How not to love the sinner (Scylla and Charybdis)

Sage advice from Bishop Hying of Madison in "Statement from Bishop Hying on the ‘Synodal Way’ process from bishops in Germany."

We do not love people when we simply leave them in sin and error, nor do we love them when we harshly reject them without any compassion or feeling.

Yeah. this is a very hard line to walk. Partly because if you are attempting to "not...leave them in sin and error," you will often come off as, "harshly reject[ing] them without any compassion or feeling."

I'd say in general if you can't address sin and error without (even erroneously) seeming condemn, you should pull back and begin with sympathy and listening. Maybe you should always begin with sympathy and listening.

Now, what do you do with those in our society who are aggressively promoting "sin and error" to the detriment of the lives of thousands, if not millions? Can you publicly struggle against their error without seeming to "harshly reject[ing] them without any compassion or feeling"?

Ths sins of a priest

 Why does the world hold priests to a higher standard than, say, a teacher or even a scout master? Is it unjust for them to do so?

Here is a quote from this article in the National Catholic Register citing St. Alphonnsus Liguori and St. John Chrysostom:

St. Alphonsus explains how the virtues of a priest should surpass those of the laity. “Priests should be holy, because God has placed them in the world as models of virtue,” he says. With this in mind, he warns how grievous it is for a priest to sin, “because he sins in view of the light.” How much better would it be a for a priest who falls into sin “to have been a poor uninstructed peasant, who had never known the law!” 

Quoting St. John Chrysostom, he continues: “The sin to which the priest consents may be committed by many seculars, but his chastisement shall be far more severe because his blindness shall be far greater than theirs.” 

 

Advice for "influencers"

In his excellent book, Who's Speaking, Fr. Cliff Ermatinger gives the following guidance:

The defensive, stubborn, polemic spirit reveals a spirit less than divine. (p.61)

The root idea of polemics is to aggressively argue for your own position and against another by especially presenting the opponent's position in its weakest form or by only highlighting the negative aspects. 

The more charitable approach gives the opponent his due by presenting his argument in its strongest form and acknowledging the good aspects. This has recently been dubbed "to steel-man" an argument, to distinguish it from a straw-man argument. St. Thomas Aquinas is often presented as a master of steel-manning. He only occasionally gets his hackles up and engages in polemics, mostly in the form of saying the Thomistic equivalent of, "Ha!"

St. Therese, suffering, and suicide

Relevant to the demand for assisted suicide; this is St. Therese reflecting upon her own intense suffering:

I understand very well why those who don't have the faith commit suicide when they are undergoing severe sufferings. See to it when you are taking care of sick people who are the prey of violent pains that you don't leave poisonous medicines in their reach. I assure you, when one is suffering, it takes but an instance to lose one's head.

From the book, Complete Spiritual Doctrine of St. Therese of Lisieux, by Rev. Francois Jamart, O.C.D., (New York: St. Paul Publications, 1961), p. 189.

Let all Mortal Flesh and Lent

 It has always seemed odd to me that "Let All Mortal Flesh Keep Silence" is used as a Lenten hymn. Especially since the fourth verse has the "A" word in it. And besides, the text is all about the Incarnation. For instance, it is in the Lenten section of the Christian Prayer Book, but without the fourth "offending" verse. 

Of course, a hymn about the Incarnation would be wholly appropriate on the Solemnity of the Annunciation (March 25), which usually occurs during Lent. 

Which makes it strange that I chose it as the Communion Hymn at our Franciscan fraternity Mass on Sunday. On the other hand, the second verse refers to the Eucharist and the third verse talks about Light:

Rank on rank the host of heaven
spreads its vanguard on the way
as the Light from Light, descending
from the realms of endless day,
comes the pow’rs of hell to vanquish
as the darkness clears away.

This make the connection with the second reading of the day from Ephesians 5.  

Brothers and sisters:
You were once darkness,
but now you are light in the Lord.
Live as children of light,
for light produces every kind of goodness
and righteousness and truth.
Try to learn what is pleasing to the Lord.
Take no part in the fruitless works of darkness;
rather expose them, for it is shameful even to mention
the things done by them in secret;
but everything exposed by the light becomes visible,
for everything that becomes visible is light.
Therefore, it says:
"Awake, O sleeper,
and arise from the dead,
and Christ will give you light."