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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 #476: Community
This past week I went on a little road trip, My first stop was a few hours with the great Dave Durch in Youngstown, OH on Friday. Dave is an actor, stuntman, fight choreographer, director and producer who has both TV and film credits, including Art of Combat, Choice of Disrespect, Turn the Faith, Raptor, Love Finds You in Sugarcreek Ohio, Tomorrow You’re Gone, and more. He has worked with luminaries like Ray Mancini, William Dafoe , Stephen Dorff, Charles Durning, Costas Mandylor, Mia Sara, Tony Sirico, and more, and has produced and directed over 100 martial arts training DVDs. He is President and Head Instructor of Durch’s Advanced Fighting Systems in Youngstown Ohio. Check out his YouTube channel here.
It sure was great seeing Dave and training with him for the first time in twenty years! We even shot a video — see below.
Solo Training Tip: Watch the video below. Then use a bungee cord to attach a pool noodle to your heavy bag and/or floor bag. It won’t complain when you cuff, bang, pound, slap, trapbox, and hubud the living heck out of it.
My next stop was a short visit with some church friends in Fremont. What a great bunch of folks! David, Jackie, Charles, and Derek are the best! Derek drove two hours one way just to have dinner with us. That’s how you know someone is a true friend.
After dinner on Friday, I headed out to Cincinnati, making it to the hotel at 1 AM on Sat. The next morning I attended Midwest Combatives Camp #6 (see photo set above). Hanging out with nice folks — like the guys at Ronin Combatives, Savy Larc, and all the rest, expanding horizons, getting pushed outside your training bubble — these sorts of things are food for the soul, stimulation for the intellect, and rejuvenating for your body. Exploring new places actually hits switches on the cellular level that work like the healing waters of Nimrodel.
And that’s in addition to the valuable martial skills and experience you get. What could be better?
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Homily for the Twenty-fifth Sunday of Ordinary Time 9/21/25 – Father Mitch
Readings: Amos 8:4-7, Psalm 113:1-2, 4-6, 7-8, 1 Timothy 2:1-8, Cf. 2 Corinthians 8:9, Luke 16:1-13,
Luke 16:1-13 World English Bible
1 He also said to his disciples, “There was a certain rich man who had a manager. An accusation was made to him that this man was wasting his possessions. 2 He called him, and said to him, ‘What is this that I hear about you? Give an accounting of your management, for you can no longer be manager.’
3 “The manager said within himself, ‘What will I do, seeing that my lord is taking away the management position from me? I don’t have strength to dig. I am ashamed to beg. 4 I know what I will do, so that when I am removed from management, they may receive me into their houses.’ 5 Calling each one of his lord’s debtors to him, he said to the first, ‘How much do you owe to my lord?’ 6 He said, ‘A hundred batos† of oil.’ He said to him, ‘Take your bill, and sit down quickly and write fifty.’ 7 Then he said to another, ‘How much do you owe?’ He said, ‘A hundred cors‡ of wheat.’ He said to him, ‘Take your bill, and write eighty.’
8 “His lord commended the dishonest manager because he had done wisely, for the children of this world are, in their own generation, wiser than the children of the light. 9 I tell you, make for yourselves friends by means of unrighteous mammon, so that when you fail, they may receive you into the eternal tents. 10 He who is faithful in a very little is faithful also in much. He who is dishonest in a very little is also dishonest in much. 11 If therefore you have not been faithful in the unrighteous mammon, who will commit to your trust the true riches? 12 If you have not been faithful in that which is another’s, who will give you that which is your own? 13 No servant can serve two masters, for either he will hate the one and love the other; or else he will hold to one and despise the other. You aren’t able to serve God and Mammon.”§
In today’s Alleluia from 2 Corinthians 8:9 we hear, "Though our Lord Jesus Christ was rich, he became poor, so that by his poverty you might become rich." Our Lord had no gold when he created the universe, and nor did he have any gold after he entered into his creation and walked the earth. What did he have before that he later lost such that he could transition from wealth to poverty? Isn't God complete and entire, pure, unlimited and unchanging, lacking nothing? How then could he be considered "rich" at one point and "poor" at another?
This line of literal thinking is unhelpful. St. Paul is not being literal. He is using a linguistic device known as a paradox. A paradox contrasts opposites in order to disrupt and change our points of view. In this case, St. Paul is contrasting the conventional definitions “rich” and “poor” to break our frame of reference and show that we should prize the things that are usually despised, and despise the things that this world usually prizes.
In a similar way, Jesus sets up a strange paradox in today’s gospel reading. First he tells the story of a dishonest steward who, when caught mismanaging his master’s money, doubles down on this dishonesty by using even more of his master’s money to buy himself friends who will perhaps support him after he’s fired. Jesus gives sarcastic praise to the crooked steward and to the money-worshippers of this world who behave in this way. He says, “His lord commended the dishonest manager because he had done wisely, for the children of this world are, in their own generation, wiser than the children of the light.” He adds, “I tell you, make for yourselves friends by means of unrighteous mammon, so that when you fail, they may receive you into the eternal tents. ” In this case, Jesus appears to be playing on the word “wise” and using it in the sense of “cleverness” or “cunning.”
But what’s the message? Fr. Cornelius a Lapide, in his 16th century commentary, explains that, “The poor, i.e. those whom you have made your friends by the right use of your riches...if they are worthy of heaven, will by their prayers and by a communication of their merits make a way for you to enter therein: but if, on the contrary, they are unworthy of so great a blessing, you will be received into heaven because of your almsgiving, for what is given to the poor is accepted of Christ.” In other worlds, use the riches of this world to help the poor and they will pray to God for your forgiveness and salvation. And if they don’t, at least you will have shared your good fortune as the Lord has commanded.
Next Jesus says, “He who is faithful in a very little is faithful also in much. He who is dishonest in a very little is also dishonest in much. If therefore you have not been faithful in the unrighteous mammon, who will commit to your trust the true riches? If you have not been faithful in that which is another’s, who will give you that which is your own?” By this Jesus seems to be saying that if we can’t be trusted to spend our worldly treasures to benefit the poor and disadvantaged, our Father in heaven may not be inclined to trust us with the true treasure of eternal life.
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† 16:6 100 batos is about 395 liters or 104 U. S. gallons.
‡ 16:7 100 cors = about 2,110 liters or 600 bushels.
§ 16:13 “Mammon” refers to riches or a false god of wealth.