Father Joseph Illo gave an 11-minute homily at Star of the Sea parish in San Francisco on Sunday, Feb. 2 on fatherhood.
A few of the take-aways:
– “Some Catholic priests have become agents of the demonic.”
– “Fathers of families will offer themselves in sacrifice if they see their priests and bishops doing it first.”
– “Today in America few men marry and fewer have children. Where are the men? In their rooms staring at the internet covered in Cheetos dust.”
The text of the 15-second sample:
“Evil hates paternity even more than it hates maternity. The Devil hates fathers perhaps even more than mothers. Because God is a father.”
I salute Fr. Illo!!!
Thanks for pointing this homily out and the link to it. It was very good. Having been involved in men’s ministry for many years now, this is a message that all men need to hear. Whether we are spiritual fathers and/or natural/biological fathers, we need to stand as fathers in the image of the Father. In a time when it seems all masculinity is deemed “toxic,” it’s past time for a healthy and holy masculinity. Only together, as men and women, can we reflect the image of God. (Genesis 1:27)
Wow. Paternalism has a father!
We all saw the horrors of the immature liberal leftists of academia, the sick, Freud-infested psychology profession, along with the terrible, immoral, debauched beatniks, hippies, and dope and sex-infested, ignorant rock “music” groups, in the 1960s!! The attacks on Christian Morality, Manhood, Womanhood, Marriage, Child-Bearing, Motherhood, (etc.) were shockingly ignorant and violent! I recall priests giving some good homilies at that time, warning people that life is a responsibility, nothing is “free,” you have a responsibility to grow up, become adults, and lead good lives, following Church teachings! God sees all things, and knows all things– and we all have a responsibility to Him, in all that we think, do, and say! Christ’s teachings are timeless and eternal, for all people, in all eras of history!
God created Manhood according to a distinct Plan in Nature. Manhood has nothing to do with the sick, immature, immoral, political, “Me-Generation,” “hippie-liberal,” “rebellious outcast kid,” 1960s social engineering– which distorts and destroys authentic Manhood, beyond recognition– and turns Man into a “freak!” Manhood has to do with fully growing up to adult maturity, putting youth away and accepting adult responsibility, putting immature, childish, irrational emotions in order, and conducting your life with a strong, rational mind– and making good, solid, mature decisions! Manhood has to do with mature, Good Manners and Good Morals, thinking and behaving in a mature manner, having a good Moral Conscience, obeying God’s Laws and the laws of society, being honest, dependable, trustworthy, strong, courageous, generous, kind, caring, and hard-working, putting yourself aside for the needs of others, always willing to help those in need, accepting roles of leadership and authority, just as your father and all generations of fathers, before him!
What a blessed man. Pray for him as we know the devil will attack him.
Father presents an unhelpful and false caricature of men. It’s all the rage these days in the Catholic Church to lament a loss of masculinity. How many bogeymen will the traditionalists list? They thing bringing back Latin, praying rosaries, sacrificing, the TLM, being masculine whatever that means like getting men together to do stereotypical cave dwelling men things, and keeping women at home (see Fr. Ripperger) will save the church and the world. Meanwhile many of these same people think evolution is false and think you have to interpret creation in Genesis literally. The problem is more that the Church is seen by almost everyone in the world to be centuries behind the times and backwards. Update the church like Pope Francis says.
Michael, specifically, what did Father Illo say to which you object? Maybe I’m not a “traditionalist” in your definition; as a Greek Catholic, I’m not for (or against) Latin, the rosary or the TLM, although with an ancient Liturgy and a high regard for tradition, I believe I should stand in the tradition of the Church. I don’t take Genesis “literally” (in the sense in which I think you mean “literally”). I’d rather be in a Church that is seen by some as “behind the times,” rather than in one frantically trying to keep up with the latest passing fads. As Chesterton said, “The Church always seems to be behind the times, when it is really beyond the times.” We hold to eternal, ancient and future, truth. I do not want to turn the clock backwards. Can you not see the need for men to take their places in the Church? Look at the staff members of most parishes and Catholic schools, they overwhelmingly women. And, I have nothing against strong Catholic women (including my wife and adult daughters). They, too, need to take their places in the Church. We’re all in this together. But, even secular social scientists lament the loss of fatherhood in our society. Men need to behave like fathers. That’s a significant part of restoring health to our culture.
