Men will surrender to the spirit of the age. They will say that if they had lived in our day, faith would be simple and easy. But in their day, they will say, things are complex; the Church must be brought up to date and made meaningful to the day's problems.
Interpretation
This quote speaks to the tendency of people to believe that faith and morals are easier to uphold in different times than their own.
Anthony Of Padua reflects on how individuals often perceive past eras with nostalgia, believing that faith was more straightforward and uncomplicated then. He suggests that in every age, people rationalize their struggles with faith and push for adaptations to meet contemporary challenges, implying that this tendency can lead to a disconnect between timeless truths and modern interpretations.
In practice
During a sermon about adapting beliefs to modern issues, one might refer to this quote to highlight historical perspectives on faith.
The creator of the heavens obeys a carpenter; the God of eternal glory listens to a poor virgin. Has anyone ever witnessed anything comparable to this? Let the philosopher no longer disdain from listening to the common laborer; the wise, to the simple; the educated, to the illiterate; a child of a prince, to a peasant.
Damned money! Alas! How many religious did it blind! How many cloistered religious did it deceive! Money is the 'droppings of birds' that blinded the eyes of Tobit.
The spirit of humility is sweeter than honey, and those who nourish themselves with this honey produce sweet fruit.
Christians must lean on the Cross of Christ just as travelers lean on a staff when they begin a long journey.
The life of the body is the soul; the life of the soul is God.
Earthly riches are like the reed. Its roots are sunk in the swamp, and its exterior is fair to behold; but inside it is hollow. If a man leans on such a reed, it will snap off and pierce his soul.
Drunkenness is nothing but voluntary madness.
How can finite man commune with an infinite God? To both Christians and Jews, God himself has made that possible by irrupting into the temporal world. To Christians, God became man in the Incarnation; to Jews, the God that spoke out of the fire on Mount Sinai gave his Torah.
Contempt for happiness is usually contempt for other people's happiness, and is an elegant disguise for hatred of the human race.
For the current of our spiritual life creeds, rituals and channels that may thwart or help, according to their fixity or openness. When a symbol or spiritual idea becomes rigidly elaborate in its construction, it supplants the idea which it should support.
Indignation must always be the answer to indignity. Reality is not destiny.
The only time laughter is wicked is when it is turned against Him Who gave it.
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