BBQ Judging, Scythe Harvesting, and Christian Marriage

• Barbecue Competition Judging: Adam shares his first experience as a barbecue competition judge at a local Catholic church and school fundraiser in Tulsa, where he was joined by his son Jude (assistant judge) and two priests.
• Judged four categories: chicken, pulled pork, ribs, and brisket (Adam insists brisket is the primary measure; David (wrongly) argues for ribs).
• 12 pit masters competed; judged on appearance, taste, tenderness, texture, uniqueness, and overall (max score 25).
• Advice from Joe Martin’s son: Take one bite per entry to avoid overeating (48 bites total across 40 minutes).
• Adam judged strictly (e.g., scores as low as 14, zero for appearance), while priests gave higher scores (23–24), highlighting differing standards.
• Event fostered camaraderie among pit masters (12 hours together) and service to attendees, teaching kids sacrifice, friendship, and craft articulation.
• Shout-out to Brian Schooley for organizing; Adam and David plan to enter as The Catholic Man Show next year, with Jim in a dunk tank.

Main Discussion

Wheat Harvest with a Scythe

• David’s Experience: David harvested two 45x45-foot wheat plots using a scythe, finding it soothing, peaceful, and in tune with nature despite being exhausting.
• Quotes Wendell Berry: “The means we use to do our work almost certainly affects the way we look at the world” (via an X account, @minahan8).
• Compared to last year’s sickle (felt “commie”), the scythe was efficient for small-scale farming; not practical for large-scale but satisfying.
• Kids raked straw (post-harvest, nutritionless due to seeding) for pig bedding or garden mulch; straw vs. hay explained (hay retains nutrition).
• Adam plans to borrow David’s scythe for his own wheat harvest, nervous about back strain.
• Wendell Berry Reflection: Hosts revisit Berry’s essays, appreciating his beautiful, idealistic conclusions but finding his reasoning insufficient (e.g., abandoning tractors would starve people).
• Compare Berry’s idealism to J.R.R. Tolkien and Guardini's Letters at Lake Como; both depict lovely worlds but lack practical solutions for modern challenges.

Christian Marriage and Pope Leo XIII

• Introduction to Pope Leo XIII: Adam introduces Pope Leo XIII (1810–1903), a prophetic figure who addressed modernity’s challenges (secularism, communism, liberalism) in the late 19th century.
• Known for Rerum Novarum (1891, Catholic social teaching), reviving Thomism in seminaries (to counter Nietzsche, Hegel, and communism), and engaging modern society.
• His encyclical Arcanum Divinae Sapientiae (1880) emphasizes Christian marriage as a divine, not secular, institution, foundational to society.
• Critiqued rise of divorce, moral relativism, and civil interference undermining marriage’s sanctity; argued church, not state, holds primary authority over marriage.
• Marriage as Trinitarian Image: Marriage mirrors the Trinity’s relational society, where spousal love is so real it produces a third (child), reflecting Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.
• Secular view (Enlightenment-era and today) reduces marriage to a consensual contract, ignoring its sacramental, stable, and permanent nature.
• State has a role in regulating marriage per natural law, but church’s supernatural authority supersedes.

Ephesians 5 and Mutual Submission

• Scriptural Basis: Leo XIII references Ephesians 5 (footnoted), where St. Paul instructs mutual submission out of reverence for Christ, with specific roles: wives submit to husbands, husbands love wives as Christ loved the church.
• Secular society fixates on “wives submit,” ignoring mutual submission and husbands’ sacrificial love.
• Submission Defined: Adam posits submission stems from extreme trust (in a good relationship) or fear (in a bad one); David nuances that even small decisions involve trust or fear, and submission means aligning with another’s mission (e.g., heaven).
• Ideal marriage: Both spouses are so submissive they forget themselves, sharing one mission (heaven), as exemplified by Mary and Joseph (near-perfect).
• Practical Mission: Couples must articulate what “getting to heaven” means (e.g., prioritizing Mass over sports, family dinners, or vacation choices).
• Early marriage decisions set family identity, reducing conflicts when children’s desires arise; trust builds when both spouses prioritize each other’s salvation.
• Example: Blessed Karl of Austria to Zita: “Now we must get to heaven together,” requiring intentional, sometimes extreme steps.

