Pope Benedict's Resignation: Lessons for a Bodybuilder

   The resignation of our beloved Pontiff leaves many feelings and thoughts upon the faithful. Feelings of loss and sorrow mixed with an odd knowledge that somehow, through the grace that is given the Church, things are as they should be. There is little doubt that the decision was made from a solid foundational soul in deep prayer and reflection. Pope Benedict XVI's intellectual, philosophical and practical mind is beyond most mere mortals today, so I am most assured that the decision was not made lightly. There have been innumerable thoughts on the lessons that this move will teach us and the future generations. But as a bodybuilder I had to reflect upon what he can teach specifically to the Iron Warriors of the world.

  One of the most important and fascinating aspects of lifting weights is its ability to teach us who and what we are. It acts as a tangible philosophy, modeling a mirror into the soul and heart of who we are as human beings and as children of an Almighty God. The new Pope Emeritus left a lasting impression for the importance of consistent, increasing self-knowledge and constant appreciation of our strengths and weaknesses. It is as if Benedict XVI personally connected the dots between faith and reason. He engaged his philosophical mind in asking himself, Who am I? And then proceeded to relate that question with faith in Christ's words that hell will never prevail against Holy Mother Church. It was his constant search for higher truths and knowledge which led him to make his final decision that perhaps the Church might need, not necessarily a better Shepperd, but one that can physically adhere to the demands made on such a man.    

  As weightlifters, we can learn much from such an act of humility and self-knowledge. The Iron reaches into the heart of the practitioner and demands without any recompense that self-awareness and knowledge will come from this experience. Without this dimension of practicality, the Iron might seem useless to most. Yet, because of this analysis, the Iron reaches across all barriers of cultural difference. In quoting John Paul II he explains what we are trying to find in our search for truth. "Driven by the desire to discover the ultimate truth of existence, human beings seek to acquire those universal elements of knowledge which enable them to understand themselves better and to advance in their own self-realization." It is through knowing who we are that we find our role in this world and our role in properly evangelizing the culture. Benedict XVI knew after years of contemplation that he is now being called to evangelize through a life of prayer and a growing solitude with Christ.

 

   Pope Emeritus has personified what we bodybuilders should strive to be: humble, self-aware, willing to take the lead if so called, constantly growing towards a deeper relationship with the grace afforded our vocation. He will be missed in his leadership role, though I am sure that his new role in helping the faithful towards salvation will be incredibly effective and efficient. As bodybuilders let us see this man as a living patron. I encourage my readers to pick up his overflowing body of literary works, through reading such material we might grow closer to our goal of imitating its author. While he may not be a bodybuilder in the classic sense of the term, I can think of no one living who can teach us more.

 

 

 

Exercise and The Song of Songs

Many marital problems that have occurred throughout history come about because couples find out that they have 'nothing in common', no goal that they are striving for together. While the first and foremost goal that they should be striving for is to get their husband or wife to heaven, one of the issues is that they have no hobbies or anything to share. For example, my wife and I have very different interests. While our faith and our children are the best things that we can love and have in common, our physical and mental hobbies differ. She enjoys making small crafts and shopping, while I enjoy reading. She loves to bake while I love to grill. She enjoys chick-flicks while I enjoy 'cine'MAN'togrophy'. Many couples struggle to find the similarities between their individual, material interests. One thing that my wife and I have always had in common is our love of exercise. I have noticed alot of benefits a couple can experience that exercise can offer.

First, when both the man and woman exercise they both have something they want to achieve. Whether it be to lose a couple pounds or to gain strength the couple has something that they can help the other complete. Not only is there a common goal but there is someone right next to you cheering you on to be the best that you can be. It also creates a fun pursuit that each of you can challenge the other in. For example, my wife has always been able to run for long distances at a very good pace. I am more of a weightlifter and have never been one to run for miles on end. So, between the two of us we challenge one another to reach out and try the other's interest. Now both my wife and I run and lift weights. We rarely have the opportunity to work out or run together, but the overall goal is to help each other be in the best health possible, and what better way than to grow in health together. We men are meant to 'tend and keep the garden' given to us by God and our wives are meant to help us be the best spiritual and physical heads of our households, aside from a prayerful and sacramental marriage, exercise is one of the best things to help each other reach their God-given roles.

