In the nineteenth century priestly formation was inspired by a manliness which anticipated spiritual combat. As a result, bishops and priests were not only well formed, but they developed the habit of telling Catholics what they needed to hear, not what they wanted to hear. For example, in 1896 James Cardinal Gibbons wrote a book for his priests and seminarians with the title- The Ambassador of Christ. In his book, Cardinal Gibbons addressed the reason why some clergy and teachers of the Faith tend to void addressing difficult truths of the Gospel. And the reason for this avoidance was the love of human respect and the dread of incurring disfavor. On human respect, he wrote:
"The vice opposed to self respect is human respect. Human respect is a base condescension by which, from the fear of offending others, or from the desire of acquiring their esteem, a man says or does what his conscience conceives to be unlawful. It is not easy to exaggerate the baneful influence which this moral cowardice exerts on mankind, especially on impressionable youth, under the alluring guise of friendship and love of applause...
God has established in your breast the sacred tribunal of conscience by whose dictates you are bound to decide. But in yielding to human respect, you act the part of a temporizing judge like Pilate, who pronounced sentence, not in accordance with the evidence before Him, but in obedience to the clamors of the multitude. You sacrifice principle to expediency, you subordinate the voice of God to the voice of man, you surrender your Christian liberty and manly independence, and you become the slave of a fellow creature."
Several hundred years earlier, St. Gregory VII wrote in eleventh century about the love of human respect and the aversion to hatred so common among Christian leaders, both clergy and civil, during his time. The subtle temptation to curry favor with the people is no small obstacle in calling people to repentance; but the call to repentance is a must if pastors are to save souls. Whenever you shine the light of Christ in dark corners and crevasses, there is a price to be paid. For this saintly pope, he was driven out of Rome by the Holy Roman Emperor Henry IV; as a result, he died in exile. But during his pontificate, he freed the Church from the State's control over the elections of bishops(which Henry IV did not appreciate); he did not tolerate the widespread problem of sexual abuse; and he infused the Church with his monastic spirituality and vigor. Nevertheless, the most painful part of his ministry as St. Peter's successor was being opposed by his own; that is, by bishops, priests and lay people. As such, his zeal for God's glory led him to feel alone and abandoned at times.
Pope St. Gregory VII wrote the following:
"The only reason why the leaders of the nations and the leaders of the priests have armed themselves and come together against Christ and His Vicar is this- that we would not keep silent as to the dangers which threaten the Holy Church, nor yield to those who would reduce the Bride of Christ to slavery...There are those in the world thousands of men who risk death every day at the summons of their lords. Yet, when the interests of the King of Heaven, our Redeemer, are at stake, how many Christians shrink, not from death only but even from the hatred of men. And the few- thanks be to God for those few -who dare to resist the wicked openly, and to face death, are not only unsupported by their brethren, but are accused by them of imprudence, and indiscretion, and are treated as fools..."
Jesus Christ died outside the walls of Jerusalem. Our Lord said that a servant is not greater than his master. As the examplar, Jesus was ostracized by His own and hated by the world. He told His disciples to expect no different. Pope St. Gregory VII did just that: he expected to be treated like his Master. And in doing so, St. Gregory VII led the Church to its restoration which it so desperately needed.
For the complete blog- a series of four blogs -please click on "To Build, You Must First Tear Down" in the page section to the right.
Below is the longer version of Spiritual Leaders and Human Respect: Originally called, To Build, You Must First Tear Down
Preface: To Build, You Must First Tear Down compares the evangelization and pastoral practices of the first five hundred years of the Church with the evangelization and pastoral practices of the last fifty years. The early Christians took it for granted that in order to establish the reign of Christ, they had to drive out the Devil; in order for grace to be firmly planted in the soul, vice and sin had to first be uprooted; in order to be considered a Christian, and become a member of the Mystical Body of Christ, one had to show signs of repentance. This is a big part of the reason why, in the first centuries, the Church produced more Saints, converted more souls, and had more cultural influence than in recent years.
