Was the Church failing in the Middle Ages? Eucharistic miracles etc

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I attended a display of Eucharistic miracles last year and I noticed that the great bulk of miracles occurred in the 1200’s and 1300’s. They mostly revolved around the priest’s lack of belief in the real presence. Then I read a short essay written in France in the 1300’s about the enforcement of clerical celibacy in which the bishop of the diocese and his soldiers took clubs and beat the you-know-what out of the priests in town to force them to give up their women. Sounds like there was a lot of sinning going on amongst the clergy. And then there’s St. Francis in the 1200’s who was told by our Lord to “rebuild my church”. So now we’re approaching the Reformation period in which there was a lot of corruption that had to be addressed. All these things have one thing in common: the Middle Ages, 1200-1400 mostly. What was going on then? Was there some huge lack of faith/gross sinning/heresy etc. at that time that had reduced Christendom to some kind of perverted wild west?
 
Don’t thing so, there is plenty of Miracles after that here is a recent one in 2007 in France, watch carefully as its the beginning the Host spins and the poor Cardinal is in a state of Shock, so much so he is unable to continue to say Mass and requests his fellow Cardinal to continue.

Go to U tube and put in “Eucharistic Miracle in France”.
 
boomerang said:
I attended a display of Eucharistic miracles last year and I noticed that the great bulk of miracles occurred in the 1200’s and 1300’s. They mostly revolved around the priest’s lack of belief in the real presence. Then I read a short essay written in France in the 1300’s about the enforcement of clerical celibacy in which the bishop of the diocese and his soldiers took clubs and beat the you-know-what out of the priests in town to force them to give up their women. Sounds like there was a lot of sinning going on amongst the clergy. And then there’s St. Francis in the 1200’s who was told by our Lord to “rebuild my church”. So now we’re approaching the Reformation period in which there was a lot of corruption that had to be addressed. All these things have one thing in common: the Middle Ages, 1200-1400 mostly. What was going on then? Was there some huge lack of faith/gross sinning/heresy etc. at that time that had reduced Christendom to some kind of perverted wild west?
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It’s immensely complicated, far too much to just say “yes” or “no” to your inquiry. To give the best summary I can: there was a very significant problem in Western Europe with aristocratic families having inherited rights to be bishops, which meant that their family was inherently tied to the land that the diocese controlled. As a result, while there were many very saintly and pious clergy at the time, there were also frustratingly worldly clergy that were well-educated but not zealously Christian. A lot of people not in this system found the wealth and rights of the clergy to be scandalous, which mean that there were a large amount of apostates (such as the Albigensians) at the time, as well as people who were mostly orthodox in doctrine but extremely hostile against the clergy (such as the Waldensians). Occasionally there came a Pope or powerful bishop that sought to reform the Church, but the aristocrats jealously protected their wealth and privileges, to the point where there was almost an ecclesiastical civil war in the Latin Church.

So yes, it was quite a tumultuous time. Might I recommend reading “St. Francis of Assisi: A Biography” by Omer Engelbert. In giving an exposition of St. Francis’ life, the author opens every chapter with a really interesting historical background about the era and its relevance to the Franciscans.
edwest2 said:
I recommend the following:

amazon.com/Catholic-Church-Built-Western-Civilization/dp/1596983280
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I don’t think that has much relevance to the OP’s question.
 
EphelDuath said:
It’s immensely complicated, far too much to just say “yes” or “no” to your inquiry. To give the best summary I can: there was a very significant problem in Western Europe with aristocratic families having inherited rights to be bishops, which meant that their family was inherently tied to the land that the diocese controlled. As a result, while there were many very saintly and pious clergy at the time, there were also frustratingly worldly clergy that were well-educated but not zealously Christian. A lot of people not in this system found the wealth and rights of the clergy to be scandalous, which mean that there were a large amount of apostates (such as the Albigensians) at the time, as well as people who were mostly orthodox in doctrine but extremely hostile against the clergy (such as the Waldensians). Occasionally there came a Pope or powerful bishop that sought to reform the Church, but the aristocrats jealously protected their wealth and privileges, to the point where there was almost an ecclesiastical civil war in the Latin Church.

So yes, it was quite a tumultuous time. Might I recommend reading “St. Francis of Assisi: A Biography” by Omer Engelbert. In giving an exposition of St. Francis’ life, the author opens every chapter with a really interesting historical background about the era and its relevance to the Franciscans.

I don’t think that has much relevance to the OP’s question.
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Thank you very, very much for your simple yet clear answer. The lightbulb over my head has just flashed “on”! I will get the book you recommended. And you are right about the other recommendation of “How The Catholic Church Built Western Civilization”. I have that book, it’s a good one, but it doesn’t begin to address my questions. Thanks!
 
What EphelDuath says is true. It was a time of turmoil in the church. In Southern France
many people were attracted to the Cathars because their clergy didn’t live like many of the Church’s . They went out and preached, didn’t dress in fine clothes,and were celibate.They even had a following amonsgt some of the noble families of the region.
Waldo just wanted to be able to preach, but encountered problems because many of the clergy thought that that was their priveldge.By the way,the Waldesians are in America and Europe and are the only medieval heresy to survive to the present day.What beliefs they retain from the Catholic Church I don’t know. I think their services are more along protestant lines now.And don’t forget, you had Brother Dolcino,and the Dolcinites in Italy which are mentioned in the movie and book, In the Name of The Rose.
There was also the Humiliati some of whom survive as a religious order of sisters.Don’t know if any communities of brothers are around.They are in Italy.
There was also a group in Italy that was led by a woman.but i can’t recall the group’s name. Read somewhere where the high priestess in the tarot card had some sort of connection to this woman.There is some thought that the tarot cards have a connection to the Cathars and their beliefs in the form of the various symbols.I believe the cards originated in Italy where the Cathars were mainly in Northern Italy in Lombardy,etc.
 
HollyDolly said:
What EphelDuath says is true. It was a time of turmoil in the church. In Southern France
many people were attracted to the Cathars because their clergy didn’t live like many of the Church’s . They went out and preached, didn’t dress in fine clothes,and were celibate.They even had a following amonsgt some of the noble families of the region.
Waldo just wanted to be able to preach, but encountered problems because many of the clergy thought that that was their priveldge.By the way,the Waldesians are in America and Europe and are the only medieval heresy to survive to the present day.What beliefs they retain from the Catholic Church I don’t know. I think their services are more along protestant lines now.And don’t forget, you had Brother Dolcino,and the Dolcinites in Italy which are mentioned in the movie and book, In the Name of The Rose.
There was also the Humiliati some of whom survive as a religious order of sisters.Don’t know if any communities of brothers are around.They are in Italy.
There was also a group in Italy that was led by a woman.but i can’t recall the group’s name. Read somewhere where the high priestess in the tarot card had some sort of connection to this woman.There is some thought that the tarot cards have a connection to the Cathars and their beliefs in the form of the various symbols.I believe the cards originated in Italy where the Cathars were mainly in Northern Italy in Lombardy,etc.
Click to expand...
Very interesting, thank you.
 
The high priestess of the Tarot card was the image of Sister Manfreda,she belonged to the Humiliati,and was a relative of the powerful Visconti family.She was a follower of a woman named Guglielma of Bohemia,a widow who came to italy and attracted followers to her writings,etc. Her followers were known as the Guglielmite Sect.They believed that Guglielma was the feminen form of the Holy Spirit here on earth.
If you Wiki her name, she is called Saint Guglielma. Don’t know if the Church canonized her eventually, but to her followers she was considered a saint.
 
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