Secondly, our vows require us to look after our spouse's health. "In sickness and in health" was not suggesting that whether you want to be lazy or active or whether you want to eat pork rinds or salads is fine by your spouse. Being a child of God hands on the responsibility of taking care of our own health and when you said 'I do' you promised to keep your spouse in his or her best health as well. There is always a balance to be had when it comes to our diets and our activity levels, within right reason a person can stay in shape and keep their spouse in shape, decently easy. With a little help from the theological virtues you can both grow together in mind, body and soul. Fortitude will help when you want to be lazy. Temperance will help when you want to eat fast food every day. Justice will help a couple give each other the love and respect due to a creature of God. Prudence will help a couple find the right plan to achieve each other's goals.

Thirdly, I don't think any man or woman wants their partner to lose the physical attraction that originally brought them together. Men want their wives to feel safe when they are together and want them to know that no other person could harm her as long as she has her man. "His arms are rods of gold...His legs are pillars of alabaster..." - Song of Songs 5:14-15. Women want to feel attractive, they want their husbands eyes to light up when he sees her and to feel that he can always brag about his beautiful wife. "Oh Noble Daughter, your curving thighs like jewels, the product of skilled hands." - Song of Songs 7:2. The poetry of the Song of Songs is the poetry of the theology of the body, the beauty that we all contain should be something we are proud of and therefore should be kept and cared for as the prize that it is. Physical attraction is part of our human nature, we are called to look beautiful and handsome, but we are not called to put it out on display for all to see. A marriage is meant to allow a man and a woman to give all that they have to each other, especially their bodies, wouldn't you want to look the best for your spouse?

Today, stick figure women and muscle-bound freaks are shown as what a real man and woman are supposed to look like, but those are not what God originally intended. The different sizes and shapes of our bodies were given to us by a loving Creator and therefore should be treated as such. But, a woman should want to look feminine and a man masculine, these are our God-given roles. One of my favorite things to do as a family is to wrestle or play hide-and-go-seek with my sons. My wife and I can spend hours wrestling and play boxing with my boys and this truly brings us closer as a family, not to mention burns a decent amount of calories. There are all sorts of ways to get leaner or gain endurance, whether it be that after dinner walk together (an excellent opportunity to pray a rosary) or keeping each other's cravings under control (my wife and I found it very helpful that if one person has a right-before-bed-snack craving the other will say 'I won't if you won't', funny, but it works!) growing together physically is a great way to grow together spiritually. 'My Lover belongs to me and I to him' - Song of Songs 2:16

Being Tested

In today's first reading, St. Paul writes to the Hebrews that because God Himself donned flesh, he has won the victory over evil. It was through Christ's physicality that He was able to be our Savior. Though God could have saved us in any way He wished, He decided to belittle Himself and become bone and flesh. This guides our minds to the mountain of knowledge of just how precious our bodies are. Not only did Christ humble Himself, but allowed His physical suffering for the betterment of mankind. Jesus put Himself to the test in order that we might know that no matter what we are going through, He understands. "Because he himself was tested through what he suffered, he is able to help those who are being tested."  (Heb 2:18) Christ's suffering is what has redeemed mankind, and it is through our voluntary suffering in which our bodies are able to join in His redeeming mission. Though our mission might be much different than His, our voluntary hours in the gym can be used for our mission of joining Christ in the fight. 

          In the second reading, taken from the Gospel of Mark, two specific instances really jump out at me. One being the continual spiritual combat in which our Lord engaged. Jesus drove out demons at the request of His apostles. The demons were not permitted to speak because they knew Who Jesus was. Though Satan and his minions might think that they have a fighting chance, just the name of Jesus shut their mouths, not out of respect but out of fear. Christ was a man of deep honor and virtue. Besides the fact that He was God Himself, who He was as a man scared the demons silent. So, the modern notion that Christ was a feel-good teacher Who only wants everyone to be happy could be put to shame based off of this one fact, Christ instilled fear into his enemies. Though we as bodybuilders should never have instilling fear or intimidating others as one of our goals, we should also not stray from the thought that our time in the weight room might very well be preparing us for the possibility of facing our enemies, whether spiritual or corporal. It is similar to a father's relationship with his future son-in-law: you must always be loving but that little crack of fear within that boy's heart could be a great thing for the marriage as a whole. The son-in-law will treat the daughter with respect, out of love for her and also out of respect for who she comes from. We men are made to be the protectors of God's creation and perhaps a little fear in those who mean to do evil, just might be healthy for everyone. 