If, for some reason, you do not have time to read the whole blog, please scroll down and read two very good quotes in bold script: one from James Cardinal Gibbons and the other from Pope St. Gregory VII. Their insights have led to a robust Catholic Church in the past.
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"This day I set you over nations and over kingdoms, To root up and to tear down, to destroy and to demolish, to build and to plant." (Jeremiah 1:10) These words to prophet Jeremiah by the Lord characterized what evangelization meant to the early Fathers of the Church. To them, saving souls required rooting up and tearing down every bit as much as building and planting. Or to say it another way: Establishing the reign of Christ in a person's soul or in society involved a positive and a negative. The positive was the acceptance of Christ and His saving work; the negative was repenting from sin and casting out Satan; clearing away the forest, if you will, so that the building process could begin. For our Lord, redeeming souls required taking back from the Serpent what originally belonged to God. He asked, "How can anyone enter a strong man's house and steal his property, unless he first ties up the strong man? Then he can plunder his house." (Matthew 12:29)
In the first three hundred years of the Church, catechumens (candidates who wished to join the Catholic Church) received a daily exorcism among other rituals. The bishop or priest would say prayers in order to drive away demonic influence. The catechumenate (equivalent to today's RCIA) lasted for three years. By the time the candidate was initiated into the Mysteries of Christ, he or she was conscious and well versed in two distinct and opposing supernatural realities: The Kingdom of Christ and the Reign of Satan. As a matter of fact, as a part of baptismal initiation process, the catechumen was required to face East (the rising of the sun) and pledge his allegiance to Christ; then, turning to the West (the setting of sun), he would renounce Satan.
The early Christians, furthermore, knew that in order for people to appreciate the "Good News," the "Bad News" had to be made known. To be sure, the unbaptized had to be convinced that they were guilty of sin and as such, under the shadow the Evil One. Given this reality, the bishop would frequently examine the candidate, making sure that he or she was living a moral life. Repentance from sin, especially serious sins such as cohabitation and abortion, was a must. All people wanting to join the Church had to believe in everything that Christ taught through His Church. There was no picking and chosing. The early Church did not focus on information so much as spiritual and moral formation. Becoming Catholic was not just a matter of knowing the Creed, but in living out the Faith. Indeed, bishops and pastors were jealous in guarding the integrity of the Church.
With this responsibility incumbent upon them, the early Christians knew that offending people was an unfortunate but inevitable result of preaching the Gospel; especially among those who were comfortable with paganism. As St. Paul said, "For we are the aroma of Christ for God among those who are being saved and among those who are perishing, to the latter an odor of death that leads to death, to the former an odor of life that leads to life." (II Corinthians 15-16) The early heralds of the Gospel accepted that to be the aroma of Christ for those who were being saved it was but a natural result that they had to be an "odor of death" for those who were perishing. The two were inseparable.
To Build, You Must First Tear Down II
The Cross is a Sign of Contradiction; meaning that it contradicts the will of both those who are being saved and those who are perishing. It raises up and it casts down. Even the Blessed Virgin- whose image is normally cast as serene and meek -said that God would strike the arrogant and rulers. In her canticle, she exclaims, "He has shown might with his arm, dispersed the arrogant of mind and heart. He has thrown down the rulers from their thrones but lifted up the lowly." (Luke 1:51-52) In so many words she says, God will tear down. Yet, she exalts in this.
Could it be that today's Christians want to build without first uprooting and tearing down? Is it possible that the last several decades have involved a evangelization and catechises that was built on sand? The admonition to love and to reconcile with our neighbor is a theme of the Gospel, no doubt. Calling people to pray and love God is a necessity, no doubt. To console and to inspire is essential in reaching out to souls, no doubt. However, if we, who are stewards of the Faith, are exclusively in the trade of communicating that which is agreeable to our listeners, then we run the risk of building on ruins. The edifice will not withstand a fierce storm; instead it will fall due to its weak foundation.
