Men urged not to be ‘bench warming Catholics’

Couples for Christ (CFC) hosted an awe-inspiring, spiritually enlightening, dynamic and moving Men’s Conference on Saturday, May 31 at St Benet’s Hall, Mt St Benedict.

After a hearty breakfast of doubles, coffee and crackers, the day began with the recitation of the Holy Rosary, followed by a stirring welcome from the emcee Sean Julien of the CFC St Augustine Unit.  There were about 50 attendees gathered  from Paramin, Chaguanas, Diego Martin and many other areas.

Following the introduction, there was a rousing session of Praise and Worship conducted by the brothers from Paramin, which set the scene nicely for the first presenter, Curtis Gill, a former Pentecostal pastor who experienced a deep spiritual conversion  that led him to the Catholic Church in 2020. He now serves as a Eucharistic Minister and Sacristan at the Church of the Holy Spirit, Malabar, Arima. His discourse was titled ‘The 7 Dynamic Ws to your supernatural breakthrough: the Word empowered by the Spirit.’

Gill reflected on a truly discerning journey in spirituality and biblical referencing. He introduced seven key ‘Ws’:

Word – Reflecting on the ministry  of Joshua, he likened our need to meditate on Scripture as cows ruminating on  grass—repeatedly until they were fully nourished. He emphasised Psalm 119, Proverbs 26, and John 1:1 and John 1:14.

Worship – He explained that the word “worship”  could be interpreted as the “licking of the hand”, similar to the way that a dog licks its master’s hand. In worship, we are called to be at our Master’s side, licking His hand with admiration; fixated on the gaze of the Master in love. Gill shared how deeply he admired the concept of personal consummation during the RCIA adoration.

Witness – Martirios, Spanish for martyrdom or giving life for a cause. We are all called to witness to Jesus Christ and to give up our lives for Him—wherever and however He calls us.

Work – towards building up the Body of Christ. There is no place for “bench warming Catholics”— everyone has a role in Ministry.

Watch – Drawing from 1 Thessalonians 5:6, Gill urged attendees to be vigilant in conduct and rooted in values, warning against hypocrisy and encouraging a watchful readiness for the Lord’s return.

Wait – We must wait for the leading of the Holy Spirit especially on answers for  prayers.

Waver not – Be grounded, be still, as referenced in the Book of James.

After Gill’s talk, there was a period for interior silence and reflection followed by a Q&A session. Many  questions revolved around his conversion story which was deeply Eucharistic.

He shared how his first invitation to spend time before the Blessed Sacrament moved him to tears. This profound experience eventually drew him into the Catholic Church.

After lunch, the men were treated to a powerful session, ‘Warfare in the Wilderness’ led by Winston Garcia of the People of Praise. Garcia directed the men to dwell on Ephesians 6—to attract the “strength of His might”—as Jesus did in the wilderness.

He advised men to “put on the armour of God”, since we were not fighting against flesh and blood but against wickedness in high places.

He warned of the danger of being accustomed to the wilderness. Though God may allow periods of testing in the wilderness, we are not meant to remain there indefinitely.

Garcia then took the gathering through Jesus’ temptations in the desert (Mt 4:1-11) as a model for resisting temptations in our own lives. He outlined modern-day wilderness experiences: the dryness of our prayer life but we still have to continue to pray no matter how we feel; the reluctance to meditate on the scriptures but we have to meditate on them anyway! As Ephesians 6:10 says, we have to be “strong in the Lord!”

Garcia ended with a rallying call: we need warriors now! As men, we must go down on our knees and pray for our families. We are called to be warrior-prophet, warrior-priest, and warrior-king!

After Garcia’s session, the Blessed Sacrament was placed on an altar by Deacon Charles Olliveire for a time of quiet Adoration. Gill returned to conduct a Healing and Deliverance session followed by ministry with the Blessed Sacrament led by Deacon Olliveire.

This was a wonderful experience as the power of God was manifest! All left with a song on their hearts and looking forward to more similar events. To God be the glory!

—Mervyn Extavour, participant