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What’s the weekly mettle maker?
Training tips and educational info in support of our free programs, that’s what! What’s mettle? Mettle is, “The ability to meet a challenge or persevere under demanding circumstances; determination or resolve.” Want to cultivate your rough ‘n’ tumble mettle? Complete one of our 100 Feats!
Mettle maker #467: Attachments
You don’t own the stuff — the stuff owns you. That cool car that you vacuum and polish every weekend and work overtime to pay for? Sounds like the car owns you. That big fancy house with the perfect lawn and all the unused bedrooms that you struggle to keep up and pay the mortgage on? Sounds like it too owns you, instead of you owning it.
The same is true in your martial arts training:
Holding on to certain pet techniques that you know in your heart don’t work
Pushing to maintain an unrealistic level of fitness despite age and other factors
Striving to attain an extreme paradigm at the expense of all else
Obsessing on self-defense to the point of paranoia
Giving free rein to the competitive instinct such that it rules one’s life
These are all examples of attachments in the martial arts. I know they are no good because, at one time or another and to varying degrees, I have been guilty of them. I had to learn to let go of these attachments.
Train. Strive for excellence. Do your best. But look to maintain a healthy balance.
From time to time we have referred to our humble rough ‘n’ tumble martial arts project as “Full Context Martial Arts.” Our little play on the phrase “full contact martial arts” reinforces the importance of practical, realistic, balanced training for the whole person over the long haul as opposed to the modern sport oriented MMA mindset which is all about winning — unconnected to any moral compass and despite the long-term health risks.
For a simple and effective measure of your general fighting fitness, try Escape Plan Drill. Set a timer for 15 cycles of 1 minute each. Sprint for 1 minute, Shadowbox or hit the heavy bag for 1 minute, then complete as many calisthenics reps as you can for 1 minute. Repeat 4 more times for a total of 15 mins, taking as few 12-count breaks as you must in order to finish. Your 5 calisthenics are: Push-ups, Sprawls, Back Bridges, Get-ups, and Bear Walks. Try a big bite and tell me if you like the recipe. See the video above if you need clarification.
For more about attachments, see this week’s homily below.
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Homily for the Sixteenth Sunday of Ordinary Time 7/20/25 – Father Mitch
Readings: Genesis 18:1-10a, Psalm 15:2-3, 3-4, 5, Colossians 1:24-28, Luke 10:38-42
Luke 10:38-42 World English Bible
As they went on their way, he [Jesus] entered into a certain village, and a certain woman named Martha received him into her house. 39 She had a sister called Mary, who also sat at Jesus’ feet and heard his word. 40 But Martha was distracted with much serving, and she came up to him, and said, “Lord, don’t you care that my sister left me to serve alone? Ask her therefore to help me.”
41 Jesus answered her, “Martha, Martha, you are anxious and troubled about many things, 42 but one thing is needed. Mary has chosen the good part, which will not be taken away from her.”
Last night I had a dream in which I was an adult playing with toys. I was all alone in a dreamlike place. Every childish toy was available to me for my amusement as I wiled away the hours. When I woke up, I saw the material things in my life as if they were toys – silly, meaningless toys – as a supreme waste of my time and attention. What a pleasure it is to see how beautifully last night’s dream, and certain recent life events, dovetailed with this week’s readings.
Yesterday I spent most of the day doing repairs on my rental house. It’s not just an investment property; it’s the house in which I was born and raised. My parents left it to me when they passed. I have so many memories there that the property seems to me almost holy ground. That was the only house I ever lived in, from birth until leaving for college. And recently I made the decision to sell the property next year and invest the money. The labor to keep the place up is high and the profit is low. I came to the realization that if I sell it and put the money into stock it will earn more for my retirement. But more importantly, I can shift all of the time I put into maintenance of that property into my ministry.
The things we own, if we are not careful, can start to own us. This applies to material goods and to memories. Obsessions on the good and bad experiences of the past can lead us toward extremes of negativity and sentimentality can tie us down in an unhealthy way. Most sin, as St. Augustine said in Latin, is incurvatus in se – that is, a turning or curving inward on oneself, rather than a turning outward toward others and toward God. This curving inward is about getting and doing what I want – like a child playing alone with his toys rather than sharing them with the other children.
In today’s gospel reading, Martha is so worried about the chores, making sure Jesus and his disciples are fed and comfortable, and keeping the house in order, that she misses the opportunity to sit at Jesus’ feet and learn from him. I am reminded of Psalm 46 in which turmoil and distraction are everywhere. But God says in verse ten, “Be still, and know that I am God.”
The problems and pleasures of the world continually present themselves. A certain amount of attentiveness to these material objects and everyday concerns is necessary and helpful in order to take care of ourselves and lead happy, productive lives. But we must seek to maintain a healthy balance, making sure that our attachments do not hold us back and prevent us from moving toward Christ. We must go to him, be still, and sit at his feet.