Strength and Honor

It started with Narnia and then later movies like Braveheart, Saving Private Ryan, Gladiator, and the like. It was this desire to charge full speed into battle atop a majestic stallion with the reins in one hand and a broken-in but freshly sharpened sword in the other. I’m sure if you’re a man reading this, you’ve had a similar longing for times like these when men could prove their strength and earn their honor. In John Eldredge’s “Wild at Heart,” which every young man should read, he recognizes that “Deep in his heart, every man longs for a battle to fight, an adventure to live, and a beauty to rescue.” This is true all throughout history and holds up still today. Sure, we’re not all skilled horsemen, and most men today have not even tried their hand at swinging a blade as technology has evolved, but however much our technology advances, it doesn’t change the fact that we are “dust, and to dust we shall return.” Gen. 3:19. We were created man and woman in the garden, and with that, God formed our hearts to complement each other.

The heart of man was formed to protect and provide, instilling in him those three things every man looks for in John Eldredge’s quote above. John points out that the battle to fight in the garden is the serpent. The adventure to live for Adam in the Garden was the cultural mandate to “be fruitful and multiply…” Gen. 1:28. Last is the beauty to rescue, Eve. We all know how the creation story goes and how Adam failed to rescue Eve from the cunning serpent, just as man has done time and time again since. These desires in the heart of every man speak to the order in which God created man, but as we see with the serpent, in order for there to be order, there has to be chaos to counteract it. 

Staying in the garden, when mankind walked with God in unity through the spirit in the immense beauty of His creation, we see there was still the serpent. God knew that in order for his creation, which He loved to truly love Him back, he needed to choose to do so. This encounter with the serpent in the garden was the first battle of man, and we have been battling ever since. We experience this every day in temptations and even more intensely in times of desolation and spiritual warfare. St. Padre Pio was even known to wake up with scratches and bruises after being physically attacked by demons in his sleep. Externally, our battles are not as glamorous as William Wallace, face painted blue, charging into battle, but on a spiritual level our battles are so much greater as we are fighting to enter into eternal life. Luckily in our line of defense we have our guardian angels, Mary and the saints, and leading the charge is the Son of God Himself who has conquered the enemy time and time again. In today’s world, the ordinary 9-5 can feel boring and mundane, and in this mundanity, we can often let our guard down and forget the battle we are fighting, not notice the call to adventure, and fail to recognize the beauty that God has placed all around us. So take heart because as long as man is alive, he will still have a way to fulfill these desires of the heart and have the ability to charge into battle full speed with strength and honor.

Galatins 5

I had the opportunity to return to Benque this June and take a little retreat with the young men of the Pio House out in the mountains of Pine Ridge. We charged into battle in the mountains as the fight against the devil, the sins of the flesh versus the spirit, was the theme of this retreat, and we faced it head-on. Providentially, it fell on the week of Pentecost, so we reflected on Galatians 5: “​​Live by the Spirit, I say, and do not gratify the desires of the flesh.” Gal. 5:16. After reflecting in the mountains on our own battles and desires of the flesh we need to overcome, we finished the retreat with confession and Mass back at the parish. The Holy Spirit was definitely guiding us in the mountains, as it was a fruitful and much-needed retreat, and I hope we can make this an annual occurrence for the Pio House.

The Pio House has been going through another transition as Salvador stepped down as leader to pursue an even higher calling by joining the Belize diocesan seminary. He was a vital piece to the house, but this house is meant to prepare young men for their higher vocation, and we are proud to see Salvador pursue the priesthood. A new young man, Christian Novelo, a graduate of JPII the Great College in Benque, will now be taking the reins. I’m excited for Christian to take on this role, as I believe he is well prepared for all the challenges and battles it will bring. 

With the new school year approaching, there are a handful of new prospective members joining the house who are coming from out of town to attend JPII the Great College. Thank you for continuing to follow the Pio House and for your prayers and donations. As we prepare for the new wave of members, we could use financial support, so please look into the donation page and feel free to reach out using the contact info on the website. Your continued support truly is shaping the lives of these young men as the Pio House helps prepare them for the battles they are to face, so with your help, and ultimately the help of God, we will all be victorious.

Got to show my parents and younger siblings around Benque. They got to meet my God kids, Henrik and Carlos (last picture) and so many of the people who accepted me into their culture including the young men of the Pio House as they hosted us for dinner

JP the Great students Brittany and Gracey opened back up the Cafe that had been out of business for the past 5 years. They were a huge aid in fueling my coffee addiction.

Limited pictures from the retreat as we were detached, but got to capture some of the immense beauty of the mountains and the time with the boys

Got to spend time with my good friends Salvador (former Pio House leader) and Tessa in Belize City before flying back

"Pray, Hope, and Don't Worry"

-St. Padre Pio, pray for us!