By Jake Geis
It isn’t a stretch to say our culture has embraced the irreverent. Do a search for “reverent” and aside from a few dictionary websites, the first thing that pops up are trailers for the movie The Revenant. Our culture has embraced irreverence for so long it has forgotten what reverence even is.
Yet, reverence was a critical aspect of every human civilization, as evidenced by even the earliest writings from Mesopotamia 6,000 years ago. Hence, something about reverence must nurture humanity. What is it about reverence that is so central to society as a whole and to us as individuals?
What is reverence?
For Father Zach Schaefbauer, parochial vicar for the Good Shepherd Pastorate, to answer that question, we first need to know what reverence is.
“There are two aspects to reverence,” Father Schaefbauer explains. “The first is an internal reverence, where one’s mind and heart honors and upholds goodness. The second is bodily reverence, which flows from the first as an external manifestation of this internal desire for honor and respect. Both aspects of reverence are needed, since we as human beings are both body and spirit.”
Father Schaefbauer offers the metaphor of a skilled athlete to illustrate this idea. “If you are awestruck by a pro basketball player’s ability on the court, you don’t just talk about how good he plays. You buy his jersey and wear it in public. You go to his games to watch him play. The actions you take show that you truly do revere his ability.” What this example demonstrates is that reverence is not passive, but active. “You don’t just say this player is your favorite, you show it.”
What drives reverence?
While tangible, the idolization of a basketball player is a base model of reverence (the fact that still exists in our irreverent culture exemplifies this). But it proves we still have this capacity to appreciate excellence. Then what directs us to this appreciation?
“Reverence is driven by goodness,” Father Schaefbauer says. “Goodness is what we all desire. When I’m hungry, the good taste of pepperoni pizza brings me to eat. For a man, the goodness of a woman leads him to marriage. Reverence is the upholding and maintaining of what is good through our actions.”
Naturally, this statement elicits the question about actions that lead to harm in others. Father Schaefbauer discusses the motivational differences between reverent and irreverent actions.
“We are all ordered to perfection. Every action we take, even the menial ones, are the steps we believe will bring us to perfection. Yet sin and its effects cloud our perception. We may think we choose something that is good for us, but it may, in fact, inhibit another good.”
He gives the case of having a cookie before dinner. The cookie is a good, it is delicious and brings us joy, but consuming it prior to dinner decreases our appetite for the food our body needs to thrive, and thus causes within us an upset stomach and doesn’t properly satisfy our hunger.
This same logic can be applied to evil situations, with a false good being chosen over an actual good, insulting its nature.
“When a person commits murder, they choose to do so not because the act of murder is good, but because they think such an action will bring them some sort of goodness or relief in life,” Father Schaefbauer notes. “Such an action, however good we might think it to be, is never actually good and is, in fact, an extreme version of irreverence. For by committing or supporting actions that are mortally grave, we are not upholding the good, but rather undermining or destroying it. Because of this, we must be mindful that our actions are ordered towards authentic reverence by doing what is good and avoiding what is evil.”
What does reverence look like in my daily life?
To understand the profound implications of reverence, we can start with reverence towards self. Father Schaefbauer says, “Taking care of my body shows reverence. I feed it with nutritious food, I exercise to maintain health, and I take the time to sleep.”
In addition, how we use our time, the media we consume and the activities we pursue can also edify or degrade us. It requires us to sacrifice some good things to advance greater goods for ourselves to properly honor and respect our humanity.
In the same manner, sacrifice can broaden to self-sacrifice to revere others. “A parent understands the good of sleep is sacrificed to provide care for an infant,” Father Schaefbauer acknowledges. Going to visit your elderly relative in the nursing home shows deference to his or her important role in molding you into the person you’ve become. And showing respect for a friend’s different opinion on a political matter proves that you value the friendship.
It is at this juncture where our collective reverence for self and those in our circle lifts society from bitterness and partisanship. “We may critique the man,” Father Schaefbauer says, “but we must still respect the office. Critique is a way of redirecting towards a greater good. It requires that even our criticisms be edifying and not detracting. Without respect it is just an insult; without honor there can be no reverence.”
