of conviction, virtue, and faith, men need to be reminded that they can and should do hard things; and no better example can be found of big-chested men than the Forty Holy Martyrs of Sebaste, whose hearts were filled to bursting with the love of our Lord, for whom they endured even death.

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