The Dark Ages

There are so many things that irritate me about most people's conception of the Middle Ages.  Being a medievalist by trade, I was exposed to a lot of silliness--and the sad part is that most of our misunderstanding and ignorance is perpetuated and encouraged by the intellectuals of our day.  The university and the "research" coming out of it is laughable, and one dares not question the received understanding of the Middle Ages.

I wasn't thinking about that this morning when I read the little life of a minor medieval saint in Magnificat today.  What occurred to me is that all those monastics and hermits and holy men and women--especially those of the early or "dark" Middle Ages--those people are responsible for carrying through to us intact the intricacies and beautiful truths of the Magisterium.  Without those people's lives and work, we wouldn't have the Church or her teachings as we do today.  And even more impressive, those people's lives helped to provide one thousand years of stability in the Truth.

Imagine that:  1, 000 years!  Today, in only 50 years we've permitted contraception and abortion, and are now finding ways to manufacture and harvest the tiniest humans for research.  We used to all understand that homosexual acts were destructive and unnatural, and now we've legalized "marriages" and even adoption.  But for our brethren in the "Dark Ages," living as faithful Catholics and passing on the faith was the chief action of their lives.  Some darkness!

The next time you're teaching your children about the culture of the Middle Ages, step back and read some of the lives of those who lived in that time.  Examine their chief concerns, interests and labors:  not only were they more virtuous and admirable, but they preserved for us the Truths that our Savior gave to us--they devoted their entire lives to it.  May the Lord bless them richly for that service!