When the rich man wanted to follow Jesus, our Lord did not give him an unqualified yes. Instead, a condition had to be met. This man of wealth had to give everything he owned to the poor and then he could follow Jesus. In other words, he was asked to uproot the vice of greed and repent from his attachment to his riches before he would be a worthy follower of our Savior. At Pentecost, people asked St. Peter, "What must we do in order to be saved?" He answered, "Repent and be baptized." (Acts 2:38) Tear down sin first and then the seed of God will be firmly implanted in rich soil. Repenting from sin prepares the way for grace and sanctity. To follow Christ there are conditions to be met.
Many married couples who miss Mass on a weekly basis have their children baptized without having to repent. Many engaged couples who live together get married in the Church without having to repent. Many politicians who publicly support abortion rights approach the altar without having to repent. Again, without tearing down false beliefs, and uprooting sin, we build houses on sand. If we consider ex-Catholics as a denomination, it would be the largest denomination in America. Could it be that this mass exodus out of the Catholic Church was the result of making repentance an option? Do we speak about the conditions of discipleship or do we give people a false sense of security?
Tertullian, a second-century Father of the Church, once said that Christians aren't born, they're made! As with constructing any building, the art of making Christians presupposes a solid foundation. Sin must be addressed and the influence of evil confronted. This has been the heritage of Catholic missionaries and preachers. Yet, the weakness of human nature lends itself to paths of the least amount of resistance. Coveting human respect and applause is the subtlest of temptations. When the Church was strongest and most influential, her leaders were mindful of this weakness. With the practice of mortification and examination of conscience, they sought to conquer it so that the fullness of the Gospel would be presented.
To Build, You Must First Tear Down III
In the nineteenth century, the Catholic priesthood in America benefited from this good counsel. Priestly formation was inspired by a manliness which anticipated combat. As a result, Bishops and priests were not only well formed, but they developed the habit of telling Catholics what they needed to hear, not what they wanted to hear. For example, in 1896 James Cardinal Gibbons wrote a book for his priests and seminarians with the title- The Ambassador of Christ. In his book, Cardinal Gibbons addressed the reason why some clergy and teachers of the Faith tend to void addressing difficult truths of the Gospel. And the reason for this avoidance is the love of human respect and the dread of incurring disfavor. On human respect, he wrote:
"The vice opposed to self respect is human respect. Human respect is a base condescension by which, from the fear of offending others, or from the desire of acquiring their esteem, a man says or does what his conscience conceives to be unlawful. It is not easy to exaggerate the baneful influence which this moral cowardice exerts on mankind, especially on impressionable youth, under the alluring guise of friendship and love of applause...
God has established in your breast the sacred tribunal of conscience by whose dictates you are bound to decide. But in yielding to human respect, you act the part of a temporizing judge like Pilate, who pronounced sentence, not in accordance with the evidence before Him, but in obedience to the clamors of the multitude. You sacrifice principle to expediency, you subordinate the voice of God to the voice of man, you surrender your Christian liberty and manly independence, and you become the slave of a fellow creature."
This kind of social conformity which the Cardinal refers to is so universal and subtle that it can be often mistaken for charity and compassion. Sparing someone’s feelings or "keeping the peace" is often the pretext for doing nothing. The historian, Christopher Dawson, said that everyone knows that many people were silent and unwilling to help the Jews during the holocaust. But few people appreciate the fact that our instincts of social conformity are much stronger than our humanitarian instincts. Unfortunately, there is nothing that reveals this human frailty as much as a crisis. As such, Cardinal Gibbons, as with many Saints, admonished the clergy not only to be solicitous Shepherds, but to be "Watchmen." Watchmen are constantly mindful of the wolves and the evil which lurks.
To Build, You Must First Tear Down IV
The Lord said to the prophet Ezekiel, "Son of man, I have appointed you a watchman for the house of Israel. When you hear a word from my mouth, you shall warn them for me. If I say to the wicked man, You shall surely die; and you do not warn him or speak out to dissuade him from his wicked conduct so that he may live: that wicked man shall die for his sin, but I will hold you responsible for his death."
