“Not today. Not tomorrow. Not in our house.” If these words sound familiar, you are most likely a football fan with a television. If you are an American man, you just might fit the bill on both counts, but even if you aren’t, read on for one can find wisdom in the most unlikely of places.
The words quoted above are said by star running back Corey Dillon and other members of the Super Bowl champion New England Patriots in a credit card commercial that airs during NFL games.
Anyone who has played football, or any organized team sport for that matter, most likely will understand the import of those words, if not their connection to the use of a credit card. Simply put, the Patriots along with every other sporting team that invokes those words, are saying, “You might have a chance to beat us in your own stadium on your own turf in your own town. But you’re not gonna beat us here in our stadium, on our turf in our town. Not today. Not tomorrow. Ain’t gonna happen.”
Even though victories at home count exactly the same in the standings as victories on the road, athletes know they must perform better at home. And that makes sense. People are always willing to go the extra mile to defend their home and hearth against any perceived threat.
I propose that Catholic men adopt a similar attitude in defending their own towns, homes, and the souls of their families and themselves against negative societal influences. Such an attitude would mean that we would be unceasingly vigilant in shielding our loved ones from the “world” which is under the sway of Satan. How that attitude manifests itself would obviously vary from family to family, and that is as it should be. However, one can easily point out a few areas in which every father should be on guard.
Television watching, while a potentially benign and even possibly beneficial activity at times, is certainly dangerous in our day and age. Today occasions of sin flit across the screen with astonishing rapidity even in homes without cable. In addition to the sexual and other temptations so prevalent on the small screen is the simple fact that TV has been called the great jacobin and destroyer of family life. The modern household too often features a group of individual atoms all watching television alone in their respective rooms.
Similarly, the Internet has much potential for mischief. Again, in our sex-saturated society, the call of the flesh is often just a mouseclick away. Happily, there are a number of quality Catholic sites available. It is a father’s job to protect his children from dangerous sites while steering them towards the many excellent ones.
Those are just two examples of areas in which Dads are called to say, “Not today, not tomorrow. Not in my house.”
However, that is just the private sphere. Don’t we Catholics have an obligation to work for the common good? What about the public square?
Certainly, we are all called to be witnesses to our Faith and to stand up for Christian values in a public fashion. Again, perhaps sadly, there are all too many opportunities for making common cause with other men in keeping our towns and cities wholesome places in which to raise children. Recently, there was a story in the news about the encroachment of “adult” bookstores and shops in areas heretofore unsullied by such filth.
The men in those areas are clearly called to do something to defend their families. What that might be, I don’t claim to know. Each situation demands its own response. But if we Catholic men can adopt that attitude, perhaps more battles will be won on the way to winning the culture war. “Not today. Not tomorrow. Not in our house.”
John Moorehouse is the publisher and editor of Catholic Men’s Quarterly. He lives in western Massachusetts, is married, and is the father of two little boys. Visit the magazine's website. Bulk order discounts are available and are great for parishes and men’s groups. He can be reached by e-mail