        Also, following in the example of Christ, it was His suffering which gave us the ability to drive out our own inner demons. Be they addictions, vices or simply small weaknesses, Christ gives each of us the grace to overcome them. Weight lifting and fitness not only expounds that grace to its fullest potential but it also creates opportunities for more grace by voluntary suffering. 

        The second instance, which really drives home the previous points, is that Christ the morning after doing His good work, went out into a deserted place and prayed. He knew that in order to keep up His mission, solitary, heart-felt prayer must be a daily practice, even if the night before was hectic. We too, especially as bodybuilders, must find times when we can escape the noise and retreat into the Heart of God. Our prayer lives must be given just as much, if not profoundly more, attention than our fitness goals. Without a growing knowledge and love of Who our Savior is and who He wants us to be, we are like lost children moving the weight around with no purpose. Let us always reflect on Christ's power over our inner demons and allow Him to use our time in the weight room to His and our advantage so that we might repeat with Him in our own mission: "For this purpose have I come" (Mk 1:38)    

No Razor Shall Touch His Head

              Today's first reading is a remembrance of the Old Testament tragic hero, Samson. It's interesting that the Church places this birth story during our preparation in the season of Advent. If you have read my book, you would know that Samson is one of my favorite biblical characters as his story teaches us much about the beauty and also the possible downfall of being a bodybuilder. As many might know who Samson ended up becoming, many forget who he was in the beginning of his life.

"The boy grew up and the LORD blessed him;

the Spirit of the LORD stirred him."

- Judges13: 24-25

              Samson was a precursor of the deliverer of God's chosen people. As a warrior, he was unstoppable. His strength was sufficient enough to break the jaw of a lion. Before he truly understood what his mission was to be, he kept this killing of a lion a secret. This alludes to the fact that he began as a humble servant of the Lord, and the Lord smiled upon him with continual inhuman strength. Samson was raised to be a good Jewish man. I am reminded of the story of Superman, coming from a humble home, not knowing his purpose or the reason for his powers, he heeds the call to become something great, something 'super'. Samson, just like Superman, I am sure had times where he wished to just fit in and be one of the normal people, but God had other plans and in order to follow the will of God a man must humbly accept his position, either as leader, father or priest.

              Samson personally took out 1,000 Philistines with the jawbone of a donkey. Needless to say, this Herculean character was blessed in abundance from a God who loved him. Unfortunately, pride got the best of our hero. Samson began to believe that he was the source of his strength and not God. In doing this, God removed his hedge of protection and the enemies of the chosen people were able to take Samson's strength away. Through the sinful acts of lust and pride Samson was no longer the He-man that God created him to be. Samson became the self-absorbed egoist who, though he still claimed to be manly, allowed a women (who was from the race of the enemy) to lead him around as a 'puppy-like' servant. When Samson's eyes veered away from pleasing God, it ultimately led to his destruction.  He was the bodybuilder of the Old Testament, and in saying this his story acts as a reminder to us who love growing in strength that we must never forget where that strength comes from. There is much to learn from Samson and I highly recommend reading the book of Judges to hear the amazing feats of manliness and strength, yet also weakness and concupiscence.

             It is also worthy to note that the Gospel today reflects on the announcement of the conception of John the Baptist. Zechariah, John's father, doubted the abilities of God. His intellectual pride loomed over his punishment of muteness. In both of our biblical instances a neglection of duty and a disbelief in the overarching power of the Creator, caused men to fall and thus are justly punished. Men were created to be great, to be leaders and Samson's story works perfectly for our Advent season, I believe especially for men, to prepare our hearts, to humbly accept the will of the Father, and to embrace the incarnation of Christ as the new Hero of mankind.

