Since there are, among the things God has revealed, some that frighten the weak and fallen human nature; thus, they are not fit to attract crowds. They cautiously do not speak of such things; they prefer to deal with topics in which, except for the nature of the place, there is nothing sacred.
Newsroom (November 11, 2021 13:15 PM, Gaudium Press) We know the reason why Christ came down from Heaven, for He expressly declared it: “I have come into the world to bear witness to the truth” (Jn 18:37); “I have come so that you may have life” (Jn 10:10). Therefore, sacred preachers must aim to express both of them. That is: spreading the truth revealed by God and arousing and developing supernatural life in the faithful. In short, they should promote the glory of God by striving for the salvation of souls.
It would be wrong to give the title of doctor to someone who does not practice medicine or a master of some art to someone who does not teach it. In the same way, one who preaches without taking care to lead his listeners to a more extensive knowledge of God can be defined as a futile speaker, not an evangelical preacher […].
And since there are, among the things revealed by God, some that frighten the weak and fallen human nature, and therefore are not fit to attract crowds, they cautiously do not speak of these; they prefer to deal with topics in which, except for the nature of the place, nothing is sacred.
And it not rarely happens that, dealing with eternal truth, they stoop to the level of politics, especially if something of this sort fascinates their listeners. Their concern seems to be only to please their listeners and to please those who, according to St. Paul, “are itching to hear the news.” (II Tim 4:3)
Hence those gestures that are neither calm nor earnest, typical of spectacles and rallies. Hence the pathetic intonations of the voice or the impetuous tragedies, the style of speaking characteristic of newspapers. Hence the abundance of quotations. They do not come from the Holy Scriptures or the Fathers of the Church but impious and non-catholic writers. Finally, the dizzying wordiness that most of them use is meant to dull the hearing and confuse the listeners yet does no good.
Extracted from:
BENEDICT XV – Encyclical Humani generis redemptionem, 15/6/1917.
Heralds of the Gospel Magazine, year XX, nº 232, Apr. 2021, p. 6-7.
Compiled by Ena Alfaro
