Father Larry Richards Calls Men Back to Authentic Masculinity: ‘Be Like Jesus’
Catholic priest challenges modern ideas of manhood, urging men to embrace sacrifice, holiness, and servant leadership over comfort and cultural approval.
For decades, discussions about masculinity have often centered on strength, success, or influence. Father Larry Richards believes the conversation has missed the most important question.
“What does it mean to be a man?”
His answer comes without hesitation.
“The more we are like Jesus, the more authentic we are. The less we are like Jesus, the less authentic we are.”
Speaking during the season premiere of Heroic Hotline, Richards challenged Catholic men to reject cultural definitions of masculinity and instead imitate Christ, whose greatest act of strength was giving His life away.
Heroism Is Measured by Sacrifice
Richards argued that society often misunderstands heroism.
Rather than celebrating power or personal achievement, he said true heroes willingly lay down their lives for others.
“A heroic man is one who gives up their life for others.”
That sacrifice, he explained, usually begins in ordinary family life rather than dramatic moments on a battlefield.
He joked that while many men imagine themselves jumping in front of a bullet for their families, they struggle with far simpler acts of self-denial.
Handing the television remote to a tired wife.
Taking out the garbage without complaint.
Putting another person’s needs before their own.
Those quiet moments, he said, are where authentic masculinity is formed.
Jesus Is the Standard
Richards rejected both caricatures of masculinity: the domineering strongman and the passive, sentimental version of Jesus.
Instead, he described Christ as both courageous and compassionate.
Jesus confronted hypocrisy.
He defended sinners.
He washed feet.
He carried the Cross.
“He came and served,” Richards said. “He washed people’s feet.”
For Richards, every man can evaluate his life with a simple question:
“If someone was to look at me, will they see Jesus?”
Beloved Sons Before Anything Else
One of the conversation’s central themes focused on identity.
Richards pointed to Christ’s baptism, where the Father declared:
“You are my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased.”
He believes every Catholic man must hear those same words in prayer.
Too often, he said, men define themselves by failure.
“If you define yourself as just a sinner, what does that give you permission to do?”
Instead, he encouraged men to receive the Father’s identity first.
“The devil knows your name and calls you by your sin,” Richards said.
“God knows your sin and calls you by your name.”
Christianity Was Never Meant to Blend Into Culture
Richards also warned against Christianity becoming comfortable.
He described authentic Christian life as fundamentally countercultural.
Power.
Prestige.
Self-promotion.
Those may attract the world, he said, but they do not resemble Christ.
“When they tried to make Jesus king,” Richards noted, “He ran away.”
Instead, Jesus declared:
“I am in your midst as one who serves.”
For Richards, servant leadership remains the defining mark of Christian masculinity.
Supporting Priests Instead of Judging Them
The discussion shifted toward the Church’s priesthood and the growing concern over declining vocations.
Rather than criticizing priests, Richards encouraged Catholic men to support them personally.
Invite them to dinner.
Share a beer.
Pray for them.
Build genuine friendship.
“I’ll listen to anybody that loves me,” he said.
He also emphasized that priests flourish when they are treated as spiritual fathers instead of temporary employees who rotate through parishes every few years.
Long-term relationships, he argued, naturally produce more priestly vocations because young men grow up witnessing joyful, faithful priests.
Planting Seeds for Future Vocations
Richards has spent nearly four decades encouraging young men to consider the priesthood.
He laughed while recalling how often he simply tells boys:
“Be a priest.”
Some ignored him.
Others eventually entered seminary.
One former altar server who initially planned to become a doctor later approached Richards years afterward as a seminarian.
The invitation had stayed with him.
For Richards, that’s enough.
“We just plant the seed.”
Every Christian Is Called to Be a Saint
Perhaps Richards’ strongest challenge came near the end of the interview.
He recalled preaching as a seminarian that every Christian is called to holiness, only to have a priest object.
“I don’t want to be a saint,” the priest reportedly told him.
Richards remains convinced that nothing less than sainthood should satisfy Christians.
Whenever he signs a book, he writes the same message.
“Be a saint.”
Then he adds one final line.
“Or go to hell.”
“The only option we have,” he said, “is to become saints or go to hell.”
Begin Every Morning Listening to God
Richards closed with practical advice for Catholic men seeking deeper prayer.
Before checking schedules, worrying about responsibilities, or thinking about the day ahead, open Scripture.
Ask the Holy Spirit to speak.
Read until a passage grips your heart.
Then carry that word throughout the day.
“Start by listening to God,” he said.
“Not the world, not the flesh, not the devil.”
For Richards, authentic masculinity does not begin with becoming stronger than everyone else.
It begins with becoming more like Christ.