History of Religious Life
Perfection in the First Two Centuries after Christ - Part 2
by Fr. John A. Hardon, S.J.
St. Justin, in the middle of the second century, lists as one of the features
of Christianity - listen - that many men and women age of fifty and sixty instructed
since childhood in the teaching of Christ, have kept their virginity. That good
to hear? He was writing in the year 150A.D.
Virginity Was Held in Highest Honor from the Earliest Times
This esteem for virginity is found throughout the whole Church, so it is not,
you might say, consistent with any particular culture; you might say, well maybe
thats the way people were in Palestine. No: Rome, North Africa, Spain, India,
wherever we have record of the Churchs life, virginity was held in the highest
honor and from the earliest times, virgins were given a special status in the
Church. We might say, however, mainly because we have so much literature on
the subject that in the groups most affected by Judeo-Christianity, it assumed
a very striking aspect. What are we saying? There were from the beginning, two
kinds, you might say, two branches of converts to Christianity: those from Judaism,
those from paganism. We would expect converts from Judaism to be different because
of their background from those who had never been Jews, never had the Old Testament,
never heard of Abraham or Moses. On the one hand among, especially, those in
the Judeo-Christian tradition, virginity appears as almost the principal virtue
for a Christian to practice. A great deal is made of Marys virginity, of Christs
It is also, unfortunately, among these people when they went off base that
they wrote some of the most vitriolic diatribes against marriage. The expression
bitter grass is a phrase often used by the heretical critics of marriage that
marriage is called bitter grass. Virginity is compared to things of the spirit,
marriage to things of the body. The Marcionites, for example, would baptize
only virgins or married people who had taken a vow of celibacy. The Montanists
claimed that sexual abstinence is an obligation for all Christians. So much
Grace Alone Enables Anyone to Practice Chastity
No doubt one reason, which
I dare say, is becoming equally important in our day. Whatever else the paganism
of the Roman Empire of those early centuries was, it was in the most complete
sense unchaste, lascivious, immoral, obscene, and partly, I suppose, as a reaction
against the extreme obscenity whereas you know they had god and goddesses glorifying
their vices. In any case, virginity was held in a high esteem and perhaps we
can say this; that God permitted even the errors of such people as these to
bring out the importance of the witness of virginity if ever Christianity is
going to make an impact on a society. Because whatever else I have found out
in my priesthood is true; whatever other virtue a person may think he
or she can practice without grace - this is one that nobody cheats on - you
either get oceans of grace or you dont remain chaste. PERIOD. Grace
alone enables anyone to practice chastity. And, therefore, the evidence
of Gods presence in persons is dramatically shown especially by contrast; for
example, Im living in polo graphic New York and it is, unless you have lived
in New York its beyond description: public, open, flaunted and Ive seen, Ive
come to know souls for example, women I have come to know twenty-one, twenty-two,
in their twenties, my students at the University; chaste, as though they were
living on another planet. So it can be done. But if Ive told them whether you
realize it or not let me tell you your very existence is a proof of Gods
presence. You just couldnt remain chaste, not living, say, in Manhattan
or Times Square.
Young man, a college graduate came to see me the other day. Hes organized;
hes working with another group - some thirty young men that are working with
him. Theyre taking care of the youngsters and there are thousands of them;
runaways, drug addicts. These thirty fellows, Id say most of them in their
twenties living a chaste life. Listen to this! Theyre not religious; they spend
an average of two and a half hours a day in prayer. Hows that? In Times
Square, which is the hell of America. Mass, Divine Office, meditation;
isnt that great? So it can be done. Its grace that does it. But, then, the
need for some kind of community living to protect ones chastity makes sense.
Manichaeism: A Heresy That Has Tormented the Church from the Beginning
There are few others, the Ebionites, the Millenarianists and,
in general, the Gnostics. Now what is important to know about some of
these, by the way they appear, not sure all of them do but a number at least
appear in the writings especially of St. John, of course, who you know was writing
at the end of the first century. That even as the Church exalts virginity, She
does not make the error of claiming that marriage is wrong, or is bad or displeasing
to God. Now behind all of this and especially with this heresy of Gnosticism
was the more devastating error of Manichaeism. Manichaeism is that heresy
which has tormented the Church from the beginning, today, and Im sure will
till the end of time which claims ultimately there are two gods, two creators;
one of spirit, one of body and that since marriage or marital intercourse involves
the union of the body that, as a consequence, it is really the devils work
which we would use: or the work of the evil deity, so that insofar as a person
experiences less and less, well, of the pleasures or the joys of the body, he
is becoming more and more perfect. Do you follow the logic? So that asceticism
is redefined on these terms as so mortifying the flesh until a person is totally,
you might say, indifferent to any pleasure because all pleasure of the body
is somehow a manifestation of and a concession to the evil spirit who stands
behind the body. Now that is not the Churchs teaching on asceticism.
