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 45×45-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
Select International Tours: Leading pilgrimages for 34 years with top guides and hotels. Visit selectinternationaltours.com for details.
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.
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
