"The sayings of the wise are like goads..."

Despite Pope Benedict's adherence to Catholic doctrine and being trapped in the 13th century (yes, I'm being sarcastic), the pontiff's popularity continues to grow, writes Sandro Magister for Chiesa:

That Benedict XVI is a popular pope might seem to be contradicted by the storm of hostile criticism rained down on him daily by the media all over the world. Over the past month, these criticisms have reached an unprecedented crescendo. Even official government representatives no longer hesitate to accuse the pope.

But the impression gathered from looking at the big numbers is different. On his voyages, Benedict XVI has always demonstrated levels of popularity beyond expectations. Not only in Africa, but also in difficult venues like the United States or France. In Rome, at the Angelus on Sunday at noon, St. Peter's Square is more packed, every time, than during the years of John Paul II.

This does not mean that these same crowds consistently accept and practice the teachings of the pope and of the Church. Countless surveys show that on marriage, sexuality, abortion, euthanasia, contraception, the views of a large number of people are more or less distant from the Catholic magisterium.

At the same time, however, many of these same people demonstrate a deeply rooted respect for the figure of the pope and the authority of the Church.

Italy is a case in point. On March 25, in "la Repubblica" – the leading progressive newspaper, and very caustic in criticizing Benedict XVI – the sociologist Ilvo Diamanti provided yet another confirmation of the high levels of confidence that Italians continue to show toward the Church and the pope, in spite of widespread disagreement on various points of their teaching.

For example, when asked to say whether they are for or against the pope's statement that condoms "do not resolve the problem of AIDS, but aggravate it," three out of four say they are against.

But the same respondents, when asked whether they trust the Church, respond "greatly" or "very much," to the tune of 58.1 percent. And confidence in Benedict XVI is also very high, at 54.9 percent.

At the risk of sounding glib or revealing what I sometimes watch on television, I think this reflects what I'll call the "The Corollary of Cowell." This is, simply put, that despite being the most disliked and supposedly unfair of the "American Idol" judges, Simon Cowell is clearly the judge whose opinion matters the most to contestants. This corollary follows from the more basic and well-established theorem that can be titled "Truth Attracts." In a piece I wrote back in 2002, I stated:

Of course, "American Idol" is an imperfect example of how this works. Simon Crowell is, as he admits, an arrogant and often nasty guy. He's not the most charitable guy around, even though his ear for pop music is quite good. But he is also the most honest and insightful of the "American Idol" judges. This honesty, even when delivered with barbs and acid, attracts people. Which is why the same audience that often booed Simon also hoped that he would affirm their favorite contestants and tell them they are indeed an "American Idol."

This tormented relationship is natural, but needs to be resolved. We can find truth revolting because our fallen nature flees from it. At the same time, we hunger to fill the God-sized hole at the core of our being. The Catechism notes: "The desire for God is written in the human heart, because man is created by God and for God; and God never ceases to draw man to himself. Only in God will he find the truth and happiness he never stops searching for..." (CCC 27).

In sharing the Gospel and standing up for the Catholic Church, we will meet resistance, derision, and scoffing. We will hear remarks similar to these: "Who are you to tell me how to live?" and "I don¹t need organized religion. I'm already a spiritual person!" and "Do you think you are better than me? Christians are hypocrites!" As hard as it is, we must recognize such remarks as the defensive, frightened reactions of people who see their card houses falling down and the paint being stripped from their shiny, seemingly perfect lives. They realize, even if vaguely, that they need more in life than they can provide for themselves. They want truth, but they probably don't know how to handle it; they might not even realize that truth is not the enemy, but their friend.

So the Catholic, in living and sharing the Gospel, needs to always speak the Truth with candor and conviction, but with the knowledge that many will get angry. Others will be curious, but still might not know how to respond. We need to be ready to aid them in their weakness and lack of knowledge, not settling for showing them where to walk, but walking beside them. And, unlike Simon, we won't resort to sarcasm and a sharp tongue in confronting the falsehoods and lies of our age, but will instead follow the advice of the Apostle Paul: "And the Lord's bond-servant must not be quarrelsome, but be kind to all, able to teach, patient when wronged, with gentleness correcting those who are in opposition, if perhaps God may grant them repentance leading to the knowledge of the truth, and they may come to their senses and escape from the snare of the devil, having been held captive by him to do his will" (2 Tim. 2:24-26).

As regular readers of this blog know, I regularly post responses to pieces (usually from media folks, but not limited to such) that attack the Holy Father. "But, Carl," some readers remark on occasion," why are you upset about that? After all, that's to be expected. The fact that people attack the Pope means he is touching some raw nerves, and that's not a bad thing, is it?" No, not all; it is part and parcel of what I describe above.

But here's the thing: it doesn't bother me that people disagree with the Pope, the Magisterium, the Church. Really. Yes, really. What bothers me is people dismissing Benedict and his thought without actually engaging with it, or mocking him based on a completely skewed or slanderous depiction of who he is or what he believes (and why he believes it), or simply assuming that he is wrong, period, without even a second thought. Such people deserve to have their public words and opinions exposed for what they are. And not just because of a singular expression of mockery or stupidity or arrogance, but because each of those instances represents, surely, the perspective of so many more people. Thus, the idea is to attack the wider spread falsehoods by highlighting specific examples.

The author of Ecclesiastes wrote what could rightly be applied to the person of Pope Benedict XVI (and many other great popes):

Besides being wise, the Preacher also taught the people knowledge, weighing and studying and arranging proverbs with great care. The Preacher sought to find pleasing words, and uprightly he wrote words of truth. The sayings of the wise are like goads, and like nails firmly fixed are the collected sayings which are given by one Shepherd. (Eccl 12:9-11).

It's good to be reminded (and I'm speaking of myself, first and foremost) that while many people—most, I do believe—really do hunger and long for truth, the path to embracing truth is rarely if ever a smooth one. It can be tumultuous, and the difficulty doesn't end once you've embraced the One who is the Truth. As the Vicar of Christ, as one who speaks hard, clear truths with both beauty and firmness, Benedict XVI is both widely reviled and widely loved. His words are goads to many, but that doesn't mean they push people away; it means they poke and prod people who are often slumbering or half awake, living in a dusky world of spiritual dullness and moral apathy. It's not easy to wake from such a desperate dream; it's not easy to breath fresh air when your lungs are used to filth and smog. "Therefore it is said, 'Awake, O sleeper, and arise from the dead, and Christ shall give you light.'" (Eph 5:14).