Wills twists the words of St. Augustine.
He tramples on the dignity of the priesthood.
He mocks at least three Sacraments.
And he does it all with a smugness and arrogance that stands in stark contrast to the demeanor of every practicing Catholic I know.
What went wrong with this guy?
Every gift God has given can be reordered for self-gain. I think a lot of it is a desire to spin out one more book... to have one more best seller. And trashing the Catholic Church has proven to be a money-maker for a lot of people. Congratulations, Mr. Wills. It appears you have joined the ranks of the Judas team. A few silver coins in exchange for the Body and the Blood of Jesus Christ.
Even Pulitzer Prize winners can get greedy. Perhaps, especially Pulitizer Prize winners.
Writing - and especially getting things published/recognized/rewarded - can become an addiction. We can sacrifice everything at the feet of our addiction. Or we can sacrifice everything at the feet of Our God.
The writing saints offered everything to God. St. Therese didn't really want to write her story. She did it out of obedience. St. Thomas Aquinas ended his life saying that everything he had written was straw in comparison to the reality and glory of God. Others wrote, not to be published, but to call out heresy and wrestle it to the ground. Some simply wanted to capture their journeys through conversion. Most never saw their work published or disseminated publicly.
They all have some things in common.
- They loved God above all things.
- They held to Church Teaching tenaciously.
- They humbly submitted their talents and gifts to God.
- They did not intend to make money at writing. That's not what it was about.
- They believed in the Real Presence.
- They remained steadfast in their love for the priesthood.
- They spoke reverently of the Seat of Peter and treasured every moral and theological teaching that came to them through this one who was promised the gift of infallibility through the Power of the Holy Spirit.
- They stayed little.
- They were not arrogant, haughty, or proud.
- They did not presume to know more about God and His teachings than the Saints and Teaching Magisterium of 2000 years.
- They did not seek accolades - ever.
- They only wanted to fulfill the calling, to offer the gift, to convert souls - for the glory of God.
Mr. Wills could learn much from them.
I write. And I worry about the pitfalls that are out there for Catholic writers and speakers. It's easy to get off track. There is nothing - nothing - worth more than eternity with God.
It's better to close the laptop. Put down the pen. Delete the editor contact list. Forget you have a degree in anything.
And to gain eternity.
I don't know what God has in mind for me as a writer, but I know He has Heaven in mind for me.Here is the prayer for every Catholic writer, speaker, and worker who has an audience of five or five hundred thousand. It will keep things in proper perspective. It might lead you to salvation. My RCIA leader passed it on to me a couple of years ago. And now, I offer it to you.
Blessings on the writing. Be willing to walk away from it at any time.
Litany of Humility
O Jesus, meek and humble of heart, hear
me.
From the desire of being esteemed, deliver me, O Jesus.
From
the desire of being loved, deliver me, O Jesus.
From the desire of being
extolled, deliver me, O Jesus.
From the desire of being honored, deliver
me, O Jesus.
From the desire of being praised, deliver me, O
Jesus.
From the desire of being preferred to others, deliver me, O
Jesus.
From the desire of being consulted, deliver me, O
Jesus.
From the desire of being approved, deliver me, O
Jesus.
From the fear of being humiliated, deliver me, O
Jesus.
From the fear of being despised, deliver me, O Jesus.
From
the fear of suffering rebukes, deliver me, O Jesus.
From the fear of
being calumniated, deliver me, O Jesus.
From the fear of being forgotten,
deliver me, O Jesus.
From the fear of being ridiculed, deliver me, O
Jesus.
From the fear of being wronged, deliver me, O Jesus.
From
the fear of being suspected, deliver me, O Jesus.
That others may be
esteemed more than I, Jesus, grant me the grace to desire it.
That, in the
opinion of the world, others may increase and I may decrease, Jesus, grant me the
grace to desire it.
That others may be chosen and I set aside, Jesus,
grant me the grace to desire it.
That others may be preferred to me in
everything, Jesus, grant me the grace to desire it.
That others may become
holier than I, provided that I become as holy as I should, Jesus, grant me the
grace to desire it.
-Cardinal Raphael Merry Del Val
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