“The Chair”
Sometimes when I attend a Catholic Men’s Fellowship meeting there is a moment that feels heavier for me than any other. It’s towards the end of the meeting and one of the facilitators moves a chair into position. I look at “The Chair” placed in the middle of the room. It sits there empty, simple, unassuming, and yet powerful…and it waits…
For me, the hardest step isn’t showing up to CMF. And it’s not being selected to do a decade of the Rosary or take a second trip to the food table during a key speakers talk. The hardest step is finding the courage to sit in “The Chair” and allow my brothers to pray over me.
Why is that? Because “The Chair “asks something of me that the world rarely encourages; humility. When I look at “The Chair”, many thoughts rush in:
What will my brothers think of me?
Am I worthy of prayer? - I keep repeating the same sin over and over.
My sins are too great.
My problems are too messy.
I tend to sit in that chair too many times and hog up time for others to be prayed for.
I should have this handled as a “MAN” by now…
We often carry the weight of our past mistakes. Our struggles as husbands, fathers, sons, and leaders. We convince ourselves that strong men don’t need prayer or worse, that our brokenness disqualifies us from it. But nothing could be further from the truth.
Look at the apostles. These were not perfect men. They doubted. They argued. They failed. Peter denied Christ. All of them fled when Jesus was arrested. Thomas doubted him (my middle name is Thomas by the way – and my wife always call me “Doubting Thomas” when I ask something twice for confirmation). And yet - Jesus chose them despite all their imperfections. He didn’t wait for them to get it all together. He met them in their fear, confusion, and weakness. He called them anyway. He healed them anyway. He trusted them anyway. That same Jesus who stood before the apostles stands before us today.
When we sit in “The Chair”, we are not sitting alone. Christ is already there, waiting. He is present in the prayers of our brothers, in their hands placed on our shoulders, and in the silence where the Holy Spirit moves.
In my opinion, there’s something deeply masculine about brothers praying for one another. It takes courage to admit we’re not self-sufficient. It takes strength to say, “I need help.” That is not weakness. That’s discipleship. That’s what CMF does for each of us.
When we allow our brothers to pray for us, we are living out the works of our Lord Jesus Christ. We are allowing God to work through the men he placed beside us. We acknowledge that healing, freedom, and peace that often comes through our own community.
Today, we are the new apostles. Not because we are perfect, but because we’re called. We are called to lead our families, to serve our parishes, and to bring Christ into a broken world. But we should remember that we cannot pour out what we have not received. When we are prayed for, we receive God’s grace. Sitting in “The Chair” is an act of trust:
Trust that God’s mercy is greater than our sin.
Trust that prayer changes our hearts.
Trust that Jesus still restores, heals, and sends men (like me) out on mission.
If you have ever hesitated to sit in “The Chair”, know this: Jesus is not disappointed in you; he is inviting you. No matter your past, no matter your struggles, no matter how far you feel from where you “should” be; have the courage to sit. Have the humility to receive and have the faith to believe that Christ is working right there, right then through that words and hands of your brothers praying for you.
Because just as Jesus did with the apostles, our Lord will take ordinary, broken men (like you and me) … and make them instruments of his grace. And that journey often begins with one brave step forward my bothers...Stand up and sit in “The Chair”.