"Walking Wounded" - KC Austin Chapter - A Report of the Spiritual Director (3/24/2025)

Worthy Chapter President and Brother Knights,

I bring you greetings from our State Chaplain, Bishop Mulvey, and our Associate State Chaplain, Fr. Chen, whom I am in contact.

In this month's report, I wanted to share a reflection on an article, titled “Walking Wounded,” by Deacon Robert T. Yerhot, that I read in the issue of "The Deacon” (March/April 2025).

The premise of the article is: “With rare exception, the American men entering our diaconate programs and seminaries, or serving as deacons and priests, are impeded by virtue struggles, patterns of sin, distracted or disintegrated interior lives and inhibited intimacy with God and others.” (mentioned in the “Into the Breach” series)

Deacon Yerhot identifies these challenges in communicating the above:

• “. . .a persistent denial of the deleterious effects of contemporary American culture on men. . . our culture is toxic to spiritual depth and affective maturity.”
• “. . .men have difficulty acknowledging their wounds, either denying them (“I am not affected by cultural sin”) or minimizing them (“My wounds are not that bad”). . .”
• “. . .significant barriers to the deep healing needed for fruitful ministry. . . [and] open doors through which Satan enters men’s lives.”

It takes courage to acknowledge our wounds and how deeply they affect us in our relationships with others but, more importantly, in our relationship with God. Moreover, when we allow Satan to have a foothold in our lives, he will continue to whisper his lies into our hearts and, before we know it, we have open wide the doors of our hearts and allow Satan's darkness to overwhelm and consume us. However, we can combat Satan with the Lenten disciplines of prayer, fasting, and almsgiving but we cannot do it by ourselves. We need help from the Holy Spirit.

Deacon Yerhot shares these six steps to utilize today and perhaps work with a spiritual director:

1. Be humble and beg for the grace to accept that you are wounded.
2. Your wounds do not define you; God does. So ask yourself, “To what image of God am I attached?”
3. Beg for the grace to know the roots of your suffering, the patterns of sin in your life, when they began, your fears in regard to them, and the secrets you have kept and lies you have accepted because of your wounds.
4. Share this inventory with God and your spiritual director.
5. Beg for the grace of healing and the courage to live in freedom.
6. Each day beg for the grace of a life of freedom in the Lord, and remain in spiritual direction as you more fully enter into an in-depth relationship with God.

Point #2 above is important for us, because our wounds do not define us. We oftentimes fear facing our woundedness or sharing it with others because we fear being defined by our wounds. However, as Pope Saint John Paul II once said, "“We are not the sum of our weaknesses and failures; we are the sum of the Father’s love for us and our real capacity to become the image of his Son.”

And know that we are not alone in our struggles. Many young couples who come to me with struggles in their marriage oftentimes think that they are the only ones struggling. However, when they realized that other married couples have the same struggles, they have hope that they too can overcome that challenges that they are facing and have a fruitful marriage.

While this article is geared for clergy and men in the seminary or diaconal formation, I believe it applies to all men, especially Knights, because we are called to be role models for other men at our parishes but, most importantly, for our sons and other young men in our families. One of the reasons why I became a Knight, after I came home to the Catholic Church, was because I knew I needed Catholic men to hold me accountable.

Spirit directors are available for all of us; however, as brother Knights, we can also hold each other accountable to live lives of virtue. Therefore, we can substitute spiritual direction with (1) the Sacrament of Reconciliation. (2) going on a retreat for men, and (3) spend time in prayer before our Lord in the Most Blessed Sacrament in Adoration. If needed, then seek counseling.

Vivat Jesus!

Here is a link to my previous report from the Chapter meeting in February:

Knights of Columbus Austin Chapter - A Report of the Spiritual Director (2/24/2025) https://dcnphuc2019.blogspot.com/2025/02/knights-of-columbus-austin-chapter.html

Deacon Phúc’s challenges for all Knights for the month of April

• PERSONAL & FAMILY: Pray this “Prayer for a New Bishop” with your family until the Holy Father discerns a new bishop for the Diocese of Austin.

• COUNCIL: Same as above.