There are two things that have become increasingly difficult to express in this day and age: a valid sense and meaning of masculinity and a belief in God and Jesus Christ. It’s hard to strike a balance between the views of men as either posturing, macho alpha males or the androgynous new men, overly in touch with their feminine sides. Throw religion into the mix and you start to ask some tough questions: “How can I live out my faith as a man and still feel that I retain my integrity in the face of the world?”
So why a group for men? The idea arose entirely from looking around the church at Mass on Sundays and seeing you – men. I know for myself why I go to Mass on a Sunday morning, but looking around I thought “Why are all these other men here? Do they come for the same reason as me? Do they also want to know God and consciously live out their faith?” It struck me as absurd that, if this were a football match, we’d be coming up to each other afterwards going, “Great game, wasn’t it! Did you see that goal?! What was the ref thinking?” Yet in church we barely give each other the time of day. Not that I’m suggesting we stand around after Mass going, “Great Mass! Did you hear that homily?! What was the priest thinking?” But we are social beings, and it seems strange that we all come to Mass as part of the family of God and yet cannot find the wherewithal to share that with one another.
But that’s where it’s hard for men. We don’t naturally reveal things that seem to make us vulnerable. A few of us have already been meeting as a group and it’s evident that expressing how we feel about faith doesn’t come easy. We’ve not been used to it as we’ve grown up; we have our doubts about things; we’re not clear on exactly what the Church teaches or why. But what we have appreciated is a quiet, private environment where we feel comfortable enough in each other’s company to open up about things that are important to us.
We meet on the second Sunday of each month at the Bedford RAF Association Club opposite the railway station. We book it out exclusively for ourselves. There is a bar. We spend some time catching up with one another, building up our friendships (which is important for a sense of trust when it comes to talking about deeper things). Then we have some specific input about the faith, which gives us some stimulation for discussion. Feel free to join us, and keep an eye out on this blog for what is coming up over the next few months.