May I ask, is bodily pleasure
wrong? For example, tonight Im sure well have, wherever we eat, a good meal.
Is it wrong to enjoy our food? Is it wrong to enjoy, say, ah, well a warm bed
or warm clothing in winter? Is it wrong for the married to enjoy their marital
experience? Ok? It, therefore, is not true that a person is more spiritual as
he less and less needs the body. So that behind the heresy, regarding the virginity
that we talked about with these various heretical sects, is the more fundamental
error of claiming the body is evil and only the spirit is good. That the Church
condemns. It is not surprising in the light of what weve seen that both the
virgins and the ascetics now why the difference? Virgins was commonly at least
at first applied only to women. And I think even today dont you think its
the first thought that comes to mind when you hear the word virgin that its
a woman. Well, quite frankly men are supposed to be virgins too those who
live a life of consecrated chastity. The word ascetic was more commonly applied
to men. Its just a matter of vocabulary.
The State of Christian Perfection Included the Practice of Consecrated Chastity
Are women who are virgins to be ascetical? Yes or no? They better be or theyll
lose their virginity. Are men who were called to be ascetics, were they to be
virginal? Yes. All right? Its just to clarify words. It is not surprising,
however, that from the very beginning both ascetics and virgins began to live
a common life. And one reason, no doubt, for either forming or living in a community
was to assist them to persevere in their life, both, of asceticism and their
We might say and this is where the language is a little uncertain but there
are references to marriages between Christ and those who had, thus, consecrated
themselves and the word is already used St. Paul uses it, right? espoused
to Christ. Now, while the Church has made many clarifications since the foundation
for the life of Christian Perfection as we now understand it, already from the
first century, included the practice of Consecrated Chastity.
So that, though Im not teaching that here; if you were here or would be here
tomorrow youll see what I do. And its interesting to ah, you might just maybe
come in for a few minutes just to see what Im telling the lay people about
holiness or Christian Perfection. But the States of Christian Perfection, as
the Church now understands those States, involved Consecrated Chastity and the
Tradition goes back to the first centuries. So much for chastity.
The Profession of Faith
Now, the Profession of the Faith. Just to keep ourselves in balance we were
saying that the principal classifications of groups of organized persons among
the early Christians up to the end of the third century, were organized on the
practice of the practice of chastity, or, and of Faith. From the beginning already
in the Apocalypse of St. John, martyrdom appears as the outstanding form of
Christian sanctity. Whereas, the Apocalypse tells us; a person is wholly consecrated
to the glory of God and in Heaven they are said to be those who had washed their
robes white in the Blood of the Lamb. This is shown by the fact that in the
early Church, the first saints who were venerated were the martyrs. There is
belief that a person who dies in the Faith immediately enters Heaven. The bones
of the martyrs were honored and miracles were often worked in the application
of their relics.
For example, In the martyrdom of Polycarp second century we read,
We gather his bones, speaking of Polycarp, more valuable than precious
stones in order to place them in a suitable spot. There, whenever possible,
we shall gather in joy to celebrate the anniversary of the day when Polycarp
was born to God by martyrdom.
The Eucharist, from the beginning, was offered on the tombs of the martyrs.
And if any martyrs survived, they became, as we said earlier, confessors.
You might wonder what
this has to do with religious life. Well, a great deal. Because if you were
like me, more like, if you are like me, say, fifteen or twenty years ago though
as I look at the group, I have to ask myself, when some of you were you born?
When were you born? 57 What year? Do you hear that? 1957 (laughter) So some
of you (laughter) who fifteen years ago were just starting grammar school; but,
at least in general I suppose, we supposed that among the witnesses of virtue
that a religious are heartily called upon to give is witness to the Faith, if
need be martyrdom.
Martyrdom: A Supreme Conflict with the Evil Spirit
Well, if anyone has any doubts, still, let me quickly dissipate that doubt.
The only religious that will survive this century are those that have
the blood of martyrs in their veins. I mean that. I mean it!
As I mentioned this morning to the sisters and Ill repeat to you. I do not
believe that Pope John Paul I died a natural death. The first three centuries,
all the Popes were martyrs; did you know that? Thats right, all martyrs. Martyrdom
is no longer a luxury. It is fast becoming a necessity. Martyrdom, in the first
place, is considered a supreme conflict with the evil spirit. Thats the Churchs
Martyrdom: Highest Form of the Imitation of Christ
Writes Hermas again whom weve quoted; its one of the great books of
the early Church. Those who have been crowned are those who have struggled
against the devil and conquered him. Isnt that a strange expression overcoming
the devil by dying? It is they who have suffered for the Law, of course, the
Law of Christ. And again the devil used all his wiles against the martyrs but
he could not conquer them. Martyrdom, being a victory over Satan, is the highest
form of the imitation of Christ.