St. John of the Cross and Fitness

             What can a saint like John of the Cross teach a bodybuilder? How can we thoroughly apply his teachings to our daily acts of fitness? John of the Cross was a profound thinker, poet and man. His writings have influenced the Church to such a degree that he was deemed Doctor of the Church in 1926. While most of his writings and poetry are focused purely on the state of the soul there is much for an athlete to learn from him. A quote, while rather lengthy, from his prolific work The Ascent of Mt. Carmel, reaches into the soul of what the new Catholic movement in the fitness world is all about. Before I delve into what I mean here, I will let you read it:

"For they think that it suffices to deny themselves worldly things without annihilating and purifying themselves of spiritual attachment. Wherefore it comes to pass that, when there presents itself to them any of this solid and perfect spirituality, consisting in the annihilation of all sweetness in God, in aridity, distaste and trial, which is the true spiritual cross, and the detachment of the spiritual poverty of Christ, they flee from it as from death, and seek only sweetness and delectable communion with God. This is not self-denial and detachment of spirit, but spiritual gluttony. Herein, spiritually, they become enemies of the Cross of Christ; for true spirituality seeks for God’s sake that which is distasteful rather than that which is delectable; and inclines itself rather to suffering than to consolation; and desires to go without all blessings for God’s sake rather than to possess them; and to endure aridity and afflictions rather than to enjoy sweet communications, knowing that this is to follow Christ and to deny oneself, and that the other is perchance to seek oneself in God, which is clean contrary to love."

            Here St. John of the Cross is explaining in explicit detail how a person can create crosses for himself, while good in itself, yet forget to detach himself from the want for spiritual supplication or spiritual attachment. He writes eloquently on that fact that the 'true spiritual cross' of authentic spiritual aridity, a gift from God, is that which truly unites us the the crucified Christ. Seeking only the 'sweetness and delectable communion with God' is, as he says, 'spiritual gluttony'. This applies so perfectly with the new fitness evangelization of today. While many might know that working out and eating right are good in and of themselves, it is not only to bring our bodies to perfection but train our wills to desire suffering and detachment. Though there will always be joy in the act of bodybuilding there must also be a spiritual search for pleasing God. Without this search the act of bodybuilding is only surface deep and thus unacceptable in the path of perfection.

         St. John of the Cross is calling us to a depth which few have tread. A depth of no desire for consolation or feelings of any kind. Almost inviting the 'Dark Night of the Soul' from God in order to love Him ever more. The fitness culture and the individual embracing it can take this ideal and apply it to his time in the weight room. While we voluntarily suffer for the greater mission of saving souls, we can also cry out to God and pray that we do not become selfish in desiring only the emotional comforts from the sweet and delectable fire of Love. We must desire that while always knowing through faith that God loves us, he will give and take those comforts as He pleases. It is in the act of surrendering our wills that we come to fruition in suffering for Christ. While regular workouts, refraining from sweets, eating for function rather than joy, and pushing through hard goals are all noble and sure ways to serve Christ, we must not miss the bigger picture of surrendering our wills, our actions, our very joys and sorrows to the will of God. This passage is not to downplay the salvific acts of mortification, rather it is to keep the soul operative away from the danger of performing those mortifcations solely for the pleasure we receive in the solaces of God.

        The deeper point of lifting weights and exercising is not to only build a fit instrument for the glory of God and to be used by God but instead is to search, without succor or relief, how to best find true union with the crucified Christ. Next time you are lifting, praise God for His goodness and mercy and let Him know that no matter what feelings of reprise or dryness we may feel the mission will continue. Pray for the grace that what we learn in the weight room will teach us to have the grit to move toward the end goal when the going gets tough. It is akin to lifting on a regular basis yet never seeing real progress but knowing that in the end, this dry period of no muscle growth will lead to bigger and better things. St. John of the Cross was a soulbuilder unlike most any other I have ever read. His insightfulness and talent of writing can bring a bodybuilder to the true heart of the fitness movement, that being Christ Himself.

Our Lady of Good Health, Pray for us!

Check out this video of Fr. Robert Barron and Fr. Steve Grunow about St. John of the Cross at his tomb on today's Word of Fire blog:

Word on Fire Blog

Vain Irony

                     I have been a bodybuilder for well over 11 years now. In my time of falling more deeply in love with the whole aspect of muscle growth, the pain, the diet, even writing a book about it, I have come to realize that there is a major sector within our Catholic Faith who still only view this as vanity and nothing less. Viewing the fitness culture from the outside I can rightly agree with said arguments, but knowing what I know and have discovered about the heart and beauty of what the lifestyle offers I must heartily disagree with anyone who claims that vanity is the only outcome. One odd irony is that if I were to ask most individuals if it is vanity for a professional (or high school for that matter) athlete to consistently work on their physiques and to properly order their diets most would answer: Of course not. Yet when a layperson (an athlete not in competition) works hard to bring their physique to its pinnacle it is viewed as either daft or a waste of time. Why is that? Is it because competing athletes have a more tangible purpose for their focus? Or is it because we live in such a competitive culture that we see the end goal of winning worth it all?

