The Crisis of Effeminacy and How To Raise A Man. Lecture by Exorcist Fr. Chad Ripperger (notes, PART 1)

I don't think I have come across a more compelling and indicting exposition on the crisis of manhood in our culture than this somewhat underground lecture by exorcist Fr. Chad Ripperger that I recently stumbled across. Fr. Ripperger uses a Thomistic philosophical framework to expound upon the four forms of effeminacy in men today, using the Fall in Genesis as the backdrop for explaining just what happened to us and what it means to be a man. He is clear, he is concise, and he is completely unforgiving. He has no use or time for political correctness in diagnosing this disease, but he does pose a potent cure. I have linked the the lecture below, it is about an hour long. 

If you are a man...listen to it. 

If you are a woman...listen to it. 

If you have sons...listen to it. 

Do yourself a favor and listen to it.

On my third listen I decided to take some notes. Here they are from the first half (0min-36 minutes). I will post the second half notes tomorrow in a separate post.

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The status of masculinity is in an absolute horrible decline. Effeminacy is the norm, not the exception. To find someone who is not effeminate today is rare.

Effeminacy as defined by St. Thomas Aquinas is "an unwillingness to put aside one's pleasure in order to pursue what is arduous (difficult)."

SLOTH is an aversion to what is hard

EFFEMINACY is an attachment to what is pleasurable.

One of the sins of Adam was inept joy. His lower appetite took delight in the fact that the fruit of the tree was pleasing. He knew the command not to eat (reason). If I am to do the right thing, I need to die to myself and not touch it. He allows the lower appetite to take control contrary to reason. 

A supernatural gift before the Fall was INTEGRITY--the lower appetites were subject to reason. The appetites after the Fall gained a life of their own, and man ended up pursuing pleasure at the expense of reason. 

A second problem in the Fall was that Eve eats the fruit, gives to Adam, essentially saying "take my lead" trying to take control. After the Fall, women get stuck with the problem of trying to control their husbands. This sets up a dynamic of the wife ruling the roost at home. Man just wants peace and does what she wants to attain it.

Adam for his part got stuck with the problem of not wanting to be separated from his wife. He chose the pleasure of being around his wife rather than listening to God and obeying his command. He ate the fruit, and rather than accept responsibility he half-blames his wife and half blames God.

Part of effeminacy is choosing the pleasure of not having to take responsibility for something. This is pandemic in most men today (avoiding taking a beating for doing wrong). Blaming his wife was another form of effeminacy.

If you are effeminate, your wife will never respect you or be happy with you. The God-ordered natural inclination for woman is to subordinate to right authority.

Our culture is TOO EASY, TOO SIMPLISTIC, and TOO PLEASURABLE for men. Most jobs are sitting at a computer rather than hard work. Technology brings us a pleasure in its use. It is a tool but if used to regularly, becomes a problem. Nonstop use of technology by boys today is softening them, overstimulating, and makes effeminate since they have no control of their appetites.

Part of being a man is being chaste because being chaste is HARD. A real man is chaste.

When time to put the pleasure of technology aside, many men do not have the virtue necessary to do it, and won't be ready to assume the essential obligations of marriage when the times comes.

Bl Fulton Sheen--Maturity comes from PAIN (SUFFERING) and RESPONSIBILITY

4 forms of effeminacy

1) SENSUAL. Pleasures of food, laying around, avoiding hard things, etc) 

2) EPPITIVE (sp?). When men and boys are habituated in following their emotions because of the pleasure they derive from it, you DESTROY their masculinity and avoid following REASON.

3) INTELLECTUAL--the pleasure we take in considering certain things. 

The nature of masculinity is TO PURSUE THE TRUTH, ARRIVE AT IT, and REST IN THE TRUTH.

Taking pleasure in the process, if not moderated, becomes effeminate and intellectually proud. "Intellectual masturbation." No clarity of judgment.

4) VOLITIONAL--self wil and self love. Likes doing one's 'own thing.'

A real man puts aside his pleasure in order to pursue GREAT THINGS and greatness of soul.

A real man is a man of VIRTUE, which comes from interior self discipline and self control.

The guy who can stand in the face of evil or pleasure and maintain his interior control is a real man.

TRUE MANHOOD SUBMITS TO THE TRUTH NO MATTER HOW HARD IT IS. You have to be willing to pursue the Truth wherever it leads regardless of the personal cost. 

St Thomas--"the one thing God wants from every rational creature is the sacrificing of their will to his." God assigned it that way, and you must deny how you "feel" to achieve it.

Adam fell because he took the effeminate route.

The CROSS is the EXACT INVERSION of the Fall.

Adam did not deny himself the pleasure of eating the fruit, now has to work in thorns.

Christ is CROWNED IN THORNS. Had to carry his own own cross, sweat and blood on his face.

Fr. Ripperger's dad said to him before his ordination "The problem in the priesthood is THERE ARE NO MORE (REAL) MEN LEFT IN IT." Priests are lazy in the confessional and lax because they don't want to work, and don't want to suffer either for upholding doctrine.

Pornography is all about effeminacy

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TOMORROW: 

"What is a man?" 

"How do we get there?"