October 22: A clearing in the forest

Perhaps the most densely packed paragraph in Evangelii Gaudium is No. 94; it is certainly not easy reading. Pope Francis traces two root causes of spiritual worldliness: There is “the attraction of gnosticism, a purely subjective faith whose only interest is a certain experience or a set of ideas and bits of information…” And there is “the self-absorbed promethean neopelagianism of those who ultimately trust only in their own powers and feel superior to others…”

And yet if we persevere, we find that the paragraph opens up; we find an unexpected clearing in the thick forest. “A [fixation on] supposed soundness of doctrine or discipline leads instead to a narcissistic and authoritarian elitism, whereby instead of evangelizing, one analyzes and classifies others, and instead of opening the door to grace, one exhausts his or her energies in inspecting and verifying.”

Haven’t we met this kind of Christian before? Or perhaps: Haven’t we been this kind of Christian too?

“One [who] analyzes and classifies others.” This is a simple sketch that is true to life. One who, “instead of opening the door,” spends the time “inspecting and verifying.” This is a description that could only have come from years of pastoral experience.

And then the clincher, that moment when we stumble into the clearing: “In neither case is one really concerned about Jesus Christ or others.” That is the sum of the great danger that is spiritual worldliness; when we put ourselves in the center, there is neither room for Christ nor neighbor.