Critiquing is an American pastime, and we have examples in saints such as St. Catherine of Siena who exhibit how to do it properly. But critique without reverence manifests in ugly ways that are counterproductive. Burning the flag or branding an entire group of Americans that vote differently with an unflattering moniker unwinds the fabric of our nation.
And as secular anger bleeds over into Church disputes, Catholics who forgo voicing reasonable criticisms of the actions of other Catholics to draw battlelines attempt to injure and destroy the Body of Christ. Respecting offices, blocks of people and symbols are essential because they are an imperfect reflection of the one who created them all. “True reverence demands upholding what is good regardless of conflicts and controversies,” Father Schaefbauer notes.
The exceptional nature of reverence towards God
Father Schaefbauer points to 1 John 4:20 to illuminate how our day-to-day reverence for the created good is, at its core, directed towards the Creator: “If anyone says, ‘I love God,’ but hates his brother, he is a liar; for whoever does not love a brother whom he has seen cannot love God whom he has not seen.” Father Schaefbauer says, “Reverence towards every good thing is a way for us to honor God and to love him.”
Of course, there is an exceptional nature to our reverence towards God, as he is the source of all goodness. If we truly believe God is the ultimate good, respecting his creation alone will not suffice. Logically, we must act in a way that makes our reverence towards him evident to all.
Father Schaefbauer gives a couple of examples of this notion. “Your actions must reflect your beliefs. If you say you believe in a forgiving God, you show it by going to confession. If you claim Jesus is King of Kings, you dress for Mass like you are meeting a king.” And with the Mass being the source and summit of Christian life, the Church acknowledges this reality by setting a certain order, cadence and pageantry to the Mass oriented towards venerating God.
“The reason why it is so important for us to celebrate the Mass with order, beauty, and splendid ceremony is because it expresses our reverence for Christ and even manifests his love for us and for all creation.” Father Schaefbauer says. “Certainly, we are not meant to be overtly rigid or technical in such a way that it detracts from the natural flow of the Mass. Yet, the common fault today is that the Mass—like other areas of our life—is treated in a very casual manner. This casualness of external ceremony not only betrays a lack of interior honor and respect for God, but it even impacts how we perceive God and the things of faith. If our approach to the sacred mysteries is casual, then our interior will likewise remain in an irreverent casual attitude.”
Of course, when you are juggling toddlers and running in and out of Mass because another kid needs to go potty, you may not feel super reverent. Yet, the example you are providing your children by attending Mass every Sunday will set that reverence in the deepest part of their soul. For some youth, that reverence may not awaken until adulthood, but no one can be touched by Christ and remain unchanged.
For us beleaguered parents, Father Schaefbauer offers this encouragement. “Again, our actions must reflect our beliefs, and it is our actions that most often speak louder than words. To physically set time aside week in and week out to attend Sunday Mass is a sign to our families and friends of the reverence we have for God. And, if I may add, it cannot just simply be our attendance, but even the way in which we dress and approach the Mass will ultimately teach others how important God is in our lives.”
He adds, “So, to parents I say: keep bringing your kids to Mass no matter how difficult it can be at times. In doing so, you are not only doing the right thing, but also leaving them an example that will foster their life of faith and virtue. In short, you are teaching them about how to be truly reverent to almighty God.”
Irreverence came in vogue in Western culture decades ago, and the ramifications of this shift have created contentious relationships on an interpersonal and societal level. Turning back to divinely inspired reverence builds the footings for repairing this damage. We can choose to lay the bricks of this foundation in our own lives by orienting our actions towards upholding what is honorable. Through each of our individual deeds of reverence, we can create a culture that glorifies the Creator who made us all.
Jake Geis is a freelance writer and parishioner at Holy Spirit in Mitchell. He is a husband and father who has taught religious education and led youth groups over the years.
