Men As Scarecrows

A man is just like a scarecrow. It is his job, as a husband, to protect his wife from every worldly influence that would keep her from fulfilling her calling as a mother and wife. She manages the home, teaches the children, and fulfills a host of other duties, and the world hates her for it. She has a calling that a man is unable to perform (and he should thank God that she can do it). Oh, he could perform the duties outwardly, but not with the same grace and abilities that God has given her as a woman.

It is also his job, as a father, to protect his children from the world and its desire to catechize them. He is supposed to ensure that they are taught the wondrous works of God, and to have them learn what the laws of God are. He needs to drive away all that would deceive them, and instead fill them with their own strength so that they can grow up to serve God as adults. It is also a man's job, as an ordained priest, to cast off all the worldly forces that would attempt to draw his parishioners into the control of the devil. Satan wants every Catholic parish to honor him and to follow the path of pride and self-indulgence, and the priest needs to work against that to lead them in their sanctification, both in the sacraments and in their knowledge of God.

Like I said, men are to be like a scarecrow. Set their feet, and scare off the crows that would try to hurt those that they are supposed to be watching over. Sometimes it is hard when the crows show no fear and actually land on his shoulders. Thankfully, the Lord allows him to wiggle and squirm just enough to scare them off, but that does not mean that he will always get rid of them in time; sometimes bad influences sneak in. Then, he has the extra job of helping people to heal from the wounds they received from the "crows".

A lot goes on in the world today, and much of it takes a special skill and gift to be able to bring it about. I am not talking about mere talents (which are not specific to either of the two sexes), but those special gifts that God gives to us to perform the tasks that we are called to perform. To the degree that we submit to the calling that God has given us, we will be able to use those gifts. Likewise, to the degree that we ignore that calling and try to come up with our own, we will fail in what we do. Let us listen for the calling, and submit ourselves unto the order that God has created.