When this admonition by God was not heeded by the elders of the temple, the people of God became morally dissolute. The weakening of people's personal defenses against sin translated into a weak national defense against Judah's enemies. Judah (southern half of Israel) was then conquered by the Babylonian Empire after Ezekiel's warning; and the temple built by King Solomon was destroyed. The prophet Ezekiel, who gave voice to God's Word, had witnessed this sad unfolding of events.
An astute observer of parallels will find patterns in the Old Covenant Church repeating itself in the New Covenant Church. Sins of our Jewish ancestors in the Old Testament have been recycled in the Catholic Church. The people of God over five or six thousand years had to learn lessons over and over again. Take for instance, the eleventh century Church. There are some who think that today's problems in the Catholic Church are unprecedented. However, you might be surprised to know that after the turning of the millennium (1000 A.D.), the Church was riddled with wide spread sexual abuse among the clergy upon minors. Much of the abuse was marked by homosexual activity. Many bishops did little about it. St. Peter Damien, a Cardinal, wrote long letters to this effect. In addition, kings and princes were dictating the election of bishops and influencing the ordination of priests. It wouldn't be an exaggeration to say that the Church had become subservient to the State. If the internal problems of the Church weren't enough, it was about this time that Islam invaded much of the Christian lands such as Egypt and the Holy Land. Muslims, furthermore, were beginning to frustrate Christian pilgrimages to Jerusalem, Bethlehem and Nazareth. As a consequence, ideas behind the crusades were being developed.
During this time of unrest and uncertainty, in the year 1073 A.D., a humble deacon, a man who was formed in the discipline of prayer and self-denial at the monastery of Cluny, was elected to take the throne of St. Peter. He took the name of Gregory VII. Looking at the world and then at the state the Church with all the above mentioned problems, Pope St. Gregory VII, resolved to do everything in his power to "see that the holy Church, the bride of God, our lady and mother, might return to her beauty which is rightly hers and remain free, chaste, and catholic." He had no illusions that in order to restore the Bride of God to her native beauty he had to pay the price by upsetting the powerful and being shunned by his own. Gregory VII knew that building without first tearing down and planting without first uprooting, would not put the Church on a firm foundation.
The Holy Roman Emperor King Henry IV was one such person he had to bump heads with. The king, with many bishops backing him, meddled into the Church's affairs by choosing which bishops would be ordained. This had been the custom of kings and princes for several decades. Pope St. Gregory VII confronted him on the issue, ordering Henry IV to desist from such an encroachment. However, the Holy Roman Emperor refused and the saintly pope was forced to excommunicate him. After receiving notice that he was no longer in good standing with the Church, Henry IV did confess his sin and assumed public penance. But his contrition did not last. Eventually, King Henry IV marched into Rome and had Pope Gregory exiled. And it was in exile, outside of Rome, he would die.
Little did this saintly pope know that the sacrifices he made set the Church in the right direction. Inspired by his courage, his papal successors would carry on the reform he began. The Church in the thirteenth century- just two hundred years after his pontificate -was as vibrant and influential as it ever would be.
Before his death, St. Gregory VII wrote in eleventh century, as would James Cardinal Gibbons in the nineteenth, about the love of human respect and the aversion of hatred so common among shepherds and the teachers of the Faith. The subtle temptation to curry favor with the people is no small obstacle in calling them to repentance; and calling people to repentance is a must if pastors are to build on a solid foundation.
"The only reason why the leaders of the nations and the leaders of the priests have armed themselves and come together against Christ and His Vicar is this- that we would not keep silent as to the dangers which threaten the Holy Church, nor yield to those who would reduce the Bride of Christ to slavery...There are those in the world thousands of men who risk death every day at the summons of their lords. Yet, when the interests of the King of Heaven, our Redeemer, are at stake, how many Christians shrink, not from death only but even from the hatred of men. And the few- thanks be to God for those few -who dare to resist the wicked openly, and to face death, are not only unsupported by their brethren, but are accused by them of imprudence, and indiscretion, and are treated as fools..."
Indeed, thank God for those few who do not shrink from death and the hatred of men. With St. Gregory VII and every Saint who endured exclusion and persecution for the sake of the Gospel, let us pray that God will multiply the few into many...many who will have the courage tear down before building.
