Plinio Corrêa de Oliveira

As we said in another chapter, after the manly and courageous attitudes He gave us as an example, the reward of the Master was unpopularity. That unpopularity is for many the supreme disgrace, the scarecrow inspiring all concessions and all strategic retreats, and the sinister mark of every failed apostolate. In the eyes of the world, Our Lord’s unpopularity became such that they even accused Him of being harmful:

And they that kept them fled: and coming into the city, told everything, and concerning them that had been possessed by the devils. And behold the whole city went out to meet Jesus and when they saw him, they besought him that he would depart from their coasts. (13)

Our Lord later predicted, to His faithful of all ages, the inevitable existence of enemies:

The brother also shall deliver up the brother to death, and the father the son: and the children shall rise up against their parents, and shall put them to death. And you shall be hated by all men for my name's sake. (14)

As can be seen, hatred is taken to the point of arousing a ferocious fight against Jesus' followers. And the accusations against the faithful will be terrible! But not even then should they renounce bold apostolic action:

The disciple is not above the master, nor the servant above his lord. It is enough for the disciple that he be as his master, and the servant as his lord. If they have called the goodman of the house Beelzebub, how much more them of his household? Therefore fear them not. For nothing is covered that shall not be revealed: nor hid, that shall not be known. That which I tell you in the dark, speak ye in the light: and that which you hear in the ear, preach ye upon the housetops. (15)

As we have said, the faithful should highly appreciate the esteem of their fellowmen, but should despise their hatred as long as it is based on aversion for Truth or Virtue. An apostle should desire his neighbor’s conversion but should not confuse a man’s or a people’s sincere and deep conversion with signs of a superficial popularity. Our Lord performed His miracles to convert, but not to become popular: "An evil and adulterous generation seeketh a sign: and a sign shall not be given it, but the sign of Jonas the prophet" (16) said He, thus indicating that no miracles useless for conversion would be performed. And, indeed, even though miracles would afford the Savior some popularity, it was a useless popularity as it did not stem from a desire to know the Truth.

How many apostles, nevertheless, try the possible and the impossible to become popular, even at the sacrifice of principles! They are perhaps unaware they thus lose the beatitude the Lord promised those who are hated by the enemies of the Church because of their love of orthodoxy and virtue:

Blessed shall you be when men shall hate you, and when they shall separate you, and shall reproach you, and cast out your name as evil, for the Son of man’s sake. Be glad in that day and rejoice; for behold, your reward is great in heaven. (17)

Let us never sacrifice, diminish or deface the Truth, however great the hatred weighing upon us may be. Our Lord gave us the example by preaching the truth and the good and thus risking imprisonment:

Did not Moses give you the law, and yet none of you keepeth the law? Why seek you to kill me? The multitude answered, and said: Thou hast a devil; who seeketh to kill thee? Jesus answered and said to them: One work I have done; and you all wonder: Therefore, Moses gave you circumcision (not because it is of Moses, but of the fathers;) and on the sabbath day you circumcise a man. If a man receive circumcision on the sabbath day, that the law of Moses may not be broken; are you angry at me because I have healed the whole man on the sabbath day? Judge not according to the appearance, but judge just judgment.

Some therefore of Jerusalem said: Is not this he whom they seek to kill? And behold, he speaketh openly and they say nothing to him. Have the rulers known for a truth, that this is the Christ? But we know this man, whence he is: but when the Christ cometh, no man knoweth whence He is. Jesus therefore cried out in the temple, teaching and saying: You both know me, and you know whence I am: and I am not come of myself, but he that sent me, is true, whom you know not. I know him, because I am from him, and he hath sent me. They sought therefore to apprehend Him: and no man laid hands on Him, because his hour was not yet come. (18)

Notes:

13) Matt. 8:33-34.

14) Matt. 10:21-22. (Our emphasis.)

15) Matt. 10:24-27.

16) Matt. 12:39.

17) Luke 6:22-23.

18) John 7:19-30.

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