The Way to Be Totally Transformed into Jesus Christ
Thats why I had you read St. Ignatius. Did you notice the longing for martyrdom?
Its part of my Jesuit strategy but I didnt have to, you know, cook this up;
its right there. Right? Its right there! It is the way, especially, in Ignatius
but in the early Church: The way to become totally transformed into Jesus Christ.
The masterpiece on martyrdom for all times, I would almost recommend memorizing
- Ignatius Letter to the Romans. Its a fairly short letter.
I havent yet and I dont think I will ask you to do some memory work although
if I have further thought and I pray over it, maybe I will as part of this course.
(laughter) I did tell you didnt I in teaching Mother Teresas sisters every
two weeks an average of fifteen verses every two weeks and by now theyve got,
oh many pages memorized the Superior along with everybody else. And after
two weeks they all come to class with a clean sheet of paper ready with their
ballpoints and paper and, ah, I look at the clock and I give them about ten
minutes or twelve minutes so they dont spend a lot of time; and when I see
that most of them are finished, time is up and I grade them A,B,C, depending
on how well or how much they memorized Scriptures! Makes sense! Ive done
this over the years. Makes sense; this is the Word of God! We remember things
we think are precious, right? And now with the World Series coming on, you know
people that are interested in baseball; theyll give you the batting average,
right, of the most obscure member of some team.
In any case a Letter of Ignatius to the Romans a classic on martyrdom in the
It is good for me (this is Ignatius) to die in order to be united
to Jesus Christ.
It is He I am seeking. He, who died for me: Him I want. Him who
is risen for all.
My hour of birth approaches. (Isnt that tremendous!) Let me receive
the Pure Life.
When I am
there, then I shall be a man. Allow me to be the imitator of the Passion of
All Genuine Mystics Desire Martyrdom: Love to Imitate Christ in His Passion
Martyrdom as we would expect, was often accompanied by, and God would reward
it, with mystical phenomena. Ive read enough of the mystics and in my day
have had the privilege of dealing at least with some that, in my judgment, qualified.
Let me tell you this: All genuine mystics desire martyrdom. I
dont mean in any dramatic sense, but they really love to imitate Christ
in His Passion. A martyr, finally, doesnt merely edify the Church which, of
course, is one obvious function of a martyr because the word itself means witness.
So anytime you shrink or tremble at the word martyr just remember; this is what
Christ said were supposed to be His martyrs. So that, indeed is the first
function in the Church to witness to the strong faith testifying to Gods Presence
and if so willing to die for what this person believes. But it is also an act
of great redemptive value a martyr doesnt just die in witnessing to Christ
he or she dies to lay down their life for the people.
The Practice of True Charity: The One Who Is Willing to Lay Down His Life
Polycarp this is a quotation from the Acts of St. Polycarp
Like the Lord Himself patiently waited to be delivered; thus wishing to
teach us by His example, not to think only of our own interests but also of
our neighbors. For the sign of a true and solid charity is to seek not only
ones own salvation, but that of ones brethren, even to, and thats what Christ
meant - how many hundreds of times weve seen the passage - who has the highest
love; what does Christ tell us? The one who is willing to lay down his life
for the brethren. The practice of charity, exhaustively, wearing oneself out.
A Priest Must Allow the People to Use Him Up, to Wear Him Out
When I was in Rome last October, had dinner with priest-friend of mine. He
was telling me we were exchanging notes about what we are respectively doing
and he said, you know before I was ordained a wise old priest took me aside
and told me, a priest must allow the people to use him up, to wear him out.
Does that make sense? So it is not merely as a single act, a symbolic gesture,
so to speak, witnessing to a Faith and a moment over, after death of course
it is finished.
The Martyrdom of Living with Others
This is why and with this we can close; why very early as religious life became
organized, those who lived the religious life faithfully were spoken
of as having undertaken a life of living martyrdom to labor and exhaust themselves
in the service of others. Where that service is not only physical exhaustion,
its praying for others, suffering for others, mortifying ones self for others:
And the smaller the community - how well I know - the martyrdom of living
with others. Does that sound strange? The martyrdom of living with others;
and the graces that are thus gained for souls by that kind of generosity: Only
in Heaven will we know when people weve never heard of before will come to
thank us thanks, its because of you that I got here. Its a quarter to. Shall
we close with a prayer?
In the Name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
Hail Mary, full of grace. The Lord is with thee. Blessed are thou among women
Blessed is the Fruit of thy womb, Jesus.
Holy Mary, Mother of God,
pray for us sinners, now and at the hour of our death. Amen.
O Mary conceived without
sin, pray for us, who have recourse to thee.
In the Name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
Conference transcription from a talk that Father Hardon gave to the
Institute on Religious Life
Institute on Religious Life, Inc.
P.O. Box 410007
Chicago, Illinois 60641
Copyright © 1998 by Inter Mirifica