Preachers in British America were trained to be lions in the pulpit and lambs in confession. Sermons instructed the laity in the fundamentals of doctrine, guided Christian life, and supported people who struggled to be faithful in a hostile and anti-Catholic society. Colonial Anglo-Catholics lived on the isolated frontiers of the “New World.”
What was the nature of Catholic preaching in 17th and 18th century America? Preaching was practical. Sermons addressed ways to be holy. Catechesis and moral suasion coupled with advice about virtues and vices. Sermons were not only listened to; they also were meant to be carried out in practical action.
Preachers focused on a variety of pastoral concerns. People were warned about “The World.” “The World” did not refer to creation and it did not mean trials and tribulations endured.
Living in “The World” meant exposure to “The Spirit of the world, that Spirit of falsehood and seduction.” It meant all that was opposed to an authentic Christian life. Bishop James Carroll addresses the ways that his people imitated the suffering Christ. He said “Yes, dear Christians, this world into whose favor you have so industriously insinuated yourselves…has carried its blindness and injustice to such a pitch, as to condemn even a God-man. Persuade not your selves, I beseech you, that it will be more favorable to you than it has been to him.”
“The spirit of the world” included a number of pastoral issues. First, some Catholics became lax about attending Sunday Mass. This was a major issue not only in terms of obligation and responsibility, but also in terms of the community’s social and spiritual cohesion. Secondly, some Catholics devoted little time to prayer and to a devout life. Some sermons lamented the cavalier attitude that fellow Catholics took regarding their spiritual nurture. Neglecting to fulfill one’s Easter Duty, infrequent reception of communion, absence from the sacraments of Penance and matrimony, and the refusal to fast and abstain manifested a tepid religiosity. The root of this was, as the preachers saw it, “human respects.” “Human Respects “ was a willingness to abandon or modify the faith to avoid the censure of the world. “Human Respect,” the desire to fit in, challenged the Catholic community for many years. Catholics had to balance their loyalty to Catholicism and their temptation to assimilate into the “melting pot” and to improve their social standing. Sermons warned Catholics to beware of false happiness by gratifying their desires by seeking revenge and through gluttony, drinking, gaming, and wasting one’s time and health at “assemblies and balls.”
Surprisingly, there are few sermons on sexual matters. When mentioned, sins of the flesh are presented as archetypes of unreasoning behavior. They are a sign that one has fallen under the sway of the world. The missionary preaches were concerned with sins that threatened the interpersonal and social fabric of the parish: anger, drinking, swearing, cursing and envy. They knew that the tongue, source of calumny, detraction and uncivil words, could cause problems of serious magnitude. Another’s good name could be destroyed. The preachers offered the example of Christ as a remedy. Jesus, man of forgiveness, mercy, and charity could heal societal and family woes.
John J. O’Brien, C.P.