J
JReducation
Guest
We are definitely in a period of transition. We’re transitioning from one year to another. We are soon to have a transition in the Presidency of our nation. We are going through an economic transition from an era of prosperity to one of economic restraint. These all come in the wake of the natural transitions of life as we get older and move from one stage to another.
This leads to a fundamental question that all of us must ask ourselves. Are we undergoing a spiritual transition as individuals? Are we getting closer to God or further away?
This is not a collective question. It is an individual question that each of us must answer independently. The question is not about the Church, the nation or the world. It is about the individual.
I raised this question with my students in spirituality because as the complexities of being faithful to and observant of the Gospel become more intense, there seem to be two things happening simultaneously, one that is very positive and the other not so positive.
On the positive, more Catholics are returning to our roots and are more interested in understanding our faith better, as evidenced by many of the threads on these forums, where people are asking questions about the faith, the liturgy, morality, scripture and Church leadership. This is a good sign. It represents a decline in apathy and indifference in many individuals who were once Routine Catholics. A Routine Catholic is one who goes through the motions without much thought to their meaning or purpose.
On the negative side, there seems to be a growing antagonism and impatience on the part of some Catholics toward those who are not on board with the Church or with what we perceive that the Church is teaching and our understanding of it. This can be very dangerous. Growth in knowledge of the Truth is not a license to practice rudeness, belligerence, disrespect toward bishops and their pastors, verbal attacks on those who do not believe as we do or understand the faith as we do. Growth in knowledge is not a license to be hostile toward others.
The question for all of us is whether or not we are using our increased knowledge of our faith to increase our holiness. Are we speaking the truth with kindness and politely? Sometimes it is very easy to belittle someone because they do not have the same gift of faith that we have. This is dangerous to us, more than to the other person. The Holy Spirit gives us these gifts to sanctify us. As one member of the body becomes holier the rest of the body does too. A sign of holiness is courtesy. One of the holiest people of our time was Bl. Teresa of Calcutta. She was also a gentlewoman with a strong message.
When St. Bruno founded the Carthusians he led them to live as hermits. They knew what was happening in the world and they still know. But the lesson that they learned from the great Bruno was to seek Christ and to share with those who came to them what Christ gave them. But in keeping with their Benedictine heritage, they were to be hospitable toward those who were in error. They were to welcome them into their houses. St. Benedict wrote in his rule that they should never raise their voices when speaking, even when speaking the truth.
St. Francis of Assisi followed the Benedictine model and said that we should always preach, but only when necessary use words. Like St. Benedict, he agreed that the human word was to be used with great care. Because the human word can be like a nail, after you pull it out, there is still a hole. It can wound and the wound does not go away just because we retract a word that was spoken with harshness, anger, frustration or carelessly.
One thing that is very palpable in people like Pope John Paul II and Benedict XVI is how they combine firmness with a gentle tone. There is no greater scholar in the modern Church than Benedict XVI or a more pastoral pope than John Paul II. John Paul II warmed the hearts of his audience, even when he told the truth. On one of his trips to Latin America he ran into a dissident priest who went to meet him at the airport. The priest knelt to receive his blessing. John Paul looked at him and said, “You have to straighten out your affairs with the Church,” then he blessed him. He did not spare words, nor did he embarrass the man. It was a very private and quick exchange. The message was delivered and so was the blessing.
All of us have seen the gentleness of Benedict XVI and his almost shy demeanour when he speaks to a crowd. But he is very clear in his message without raising his voice, without pointing fingers at individuals, and he always lets his audience know that he and the Church are there to help them find Christ and arrive at a closer union with Christ. His messages always offer guidance, hope and help. This is the sign of a truly spiritual person.
It’s like a math problem:
truth + firmness + kindness + promise of support = evangelization
As we transition to a greater knowledge of our faith, shouldn’t we also transition to a greater care of how we use words? Should we not be concerned about how we come across? St. Dominic once said that the one needed to be humble to convert a heretic. Mother Teresa said through charity . . . Vincent de Paul said by being children of the Church. None of them ever said “go out and have a good heated debate and don’t’ come back until you win.”
