When statesmen forsake their own private conscience for the sake of their public duties, they lead their country by a short route to chaos.
Thomas More, A Man for all Seasons (1966)
I am afraid that over the years I have slumbered through too many sermons. I attempt to remain attentive, but at Mass I almost always enjoy a profound feeling of peace and security and too often that leads me to nodding off during the homily, to the chagrin of my long-suffering Bride.
Yesterday I had no difficulty staying awake. We had a visiting priest who gave a brilliant homily on the Truth of God and human freedom.
[2] And the Pharisees coming to him asked him: Is it lawful for a man to put away his wife? tempting him. [3] But he answering, saith to them: What did Moses command you? [4] Who said: Moses permitted to write a bill of divorce, and to put her away. [5] To whom Jesus answering, said: Because of the hardness of your heart he wrote you that precept.
[6] But from the beginning of the creation, God made them male and female. [7] For this cause a man shall leave his father and mother; and shall cleave to his wife. [8] And they two shall be in one flesh. Therefore now they are not two, but one flesh. [9] What therefore God hath joined together, let not man put asunder. [10] And in the house again his disciples asked him concerning the same thing.
[11] And he saith to them: Whosoever shall put away his wife and marry another, committeth adultery against her. [12] And if the wife shall put away her husband, and be married to another, she committeth adultery.
Mark: 2: 11
From this text he contrasted God’s Truth in Genesis that the two in marriage become one flesh with the concession of Moses, as a secular ruler, to allow divorce because of human weakness and folly.
Speaking with passion and fire he noted that whenever we deviate from God’s Truth and do not align human freedom with that Truth, chaos inevitably results. He ended with the observation that we get our truth from God and not from the government. He then began to return to the altar. Pausing he turned around and with a booming voice said: “And may I say, particularly not from this government!”
That homily will remain with me for some time.
What a great clip (there are countless) from “A Man for All Seasons,” (1966) with unsurpassably brilliant actor Paul Scofield, Orson Welles as the malodorous Wolsey, Robert Shaw (fresh from “Red” Grant, the bloodcurdlingly fatal SPECTRE occult assassin in “From Russia With Love,” 1963) as the limitlessly self-justifying, self-indulging Henry VIII, and the skin-crawling-ly (adverb?) seamy Master Rich, played by another acting immortal, John Hurt.
Oh, what great movies and actors we once had, with moral content that made one think about oneself and one’s own convenient “compromises” in life. (Many Shakespeare buffs think Scofield’s “Hamlet” [available on YouTube] the greatest among the many great historic performers of the part.)
Thank you, you have made my day, week, month with this vignette.
Lol Don, I imagine he lost a few Biden supporting Dem parishioners with his last comment. Ten years ago we had a deacon who slammed abortion during his homily and instructed us what the teachings of the Church about abortion actually were. He was confronted after Mass by a few people(women) who explained to him that the Church had no business telling its members what to think when it came to abortion. He didn’t waver. We lost a few that day too. Smaller and more pure…
Reminds of the time very-young Father Sullivan preached on “Holy Family Sunday(?)” that marriage is between one man and one woman. One each woman got up and walked out.
You know. I could never get through Seminary. Because I would have told that woman, “Don’t come back until you see me in the Confessional.”
Las Sunday I preached on participation in losing one’s virginity. I got every one’s attention and no negative comments whatsoever.