[SamuraiScot]

It seems a very unwise move in today's environment. My wife and daughters were particularly furious. The war for sin on behalf of Satan involves a war against sex, because the devil hates the human body. And in particular, it's a war against men, because men are the strength of Christian society. When they are called upon and answer, the devil is routed. When they grow distracted or are bypassed, the family and society are divided, and men go play video games, or whatever is the contemporary equivalent.

To my eyes, this wasn't the historical moment for Pope Francis's gesture, which comes across as very 1970s. Whatever the Holy Father's motives, it will be interpreted by Catholic men as more evidence that they have no special purpose. It will be used by Christ's enemies (inside and outside the Church) to convince more confused people that Christ's humanity and the priesthood are meaningless. I pray that in the long run, this act of the Pope's will be become part of a great victory for which I can't see the outlines. But to my limited vision now, it looks like an invasion of Russia in the winter.

[Salvation]

I just wrote an email to someone encouraging the men in his group to step forward and do these things.

I believe it will happen. And I understand the pain. I had my feet washed once by my priest, and I decided this year, that if I were to be asked, I would recommend a man that was sitting in another pew.

I think we need to do this.