Break 1: Pilgrimage Sponsor

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Second Segment: Roles in Christian Marriage

• Husband as Leader: Husband is head of the household (per Genesis), leading with love, not dominance, kneeling beside his wife in prayer.
• David prays daily for the Holy Spirit to inspire Pamela’s intuition, valuing her as a “helper” (biblical term for Holy Spirit), taking her insights seriously for family decisions.
• Adam prays during Adoration for Haylee to grow closer to Mary, modeling humility and femininity.
• Leadership Analogy: Like business, where employees leave due to poor leaders, not the mission, wives stay committed if husbands lead with love toward heaven.
• Neglecting presence or duties undermines the mission, making separation easier despite shared goals.
• Formation: Husbands must prioritize prayer, Holy Spirit inspiration, and faith learning to pass tradition to children, adapting as family life grows louder and more complex.

Family Prayer Challenges

• David’s Routine: Observes “great silence” mornings to foster prayer and silence as a virtue, though young kids (e.g., 2-year-old Susanna) need reminders.
• Older siblings model behavior, reinforcing communal prayer (before/after meals, morning, bedtime).
• Adam’s Struggle: Excels at communal prayer but struggles to safeguard individual prayer time for Haylee (10 minutes of silent contemplation); sees it as his role to protect her prayer, and vice versa.
• Homeschooling complicates silence (starts at 6 AM when kids sleep); mutual submission includes guarding each other’s prayer time.
• Husband’s Role: Create space for wives to flourish in femininity, free from burdens men ideally handle, requiring intentionality.

Break 2: Return to Discussion

• Sacramental Calling: Marriage is a sacramental vocation for salvation, under church authority (Arcanum Divinae Sapientiae); natural institution (state-regulated) but primarily supernatural (church-governed).
• Polygamy isn’t against natural law, but church elevates monogamy as supernatural ideal.
• Instilling Marriage’s Importance in Children: In a secular world of promiscuity and dating apps, parents must:
• Model Complementarity: Display masculine men and feminine women (e.g., dresses enhance femininity, not mandatory) to show distinct, complementary roles.
• Shield from Technology: Delay exposure to apps like Tinder, which allure with shallow choice over marriage’s depth.
• Promote Virtue: Teach what to do (virtue) over what not to do, fostering human flourishing, not legalism.
• Measure Virtue: Name virtues (e.g., generosity, kindness) to give them value, like business metrics or Snapchat streaks, making them family goals.
• Set Mission: Reinforce family mission (heaven) through consistent leadership, building trust in parents’ heavenly intent.

Podcast-Exclusive Segment: Encyclicals and Legacy

• Leo XIII’s Legacy: Oldest pope at death (93), first recorded/photographed; addressed Freemasonry (1880s, less relevant today).
• Recommended reading: The Church Speaks to the Modern World (Doubleday, Image Books) compiles Leo XIII’s social teachings, available on abooks.com.
• Suggests great book groups intersperse encyclicals (e.g., Rerum Novarum, Arcanum Divinae Sapientiae) with classics for rich discussion.
• Patreon Support: Offers audiobooks of five Leo XIII encyclicals, professionally recorded by humans (pre-AI), at catholicmanshow.com.
• Father’s Goal: Reflect the Father’s love, giving children a glimpse of divine love through husbandly and fatherly sacrifice, despite failures.

Closing Thoughts

• Takeaway: Christian marriage, as Leo XIII taught, is a sacramental foundation of society, requiring mutual submission, trust, and a shared mission to heaven, modeled through virtuous leadership and complementarity.
• Encyclical Recommendation: Read Arcanum Divinae Sapientiae (1880) for a primer on Christian marriage’s divine role.
• Final Cheers: “We’re on the Lord’s team, the winning side. Raise your glass! Cheers to Jesus!”

Action Items for Listeners

• Read Encyclicals: Explore Arcanum Divinae Sapientiae (1880) and Rerum Novarum (1891) for Leo XIII’s insights on marriage and society.
• Model Marriage: Display complementary masculinity and femininity; prioritize virtue over legalism to teach children marriage’s value.
• Protect Prayer: Safeguard communal and individual prayer times (e.g., great silence, 10 minutes for spouse’s contemplation).
• Set Family Mission: Articulate and live the mission to heaven through intentional decisions, building trust and identity.
• Support the Show: Join Patreon at catholicmanshow.com for access to Leo XIII encyclical audiobooks and more.
• Read Berry: Revisit Wendell Berry’s essays for beautiful, if idealistic, reflections on work and society.

Sponsor Mentions

• Select International Tours: selectinternationaltours.com