John Hienen, owner of The Catholic Gentleman, said that often men treat Lent as though it is “extra credit,” as though we are being kind to God by offering Him a little extra. How nice. Lent is not an add-on feature, a bonus segment on a liturgical app, an extra rep, or an extra lap around the track.Lent is essential.You will only have so many Lents—perhaps seventy or eighty for those who are granted a longer life. “Our days may come to seventy years, or eighty, if our strength endures; yet the best of them are but trouble and sorrow, for they quickly pass, and we fly away.” (Psalm 90:10)Indeed, how many of these Lents have we embraced to the fullest?

Unmarried men have the potential to be extremely selfish. There is no one depending on them, no child to take care of in the middle of the night, no wife to force compromise on a TV show. Single guys make their own schedule, and even when they do acts of charity or apostolic work, they make it fit into what they want to do.

Unmarried men have the potential to be extremely selfish. There is no one depending on them, no child to take care of in the middle of the night, no wife to force compromise on a TV show. Single guys make their own schedule, and even when they do acts of charity or apostolic work, they make it fit into what they want to do.

There is much talk about being a ‘real man’: the warrior man, the man without emotions or sympathies, the rival of all things deemed weak. Yet this kind of polemic is a form of extremism—and extremism is the devil’s playground. Satan thrives in extremes. He despises virtue and constantly goads us toward deficiency on one side or excess on the other.

The way a Father interacts with their child is different than a Mother. Both are good, but the way of the Father can be hard because it often involves discipline. We need to renew the way we parent to have a heart of love amidst hard punishments and conversations with our children.

In a world that is so loud, prayer is the place to reset ourselves and find the rest promised by God. Prayer can even be a place of leisure, where we put off the anxieties of the world and the day. We can find the fruit of the Spirit and God's will for ourselves in daily prayer.

Jesus teaches us men to be humble through His actions. From His nativity, Passion, and presence in the Eucharist, His humility is on full display. Take a moment to reflect on this nature of God.

One does not wake up one day and suddenly be great. Greatness or magnanimity is a virtue talked about by St. Thomas Aquinas that can be developed. Here are five concrete ways to grow in this virtue.