Prophetic Courage in the Public Square, and Everywhere, by Dr. Jeff Mirus 

By Dr. Jeff Mirus, Catholic Culture, Jan 07, 2025

Jeffrey Mirus holds a Ph.D. in intellectual history from Princeton University. A co-founder of Christendom College, he also pioneered Catholic Internet services. He is the founder of Trinity Communications and CatholicCulture.org.

When Fr. Jerry Pokorsky wrote that “It is far more costly for the laity to live Gospel truths” than for priests, he made a reasonable if not always accurate point (see the second-last paragraph in his most recent homiletic essay, Bonds of Blood). He pointed out that “espousing the universal truths of Jesus and natural law may damage salaries and reputations in hostile work environments.” In contrast, most priests don’t face that particular sort of risk.

I have to admit that the same is true of those among the laity (like myself) who are insulated within recognizably Catholic institutions or, as in my own case, in smaller apostolates which interact with people mostly at a distance. That can change rapidly for both priests and laity if and when a hostile government proceeds to close churches and outlaw the proclamation of the Catholic faith. But at this moment in the West (for example) it is easier to speak positively about Catholic faith and morals from a safe distance—and to speak negatively about their opposites—than it is from within the vast majority of secular workplaces. And this is probably even more true in what we call the “public square”, where courageous, counter-cultural Catholics can quickly run into painful and debilitating resistance….

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