“Are You Man Enough to Become More Like Christ?” was the theme of the 2022 Cleveland Catholic Men’s Conference, presented by the Catholic Men’s Fellowship of Northeast Ohio. (See photo gallery above.)
More than 300 men gathered at the Holiday Inn in Independence for the daylong event on April 2. Keynote speakers were Father Nathan Cromley, a nationally known speaker, writer, retreat leader, explorer, innovator, educator, founder of Eagle Eye Ministries, the St. John Institute and a devotee of the Blessed Mother. He is a frequent guest on EWTN and local radio stations. Father Cromley helps leaders in business and in culture find the help they need to Dare Great Things for Christ.
Kevin Reilly, a former Villanova football star, was drafted by the Miami Dolphins and later joined the Philadelphia Eagles, where he was captain of special teams. Two years later, he was diagnosed with cancer and underwent surgery to remove his left arm, a large part of his shoulder and five ribs. Despite his illness, Reilly never gave up active sports. He remains an avid runner and golfer.
Conference attendees also had time for fellowship, confession and a chance to visit vendor booths to learn about Catholic organizations and to purchase sacramental, books and other religious items.
Bishop Edward Malesic, a supporter of the conference, celebrated the closing Mass, with concelebrants Father Cromley and Father Mike Gurnick, pastor of St. Patrick Parish on Bridge Avenue in Cleveland and administrator of St. Malachi Parish, also in Cleveland.
“Please never forget, my dear brothers, that Christianity is not a self-help religion,” the bishop told conference attendees. “We do not and cannot save ourselves from sin. God the Father loved the world so greatly that he sent his only Son, Jesus, to us so that he would save us from sin. And he did. And he does. Our first step in being man enough is to recognize that we are sinners and we all need his help. We need a savior.”
That is why at the beginning of Mass, we “acknowledge our sins,” the bishop said, to remind ourselves that we can’t fix ourselves and we can’t save ourselves. We need help. Using the Gospel story of the woman caught in adultery, he said she needed the help of Jesus to scatter her detractors and to forgive her sin.
“Sometimes, it is hard for us men to admit we need help,” Bishop Malesic said, noting that pride may get in the way. Asking for help or assistance or admitting we are struggling can be humbling and even humiliating,
“But Christianity is always about being dependent,” he said, explaining that St. Paul pointed out in the second reading that we must allow Jesus to take possession of us if we hope to be saved. “Let’s finally be honest and admit that we depend on God for all our needs,” he added.
The bishop said God – the Father, Son and Holy Spirit – existed before there was anything else, even time and space and atoms and molecules. The pinnacle of his creation was the human race, men and women made in his image and likeness.
“Note the distinction. God is creator. We are creation. The creator is always greater than his creation, and because God creates out of nothing, we are constantly dependent upon him to exist, whether we acknowledge it or not. We need God,” he said. And the only way men can become more like Jesus Christ is to admit they don’t have enough on their own and they need him.
The Blessed Mother is the perfect example of recognizing our need for God, the bishop said, explaining that her immaculate conception was God’s gift to her and the world. She gave her fiat and accepted God’s plan for her because she was dependent on God and knew that her heavenly Father was trustworthy, that he loved her and wanted her to be joyful, free, happy and holy. God wants our fiat, too, the bishop said.
He told the men by their presence at the conference, they were giving their fiat. “A Christ-like man cooperates with God like Mary,” he said. He also understands he is a beloved son of the Father, like Jesus. “Let Jesus take possession of your life,” he added.
“We Catholics are a liturgical people. Our rituals are rich and ancient, mysterious and beautiful. And it’s not a spectator sport. Catholic liturgy allows us to enter into the very life of the Triune God,” the bishop said. “At Mass you enter into the very life of God as he enters into your life through his word, sacrament and even within the community itself.” We come to Mass to be changed, just as the bread and wine are changed into the body and blood of Christ.
“By receiving his body and blood in holy Communion at Mass, we are saying that we need him to enter into our lives, to recreate us, to make us holy, to make us new, to make us Christ-like, to make us another Christ,” he added. And once that happens, we will have the courage to go out and consecrate the world.
The bishop encouraged the men to fully participate in the upcoming Holy Week liturgies.
“My brothers, if you do Holy Week right, you will become holy – given over to the things of God. I need good, God-fearing men in this diocese to help me get out the good news about Jesus and his Church. This Holy Week let his paschal mystery become your paschal mystery so that you can become the man God desires you to be, a man who knows where to find direction, peace and salvation – in Jesus Christ, our risen Lord.”