Speaker draws on experts to enliven the male spirit.
By Robert Hiini
Spirituality without masculine input is spirituality in trouble, Sydney medical practitioner and guest speaker Michael Casey told attendees of the Renaissance of Marriage mini-conference which took place in Perth on Saturday, August 29.
Mr Casey was speaking to male participants while his wife Tricia Casey, a counsellor and leadership consultant, spoke to female participants about the giftedness of women as articulated in John Paul II’s Theology of the Body.
"Stretching ourselves is what God is asking today," Mr Casey said, congratulating the men for "taking time out" to consider where they were in their relationship with God and with their wives and to develop better knowledge of themselves.
“Our strengths serve us, the world and God well in so many ways. We need to be mindful of this and not back away from the need for the authentic masculine presence which seems to me too often absent or quiet in our Church."
In articulating an understanding of male spirituality, Mr Casey cited the work of American Franciscan priest, Fr Richard Rohr and psychiatrist author Dr M Scott Peck and drew on his own experience as husband, father, lecturer and director of a large medical practice.
Quoting Fr Rohr, Mr Casey said that a masculine spirituality would tend to “emphasise movement over stillness, action over theory, service to the world over religious discussion, speaking the truth over social niceties and doing justice instead of sometimes self-serving charity.” Given the shortness of life and men’s impact on the lives of women, children and each other, rediscovering and asserting a healthy masculinity is an urgent imperative, Mr Casey said, particularly in the area of spirituality.
“Without the complementary masculine, spirituality is characterised by too much inwardness, pre-occupation with relationships and a morass of unclarified feelings," Mr Casey said. "When male energy is absent creation doesn’t happen in the human soul or world. Nurture and support happen, the wonderful feminine gift, but not risk taking, stretching ourselves and creation out of nothing – the unique prerogative which is the masculine side of God.
"This can prevent a journey to any place new. It makes for a no-risk religion, the opposite to that of Abraham, Moses, Paul and Jesus.”
He also spoke about the importance of learning about power in the male spiritual journey – learning to discern between the false and self-centred promise of secular power and the authentic promise of spiritual power – the latter being always associated with the selfless love of others.
Referencing the work of developmental psychologist and theologian James Fowler, Michael Casey detailed the stages, as he saw it, of the male spiritual journey, giving particular attention to the importance of male initiation.
Initiation into manhood in western societies, he contended, was sadly lacking and was more often than not associated with pre-marital sex, binge drinking and driving.
“In (authentic) initiation the young male is separated from the protective feminine energy and taken to a ritual space where newness and maleness is experienced as holy. Where he is wounded and tested,” he said.
“The wound is pushing and challenging the individual in a supportive environment. This is a masculine way of loving.”
A period of "heroic journey" follows – a period of idealism in which young men explore their abilities and opportunities, when a premium is placed on duty, hard work and sacrifice.
“While a necessary stage of spiritual development, it might also be characterised by a neglect of compassion and nuance, tending towards immaturity and a "dangerous righteousness.
“Unfortunately, some leave the journey very early, holding on only to bitterness. This is the angry young man who never experiences his own power, goodness or potential. This occurs especially amidst the hopelessness associated with poverty. There is no deep sense of self,” Mr Casey said, describing such men as “loose cannons.”
The heroic, idealistic stage must eventually give way to what he described as a “crisis of limitation” – a time of trial in which a man’s self-understanding and ability to function are rocked to the core; a struggle that is necessary for growth. “You may not have reached this stage yet. You may not recognise it when it comes. But believe me it will come. It has to, simply because our humanity limits us. Unless you have found another way of being humble before God, you must come to realise you can’t create your own happiness and fulfilment,” he said.
“This is a time of inner loss of meaning sometimes accompanied by failure or falling apart, perhaps in the form of a nervous breakdown or depression. The so-called midlife crisis is an attempt to regain power or control.
“Rohr talks of the false promises of the addictive system in western society which offers men the illusion of power and freedom while really holding back decision making power because our identity and self-worth are so tied up with achievement, role or income to which we are often slaves.
“At this time a man is confronted by his own limits. There is a call to learn through suffering and the experience of powerlessness.”
His own time came in 1996 when a confluence of professional, family and health issues drove him to the point of experiencing anxiety attacks and heart problems, eventually culminating in being rushed to hospital, being resuscitated and operated on.
“I came out of the anaesthetic and I sobbed. Two things were clear in my mind. Firstly, if I had died I would have been really annoyed that I hadn’t found time to do the important things in my life. Till then many had been pushed aside with busyness and career.
“Secondly, it was clear how much I wanted to be true to myself, not spend the rest of my life meeting other people’s expectations.” He described the experience as having opened up his heart to other possibilities, enabling him to trust in God more, to have more compassion for others and leading him to spend more time on relationships with God and with his family. The choice before all men, he said, is whether to be an “old fool," a “cynical man” or to pursue a “wisdom journey where we turn our wounds, through Christ, into sacred ones.”
“Being a man is so much more than self-image, role, power, prestige or possessions. Since we are going to die anyway what is the point in preserving the silly attachment I have to my old self which our society constantly calls us to.
“For the mature man, heroism is no longer the goal. The goal is something we can no longer manufacture, control or even possess as our own; holiness, it is given and received.
“We are offered an opportunity to become the Holy Fool who has it all. God’s beloved son, the grandfather. To return to simplicity, to the garden, beyond judgements, reason and control to wisdom. We are working towards a deadline. Are we taking up the offer?
“To do this we need to let go, trust, surrender and be patient.
“This is the Abrahamic journey from what you have to what you don’t know on nothing more than God’s promise through Jesus. Do you believe Him, do you trust Him? Can you finally be secure enough in your self-identity to be insecure. Will you let Him set you free?”
Before concluding his talk to allow participants to reflect before breaking into discussion groups, Michael Casey suggested that men might seek out books, mentors and spiritual direction in search of their “real selves” and their “personal God.”
“We are not alone but supported by the wisdom of thousands of years of ancestors handed on under the guidance of the Holy Spirit,” he said. “In short, we have a lot of real assistance to building this relationship with our
intimate God.”
"We just need a desire to make the time and use it."