Note: The following has a context which I am not at liberty to tell. Nevertheless I believe it is important. Catholic Love, Teaching and Authority.

Updated below. I don’t see how some Christians can consider themselves to be great masters, or even respectable, if they cannot show even the most simple friendliness and courtesy to others —-  to other sinners like themselves and ourselves. God help us not to be like the Pharisee who stood afar off and whispered against others as they seek to corner $ some theological market.

And it can be frightening. The Lord through his servants taught,

“Be not many masters, my brethren, knowing that you will receive the greater judgment.” — James 3:1

It is a scary thing: to teach. Which is why there is no formal teaching here.  It is better to be dumb and ugly.  But certainly we can all do better. Don’t pretend to be my brother if you cannot rise to the level of simple friendliness.

But while most of us are not smart enough, and certainly not holy enough, to teach the Faith in the schools, we can at least share, witness to others, confess the Faith, the Cross, in a difficult time; we can forsake all detraction, and try to console the poor in spirit. 

Vatican II got that much right, no? And we needed to hear it.

All of this is perfectly consonant with what I was taught about people, teachers and relationships when I spent a year at Keith Academy, formerly a Catholic Prep school in Lowell, Massachusetts. If you played too fast with the rules there it was corporal punishment as sure as the corn grows in Iowa. 🌽 👀

SH