Into the Breach: An Apostolic Exhortation

by Thomas J. Olmsted

An Apostolic Exhortation to Catholic Men, my Spiritual Sons in the
Diocese of Phoenix

Genres: Catholic, Christian, Nonfiction, Religion, Christianity

ebook

First published September 29, 2015

About the author

Thomas Olmsted is an American prelate of the Roman Catholic Church. He is the fourth and current Bishop of Phoenix. He was Bishop of Wichita from 2001 to 2003.

Olmsted was ordained to the priesthood on July 2, 1973, for the Diocese of Lincoln, Nebraska. He was elevated to the episcopacy in 1999, and named bishop of Phoenix, Arizona in 2003.

Reviews

[Tom Willis · Rating 5 out of 5]

I'm going to be honest. This is the sort of document that needs to be coming out of the Holy See right now.

The problems Pope Francis identifies in Laudato Si' are real ones, that have negative consequences and should be addressed. The problems Bishop Olmsted addresses in Into The Breach are far more significant and deal with the hearts of every man, Catholic or otherwise. in the USA today, and probably throughout the world. Souls are at stake here.

Some choice quotes:

This battle is often hidden, but the battle is real. It is primarily spiritual, but it is progressively killing the remaining Christian ethos in our society and culture, and even in our own homes.

In its wake is wreckage, countless broken hearts bound by fear of more pain, broken lives, broken homes, broken dreams and broken belief that love is even possible. This is the rotten fruit of the Sexual Revolution.It stands to reason that if love is our deepest desire and longing, destroying love will cause us the most pain, the deepest wounds. Thus, where do we start? Where do we begin to rebuild? What do we repair first? My sons and brothers, we must begin with ourselves.
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Imagine with me how different our world would be for our wives, sisters, and daughters if men lived this interior strength of chastity. In our time, we hear of such high rates of sexual assaults in our society, especially on college campuses. Is this not a time for a renewal of masculine chastity? Is this not a time for men to build up the virtue of temperance through fasting and prayer amidst brothers? Is this not a time to consider more deeply St. John Paul II’s proclamation that the ‘dignity of every woman is a task given to every man?’
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Do not be fooled by those voices wishing to erase all distinctions between mothers and fathers, ignoring the complementarity that is inherent in creation itself. Men, your presence and mission in the family is irreplaceable! Step up and lovingly, patiently take up your God-given role as protector, provider, and spiritual leader of your home. A father’s role as spiritual head of the family must never be understood or undertaken as domination over others, but only as a loving leadership and a gentle guidance for those in your care. Your fatherhood, my fatherhood, in its hidden, humble way, reflects imperfectly but surely the Fatherhood of God, the Father to those whom the Lord has given us to father.
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Masculine chastity is a “long and exacting work” that we should be proud to undertake! Imagine standing before the throne of God on judgment day, where the great saints of ages past, who themselves dealt with preeminent sins in their own day, will say to each other, “We dealt with the trouble of lust in our day, but those 21st century men! These happy few battled the beast up close!” We can help each other and other men around us to strive for self-mastery, as this is best addressed among brothers. I encourage you to put aside your fears and insecurities, those that keep you from engaging head on in the fight for chastity.
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To fully live, all men must be fathers and live out their fatherhood! We cannot “become like God,” my sons and brothers, without this understanding and this movement of the heart followed by decisive action. If you do not embrace the spousal and fatherly vocation God has planned for you, you will be stuck in the impotence of the “seed” that refuses to die and refuses to give life. Don’t settle for this half-life! The question for every man is not, “Am I called to be a father?” but rather, “What kind of father am I called to be?”

Read it for free at IntoTheBreach.net

[Luke Daghir · Rating 5 out of 5]

What do young men desire these days? To be a father.

This fatherhood desire may be to be a dad, a religious priest, monk, or deacon, or to be single and be a father within the community.

Yet, at the deepest root of manhood our media, community conscience, and worldly focus is not touching this. Our tv shows are dwindling fatherhood to stupidity and vice-oriented personas. Think of a current tv show that has a great father figure who exemplifies virtue?
(Why did you even have to think hard about finding one?) Our current culture has degraded manhood...why? Because it doubts that young men are capable due to the decline of fatherhood in the past century.

Bishop Olmsted is calling all men, not just men of the Diocese of Phoenix, to enter "into the breach" of a lack of fatherhood, "into the breach" of degradation of manhood, "into the breach" of sexual disorientation, "into the breach" of an increasing fatherless world, "into the breach" of our very own hearts- into the ravines of a heart that yearns for authentic manhood and to fully live out our own fatherhood in great reflection and accordance of God the Father.

Thank you Bishop Olmsted. Thank you for saying what needs to be said, talking about what needs to be talked about, and for challenging all young men to strive for authentic manhood and to fulfill our call to fatherhood.

From the Diocese of Erie, Pennsylvania I say thank you Bishop Olmsted,

Luke

[Lindsay Wilcox · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was fantastic. I'm a woman, but I like reading books about men's spirituality anyway. They are very different, and I gain a lot of insight from them. Many of my male friends recommended this when it came out in September. I hope my gushing will inspire a few more (especially single ones
seeking holy wives) to read it and embrace its call.

Read my full review at AustinCNM.com.

[Arthur · Rating 4 out of 5]

A quick and easy read. An interesting view of how modern masculinity is often defined by athletes and such, but in reality the bible has taught us how to be masculine men, by following Christ and his self sacrificing and moral ways.

[Shay · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a great read for any Catholic man. It's lessons articulate just what it means to be a Catholic man, husband, father, grandfather, and priest. It addresses each of these things by section, so it has re-read value as you approach each of those stages of your life.

Olmsted puts to paper just what every man is thinking: there is something wrong with our society, but I can't quite put my finger on what it is. He expands on this idea. The great gender experiment has failed; men cannot and should not be passive participants in their culture or their lives. The author helps point men in the direction of where they must go... Forward! Into the breach!

[Walt · Rating 5 out of 5]

A beautiful exhortation by Bishop Olmsted. With a straightforward approach he touches on many on the current problems with manhood in our culture and gives real solutions to these problems. Worth reading more than once.

[Bradleya · Rating 4 out of 5]

The three questions Bishop Olmsted addresses in this exhortation are exactly what men in the United States need to be asking themselves right now. "What does it mean to be a Catholic man? How does a Catholic man love? Why is fatherhood, fully understood, so crucial for every man?" Bishop Olmsted explains how failing to answer these questions adequately in the light of God our Heavenly Father and His Son Jesus Christ has led to so many of the shortcomings and societal issues that plague our world and culture. He also provides us as Catholic man hope by sharing the importance of our roles in our lives and by illustrating how we can be soldiers for Christ in our vocations as men.

[Patrick · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent encouragement for a time when so many elements of real masculinity are under attack. I will be sharing this text with many.

[Ben]

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