MAN UP

Man up!

Ladies, this is for you too.

You may agree that men, by nature, are warriors, hunters, and gatherers; you may also agree that women, by nature, are producers of children with God’s help, and nurturers.

This author (me) subscribes to a complementary theory of men and women. I do not see the gender relationship as competitive. I do see that the “head of the household” depends on who is best suited to lead at any given minute. Family leadership should be exercised by the person best suited for guiding the family to particular goals. This means, to me, that the head of the household is just as often the woman as the man, according to the persons best strengths.    

And God knows, we each of us have strengths and weaknesses. A great marriage is built on the flexibility of the partners to exchange roles as needed. Or, in other words, to complement one another.

Here’s where the idea of “Man Up!” becomes relevant.

It is biblical facts, thgeological facts, and, one’s own personal reflections that inform when to lead and when to follow. For example: God told Noah to build the Ark; the women at the tomb were first to discover and announce to the Apostles Jesus’s Resurrection; the Apostles were this who, having received the gift of tongues proclaimed the Good News to the world.

It is theological fact that God created man AND woman, and they become “ONE” who are united as man and wife in the Holy Sacrament of Matrimony - the same sacrifice that Jesus consecrated at Cana. It is theological fact that man should not put asunder that which God has made. It is theological fact that Jesus Himself did not approve of divorce. And these theological facts are backed by the Scriptures.

So, now we have the first part of what is meant by “Man Up.” It means to play the role of a complementary partner who steps up or back to lead, depending on the strength required to reach a particdular goal.  Manning up is not an excused to Lord it Over (there is only one Lord and that is Jesus) the manor.

Here is how Saint Josemarie Escriva puts it in “The Way-Character.”

“Be firm1 Be strong! Be a man! And then be an angel! He goes on: Faith, joy,optimism. But not to the folly of closing your eyes to reality. You are ambitious for knowledge. . . for