What kind of advice can we offer each other on how to use words?
Fraternally,
JR
This leads to a fundamental question that all of us must ask ourselves. Are we undergoing a spiritual transition as individuals? Are we getting closer to God or further away?
This is not a collective question. It is an individual question that each of us must answer independently. The question is not about the Church, the nation or the world. It is about the individual.
I raised this question with my students in spirituality because as the complexities of being faithful to and observant of the Gospel become more intense, there seem to be two things happening simultaneously, one that is very positive and the other not so positive.
On the positive, more Catholics are returning to our roots and are more interested in understanding our faith better, as evidenced by many of the threads on these forums, where people are asking questions about the faith, the liturgy, morality, scripture and Church leadership. This is a good sign. It represents a decline in apathy and indifference in many individuals who were once Routine Catholics. A Routine Catholic is one who goes through the motions without much thought to their meaning or purpose.
On the negative side, there seems to be a growing antagonism and impatience on the part of some Catholics toward those who are not on board with the Church or with what we perceive that the Church is teaching and our understanding of it. This can be very dangerous. Growth in knowledge of the Truth is not a license to practice rudeness, belligerence, disrespect toward bishops and their pastors, verbal attacks on those who do not believe as we do or understand the faith as we do. Growth in knowledge is not a license to be hostile toward others.
The question for all of us is whether or not we are using our increased knowledge of our faith to increase our holiness. Are we speaking the truth with kindness and politely? Sometimes it is very easy to belittle someone because they do not have the same gift of faith that we have. This is dangerous to us, more than to the other person. The Holy Spirit gives us these gifts to sanctify us. As one member of the body becomes holier the rest of the body does too. A sign of holiness is courtesy. One of the holiest people of our time was Bl. Teresa of Calcutta. She was also a gentlewoman with a strong message.
When St. Bruno founded the Carthusians he led them to live as hermits. They knew what was happening in the world and they still know. But the lesson that they learned from the great Bruno was to seek Christ and to share with those who came to them what Christ gave them. But in keeping with their Benedictine heritage, they were to be hospitable toward those who were in error. They were to welcome them into their houses. St. Benedict wrote in his rule that they should never raise their voices when speaking, even when speaking the truth.
St. Francis of Assisi followed the Benedictine model and said that we should always preach, but only when necessary use words. Like St. Benedict, he agreed that the human word was to be used with great care. Because the human word can be like a nail, after you pull it out, there is still a hole. It can wound and the wound does not go away just because we retract a word that was spoken with harshness, anger, frustration or carelessly.
One thing that is very palpable in people like Pope John Paul II and Benedict XVI is how they combine firmness with a gentle tone. There is no greater scholar in the modern Church than Benedict XVI or a more pastoral pope than John Paul II. John Paul II warmed the hearts of his audience, even when he told the truth. On one of his trips to Latin America he ran into a dissident priest who went to meet him at the airport. The priest knelt to receive his blessing. John Paul looked at him and said, “You have to straighten out your affairs with the Church,” then he blessed him. He did not spare words, nor did he embarrass the man. It was a very private and quick exchange. The message was delivered and so was the blessing.
All of us have seen the gentleness of Benedict XVI and his almost shy demeanour when he speaks to a crowd. But he is very clear in his message without raising his voice, without pointing fingers at individuals, and he always lets his audience know that he and the Church are there to help them find Christ and arrive at a closer union with Christ. His messages always offer guidance, hope and help. This is the sign of a truly spiritual person.
It’s like a math problem:
truth + firmness + kindness + promise of support = evangelization
As we transition to a greater knowledge of our faith, shouldn’t we also transition to a greater care of how we use words? Should we not be concerned about how we come across? St. Dominic once said that the one needed to be humble to convert a heretic. Mother Teresa said through charity . . . Vincent de Paul said by being children of the Church. None of them ever said “go out and have a good heated debate and don’t’ come back until you win.”
What kind of advice can we offer each other on how to use words?
Fraternally,
JR
