CHAPTER XXIII

THE ENEMIES OF RELIGIOUS IMPUTE TO THEM ALL THE EVILS FROM WHICH THE CHURCH HAS EVER SUFFERED. THEY, ALSO, ACCUSE THEM OF BEING WOLVES, AND ROBBERS, AND OF CREEPING INTO HOUSES

WE must now examine the grounds on which religious are accounted responsible for all the evils which have ever overtaken the Church.

             The enemies of religious accuse them of being wolves and robbers, because, they say, they enter the fold, (i.e. by preaching, and hearing confessions), by a door which is not the legitimate one. By this assertion, they prove their own folly. For, as the Gloss reminds us, Christ is the door. No prelate is the door; for, as the Gloss adds, Christ has reserved this office to Himself. Hence, they who enter not the fold by the door, are Jews, Gentiles, philosophers, Pharisees, and heretics, who enter not by Christ; not such as do not enter by means of a bishop.

             Religious are called thieves, because they are accused of stealing what is not their own, by converting the sheep of Christ, not to His doctrine, but to their own tenets. They are called robbers, because they are accused of slaying the sheep which they steal. The words of the Gloss are interpreted in this sense. But, granted that it be justifiable to say, that those who preach Christ truly, but without permission from a bishop, are thieves, and robbers, this accusation cannot, as we have already shown, be made with regard to religious, unless we hold that a bishop, or the Pope, is not the immediate superior of anyone under the jurisdiction of a parish priest.

             Religious are, likewise, termed ravening wolves; because they are said to minister to the spiritual needs of the faithful, in order to batten on their material goods, just as wolves devour sheep. In this, they are clearly deceived. Our Lord draws a distinction between a wolf and a hireling. The Gloss attributes to a hireling the vices, which, according to the enemies of religious, are peculiar to wolves. "A hireling," says the Gloss, "is one who seeks what belongs to Christ; and who serves God, not for His own sake, but in the hope of a reward." Hence, they, whose sole crime is to preach for the sake of temporal gain, are hirelings. They who physically ill-treat the faithful, as do tyrants, or who spiritually scatter them, as do the devil and heretics, his ministers, are wolves. This is made clear by the words in the Acts of the Apostles (xx. 29), "I know, that after my departure, ravening wolves will enter in among you." On this text the Gloss says: "These wolves signify heretics, who are insidious, cruel, and strong in controversy." Again, the words in the Gospel of St. Matthew (vii. 15), "Within they are ravening wolves," are specially applied by the Gloss to heretics, who, "in the malice of their hearts, and in their desire to injure souls, resemble wolves, whether they pursue the faithful by exterior persecution, or deprave them by false teaching." We have already pointed out, that it is a rash judgment to assert, that a man's chief motive in ministering spiritually to his neighbour, is the hope of reaping material advantage.

             Religious are accused of "creeping into houses"; because they are said to hear confessions, without permission from the parish priests. Thus, they creep into men's consciences. Those who accuse them of so doing, quote, in support of their opinion, the following words from the Gloss (on 2 Tim. iii.): "They creep into houses, i.e., they investigate the qualities of men, and lead captive those whom they judge fitting disciples." Now, priests cannot know the characteristics of men, save by confession.

             As these words of the Gloss are considered, by the enemies of religious, conclusive evidence in support of their accusations, we will examine what is the true meaning of this passage. St. Paul foretold that, "the latter days of the Church would be times of peril, and, that there would be men, lovers of themselves," etc. "The term, latter days," writes St. Augustine to Hesychius, "is sometimes used of the Apostolic times." Thus, we read in the prophet Joel (ii. 28): "In the latter days I will pour out my spirit." St. Peter said that this prophecy was fulfilled on the day of Pentecost (Acts ii. 16). Sometimes, however, the latter days are understood as meaning the Last Day, "I will raise him up at the last day" (John vi. 55). In the passage to which reference has been made, however, the latter days must be taken to mean the time nearest to the Last Day. For the Apostle speaks of the future, when he says: "In the last days shall come dangerous times." These words agree with those that we find in the Gospel of St. Matthew (xxiv. 12), "Because iniquity hath abounded, the charity of many shall grow cold." The Gloss reminds us of the words of St. Paul, "men shall be lovers of themselves." These are not to be understood as meaning that the vice of self-love, or any other vice, has, at any time, been absent from the world; but that it will increase, in proportion as malice increases. There were in the primitive Church, some men tainted with these vices; otherwise St. Paul would not have bade Timothy avoid them. And, as if Timothy had asked him, how he was to avoid what did not exist, the Apostle says, by way of answer: "Of these sort are they who creep into houses" (2 Tim. iii.). The vices which he mentions in the first place, were to exist in years to come; but that of creeping into houses, was an evil of his own time. He speaks of "they who creep," not of they who will creep; and of "they who lead captive," not of they who "will lead captive." We are not to suppose, that, although using the present tense, he can have intended his words to be taken in the future tense. For, as St. Augustine says, in the same Epistle, "there were in the early Church, men distinguished by creeping into houses." The words signify men, ensnared by the vices which will flourish in the latter days.

             This is more expressly shown by the words in the Epistle to Titus (i. 10): "There are also many disobedient, vain talkers, and seducers; especially they who are of the circumcision, who must be reproved; who subvert whole houses; teaching things which they ought not, for filthy lucre's sake." By those, then, "who creep into houses," are meant, men who cunningly introduce themselves into families, and propagate false doctrine, or those who insinuate themselves into the consciences of men, and bind them with the chains of error. Such men St. Paul calls, "men corrupted in mind, reprobate concerning the faith" (2 Tim. iii.).

The expression, "reprobate concerning the faith," cannot be understood as used of men who are to appear in the future. St. Paul does not say: "They who now creep into houses, will be reprobate concerning the faith." He speaks in the present tense; just as when he says, "these resist the truth." Their folly shall be manifest to all men. The Gloss says, "that they shall be made manifest by means of the good," and it reminds us that, "these words were verified, especially, by St. John, who overcame the heretics of the East." Thus, it is plain, that the words of St. Paul apply to heretics. Hence, even were it true that religious hear confessions without any licence from their bishops, the foregoing passage from St. Paul would not be applicable to them, unless they can be proved to teach heretical doctrine. Hence, the whole fabric which has been built up, to prove that religious who hear confessions are responsible for the evils which will hereafter come upon the Church, falls to the ground.

             We have already proved the right of religious to hear confessions; and we have seen, also, the benefit which results from their so doing.