A true Man is not an ignorant, immature, immoral, irrational, rebellious, anti-society, anti-Christian, narcissistic misfit outcast, beatnik, bum, or hippie flower child “freak”– lost in the sick, irresponsible, liberal-leftist criminal culture, of anti-Anerican political activism, dope, free sex, abortion, gay sex, and rock “music!” I have been waiting and praying, since the mid-1960s, hoping for a return to normalcy! Not much hope left, though– for an answer to this prayer, in my lifetime!
Michael S., I as with Deacon Anderson, am left utterly befuddled as to what Fr. Illo said that might have been 1). unhelpful 2). a false characterization of men. I was expecting one thing, and instead got a tirade against all things connected to traditional Catholic practice, and some things unrelated to tradition (literal interpretation of Genesis). The only reference that I could tie to your charge was the very strange comment about “stereotypical cave dwelling men things” to which I shrug my shoulders and ask, What in the world is this in reference to, and how is it relevant to Fr. Illo’s points? Do you see male/female relations as a zero-sum-game, where one side advances only to the detriment of the other? Or are you accusing Fr. Illo of this? It is hard to tell just what you find objectionable with Fr. Illo until you identify specifically what you take exception to with Fr. Illo and why. Then we can begin a discussion.
Michael sounds like you have a problem with traditionalists, praying the rosary , devotions, sacrificing , and attending the TLM are bad why ?, because you don’t like them ? how are they not compatible with Catholic masculinity ?. Your fallacious reasoning of “cave dwelling ” evolution ,Genesis and keeping women at home again comes from this priest or your own thinking. What updates do you think PF would bring that would increase participation of men ? I have not seen any if anything he by meeting with certain priests and denigrating traditional priests has not helped at all. Your quote “The problem is more that the Church is seen by almost everyone in the world to be centuries behind the times and backwards” ok is this your opinion or based on a survey ? as Catholics we need to please God , not the world, most of the world is not Catholic (sadly) look at the results of the V2 “updates” they did not help the church.
Here we go again with this heretical dig at Vatican II. When questioning the vagueness of a commentator’s comments must one slide into disparaging the solemn magisterium of the Church at Vatican II by vaguely referring to some “updates”? Do you mean the Ordinary Form? In which case you have just descended to the very thing you were criticizing from Michael S. Great job.
jon, I do not disagree with the documents of the Second Vatican Council (although no one I know thinks the aftermath of the Council was entirely good, including declining Mass attendance and the increase of priests abusing young men, to cite only two examples).
That said, you raised no objections to what Fr. Illo preached (at a Mass of the Ordinary Form). I think most California Catholic Daily readers think that us men should be better fathers, whether spiritual fathers or for our biological and adopted sons and daughters. I think we can agree on that.
Let them think the Church is “backwards.”
What a wonderful priezt.
Thank you for posting this homily by a living saint. Where have all the young men gone? We raised 3 children and I always felt the heavy obligation of bringing food on the table. It worked out just fine, but the overwhelming heavy sense of duty was always present. This duty is what the young men are running away from today, in part by the actions of feminism through which men were not anymore the natural breadwinner. Our current Pope worries about the fringes of our Church Gay and Lesbian and gay and transgender and questioning sexual perversions nut not enough about the remnant of Catholics that still dedicate their lives to their chosen station of married life.
Fatherhood is a heavy responsibility yet the base of our Catholic Church. By attacking the nuclear family and the priesthood cultural Marxists are doing satanic works very effectively. We must resist.