                    St. Ignatius of Loyola considered his fellow Jesuits as athletes for Christ. Striving for perfection in themselves in order to effectively spread the Word of God. As human beings we have one purpose in this world: to know, love and serve God. Is it vanity to want to serve him with a well-oiled machine? From the statements of many who believe the fitness and bodybuilding culture are purely vain trappings, it can be deduced that there is a misunderstanding and misrepresentation of the fitness culture. By using the judgments attached to 'muscelheads' one could even go so far as to say that reading a book would be vanity. Both reading and lifting are actions for the betterment of the individual, yet muscle growth is not seen in that light.  In recognizing our physical weaknesses we also recognize our spiritual weaknesses. As long as the focus of the exercising individual is on the Light of Christ and not the limelight of admirers, bodybuilding can give that which the world hates, i.e. self-knowledge and self-control. Two virtues which surely do not bring about vanity but just the opposite, humility. Hard work and dedication to having a body fit for our purpose consistently creates an atmosphere of humility unlike much else.

                    I recently read an article about the link between young men quitting the vice of smoking through the therapeutic nature of exercise. The boys who exercised surpassed all the other groups in improvement. The virtuous nature of lifting weights helped these young men move past their vice. So, is it still vain when the regular use of physical activity can help us grow past our struggles? I think not. Though vanity might be a struggle for many in the mainstream of bodybuilding, this stamp should not be connected with the sport or the culture, but the individuals representing it. What is in crucial need today is men and women of The Church stepping up and becoming that representing individual. This way when those who doubt the virtuous aspect of the fitness culture no longer see the egomaniac but instead the face of Christ Himself. What the fitness culture offers is vast new territories for The Church to evangelize. So, the incorrect notion that it is a lost cause of vanity should be repealed with divine, reckless abandon.

Iron Philosophy: Boldness

BOLDNESS

              We live in a world where more often than not, people are afraid. Whether it be fear of failure, of standing out, of being truly different or of their own shadows, most men and women today have a very tough time going against the grain of society. While many 'individualists' known for numerous tattoos or piercings claim the title of bold, new or different, they look the same as everyone else trying to be 'individualistc'. True boldness and individuality is not found in embracing or retracting from fear, instead it is found in accepting its presence but not allowing it to take effect. The famous quote of Edmund Burke, the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing, explains the dire necessity of boldness in the face of evil and in times like ours, evils' gristly face is no longer hiding, thus the need for bold men of virtue. Such boldness, such strength of heart, can be discovered and excavated in the gym.

              The gym offers a world where each goal and each repetition is only as good as the exertion of energy of which you put forth. If you don't have a mind ready and willing to push through whatever difficulty you may have, then growth is simply not an option. That ability to regularly challenge yourself and to push past any possible hardships creates boldness. Because if you are in a daily routine of either denying yourself something (sweets) or putting more weight on your back (quite literally), you are training not only your body, but your mind and soul as well to see these as simply part of life. So, daily creating a more and more bold spirit will expunge any fear of standing out. Compared to the fear of not getting back up or possibly dropping weight on yourself, standing in front of others and boldly proclaiming truth will be easier. Holding onto something as small as fear of judging eyes will seem obtuse and unreasonable because the end goal is worth so much more than the shrinking unknown.

            In order to become a successful evangelist, boldness is an indispensable virtue. It takes grit to stand in defiance of spiritual tyranny and secular humanism. Learning and training to fight our own weaknesses, growing authentic spiritual muscles, allows for a man to see things for what they are, obstacles meant to be overcome. The greatest saints in history were BOLD. The New Evangelization is going to take men with enough sand to hold their own in a room of pagans and heretics. The gym is where that sand can be found and grown. In my time as a weightlifter, fear of standing out has slowly dissipated. If you or someone you know is having a hard time being the face of Christ in a broken world, perhaps The Iron is the solution through which the Holy Spirit will work its wonders.