Opening Prayer
Lord, I critique the pride of the “self-taught” who boast that they find easy what the ancient fathers found difficult. I recognize that those who sprout up overnight as theologians often fail to agree even with themselves, while your truth remains stable in the Catholic faith.
Grant me the humility to learn from the ancient teachers of the Church, trusting in their holiness and wisdom. Let me not be swayed by the swarms of innovators who prefer their own spirit to the tradition of the fathers.
Amen.
Matthew 12:14-21
14And the Pharisees going out made a consultation against him, how they might destroy him. 15But Jesus knowing it, retired from thence: and many followed him, and he healed them all. 16And he charged them that they should not make him known. 17That it might be fulfilled which was spoken by Isaias the prophet, saying: 18Behold my servant whom I have chosen, my beloved in whom my soul hath been well pleased. I will put my spirit upon him, and he shall shew judgment to the Gentiles. 19He shall not contend, nor cry out, neither shall any man hear his voice in the streets. 20The bruised reed he shall not break: and smoking flax he shall not extinguish: till he send forth judgment unto victory. 21And in his name the Gentiles shall hope.
St. Thomas More
St. Thomas More critiques the “self-taught” theologians who “sprout up overnight like hornets”. He evaluates the “absurdity” of ignoring the “holy teachers of old”. St. Henry, the Holy Roman Emperor, was a man of “tireless zeal” who anchored his rule in the wisdom of the Church. More differentiates the “spirit” that moderns claim to have from the “holiness of life” the Fathers actually possessed. The narrative of grace is one of “stability” versus the “swarm” of novel, contradictory opinions.
More likened the “self-taught” interpreters of the teachings to a swarm of hornets that only brings confusion. This protective stance is vital for the modern reader, who is often bombarded by “unanchored” spiritualities that boast of the spirit but lack the rigorous training and holiness of the Church Fathers. By relying on the age-old wisdom of the saints, the believer is protected from novel interpretations that lead away from the universal faith.
“Shun the arrogance of the “self-taught” and rely instead on the commentaries of the holy teachers who led heavenly lives.”
— St. Thomas More
Mary and the Magisterium
St. Thomas More contrasts the “self-taught hornets” of his day—those who ignore the ancient fathers—with the humble tradition of the Church. Mary stands as the Queen of this “holy company of teachers”. She does not seek “novel ideas” but remains anchored in the “mind of the Church”, defending the Catholic faith against the “swarms” of private, contradictory interpretations that lead to confusion and ruin.
- Am I "self-taught" in my faith, or am I a student of the "holy teachers and saints"?
- Do I trust the "Catholic faith as a rule" to interpret the difficulties of my life?
Closing Prayer
Lord, grant me humility to recognize that I cannot interpret Your Word rightly on my own.
Amen.
