CDXXIX – Mentorship

I am going to make a bold claim having done no research to back it up. There is a crisis of mentorship. Perhaps this crisis is limited to America, perhaps it is present in the whole world. Perhaps this crisis is a feature (not a flaw) of Modernity, perhaps it is an unintended consequence. But there is indeed a crisis in mentorship.

There’s a crisis of fatherhood too, of an altogether different variety. Fathers can be mentors. But the crisis of mentorship is not a consequence of the crisis of Fatherhood. In fact, if mentorship were in good standing, the crisis of fatherhood would be ameliorated if not altogether cured.

Mentorship is important because it transcends generations, skillsets, and community. A mentor can be wholly separated from his pupil except by correspondence. Mentorship is in crisis because there are few men aware that there are young men in need of mentorship; there are few young men aware that they need guidance and there are men available to help them.

Fathers should be mentors to their sons, Fathers should be mentors to their sons especially. But Men in general should be open to mentorship and to being mentored. Mentorship helps a man be more confident in himself, because he is passing on wisdom and being an example to a younger man. Being mentored helps young men have an example, helps them navigate life’s curious and complex challenges, and helps infuse ancient wisdom to protect that which youthful inexperience seeks to break. Many errors can be prevented with the help of a mentor. There is no need for young men of all stripes to make the same mistakes over and over again. Society cannot advance until men stop making the mistakes their fathers made.

I don’t know what to do with this realization. I have accidentally mentored people before, and I have accidentally been mentored. But I can’t help but think it ought to be more intentional. I can’t help but think of some situations I wish I had someone I could ask what I should do. I can’t help but think there’s someone out there making the same mistakes I made whom I could help, if only I knew who they were.

Perhaps to be a mentor one must first begin acting as if one is worth seeking mentorship from. And to begin acting that way, one must begin acting with strong (nay, Ironclad) public virtues, and learning some skill to expertise. Then young men might see you as having both virtue and skill, both qualities worthy of emulation.

Food for thought.

AMDG

CCCXVIII – An Apologia For Crusades

I read a cool article about St. Gottschalk who was a key figure in the Wendish Crusades. It got me thinking about the Crusades in general, and I would like to present here a brief defense of Crusades.

We need to agree first on what exactly a crusade is. A crusade is A) a military expedition B) commissioned by the Pope or an authorized representative thereof C) with the intention of converting enemies or D) protecting Holy people, places, or things.

The first Crusade was a military expedition commissioned by the Pope with the intention of reclaiming the Holy Land from Muslims. The Wendish Crusade was a military expedition commissioned by the Pope with the intention of converting the Wendish pagans who threatened the Northern flank of the Holy Roman Empire.

Crusades are Good because they are Commissioned by the Pope. The Pope is the highest authority on Earth, and as the Vicar of Christ on Earth, has a special relationship with the Holy Spirit. A Crusade commissioned by the Pope is good because the Pope is good, and the crusade must be truly necessary if the Pope has commissioned it. The Pope would not commission a frivolous crusade into the back garden of a Muslim civilian, but something as important as the Holy Land is worth a serious campaign to liberate it.

Crusades are Good because they are military expeditions. A military expedition with a Holy purpose shows the virile and vigorous arm of the Church. The Church today is weak and political–a strong and militant Church is a Church that successfully converts pagans and protects the Holy Land. A weak and political Church is ecumenical. I say this not because the world needs a Crusade, but because the Church needs vigor. The Church gets vigor from an obedient laity who elevate vigorous priests who become vigorous bishops. God has given us the modern Church for some purpose, and our modern Church leaders for some purpose, but maybe that purpose is to remind us of the necessity of a vigorous and virile Church.

Crusades are good because they convert our enemies and/or protect Holy people, places, and things. Too often we want to remove our enemies forcefully. Converting our enemies is a much more powerful witness. To truly love our enemies, we should wish that they go to Heaven–the highest possible good we could wish for them. Protecting holy people, places, and things with military force shows that we believe that those people, places, and things are truly holy and worth protecting with our lives. A virile and vigorous Church is ready to sacrifice and suffer in the name of God.

Crusades are not so much the thing that is good, but the product of the thing that is good. The thing that is good is a virile and vigorous Church. Such a Church is capable of a crusade.

AMDG