A Magnanimous Priesthood for a Pusillanimous Time, by Thomas P. Harmon

If a man has made it through seminary to the moment of ordination these days, he has likely studied the classical virtue tradition. He has learned that virtue lies between excess and defect. And he may have seen, with growing clarity, that in our cultural moment, it is the vices of defect that prevail. We do not suffer from an excess of passion so much as a shrinking back from the good. We hesitate to speak the truth clearly, to call others to holiness, to risk being conspicuous in our fidelity. In such an age, true virtue appears radical, and even the desire for excellence can be misread as vanity, vainglory, or toxic masculinity.

This cultural air seeps into the Church, and nowhere is it more dangerous than in the priesthood. For this reason, newly ordained priests should hear a call that is not often voiced: the call to magnanimity. …

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