The Goal of Manhood

Over the course of my Catholic school education, I've often heard talks about the clash between popular culture and Catholic morality.  Many of these discussions focus on the disturbing trend of objectifying women, using advertising and supermodels as evidence of this trend. It seems that scantily clad women now pop off of the covers of nearly every magazine in the grocery store, and it is the prevalence of such images that spark many morality discussions.  Have these magazine covers and advertising slots altered the image associated with the goal of womanhood?  Almost certainly, it has.  However, females are not the only ones to be affected by such imagery.  As the perception of womanhood has changed throughout recent decades, the idea of manhood has changed in a corresponding way and yet it has received far less attention.
So what does it mean to be a true man?  Society would have me think that the goal of my college life is to party hard, have a good time, and avoid any consequences for my actions, whatsoever. For as womanhood was objectified, the great and holy gift of female sexuality was cheapened.  It became an object only meant for pleasure: something to be used.  So too, the male persona developed into the user. Given this relationship style, it becomes easy to understand why nearly half of all marriages end in divorce.
This culture permeates our life so much that many of us rarely give notice anymore.  For example, during the Super Bowl this year there was one advertisement that seems to illustrate my point exactly.  It was a commercial for godaddy.com, starring Danica Patrick. The commercial begins when two men are transported to a world full of immodestly dressed women, all of whom seem willing to dote on the men in any way they pleased.  The culmination is reached with a shot of Danica Patrick wearing only lingerie, and the men exclaim, "Is this heaven?"  As Sr. Miriam James Heidland eloquently explains in her own blog on this topic, "Sorry to say, gentleman, but that is the anti-thesis of heaven. Heaven is so much more." However, this is merely an example of how disoriented our culture has become.
What then, is the purpose of manhood?  In order to answer this question, we may look to the ultimate example: Jesus Christ.  His life exemplifies manhood at its best. It shows the true goal of the desire that other men seek to quench through physical relationships with women.  In every man, there is the heart of a soldier.  This soldier is meant to seek and pursue his future bride.  Furthermore, one of the most beautiful aspects of manhood is sacrifice.  Just as Christ himself was a sacrifice for all of humanity, true manhood is the ability and desire to sacrifice, even at great personal cost, for a bride.  This is why a man is not truly fulfilled through physical relationships with women.  This sexual lifestyle requires no kind of sacrifice, no work toward something greater.  Man is not meant to simply conquer, but to offer his life in service to God and to his bride.
I have heard people say that chivalry is dead, that men and women are the same, and that chivalry is oppressive.  This is just not so.  Men and women are created differently.  However, these differences are complementary, and so men and women are drawn together in a loving union.  In this union, it is the role of a man to dutifully serve God and his bride, so as to bring their relationship closer to Christ.

Sr. Miriam James Heidland's Blog: http://soltsisters.blogspot.com/