Greater to Lesser

There is an old philosophical principle that not many people (besides nerds like me) know about. It is the principle of the greater to the lesser. This means that if someone is willing to commit a greater deed, he is likely willing to commit a lesser deed. Take for example theft: if a man is willing to steal a thousand dollars, it is presumed that he would also be willing to steal ten dollars. The opposite is not always true: a man willing to steal ten dollars would not necessarily be willing to steal a thousand dollars. It is an easy point to understand.

Now let us translate this into spiritual matters. If someone is willing to commit a grave sin, we can presume that he is also willing to commit a lesser sin. For example: if a man is willing to curse God, we would presume that is also willing to take the Lord's name in vain. Or, if a man is willing to murder someone, then we can presume that he is also willing to strike a person with his fist. What would happen if we applied this in the area of liturgical action? After all, in the Mass we are relating to God more closely and more intimately than any other area of our lives this side of the grave.

If someone disobeys the rules for the Mass, then he is likely committing some pretty serious other sins (for almost every other sin is lesser than a sin directly against the Lord in the worship of Him). If you see a priest who knowingly breaks the rules at Mass, you have to ask: where else does he break the rules? If he is willing to disobey God's Church and mislead God's people (publicly) because he thinks he knows more than two thousand years of tradition, then I must posit the idea that he is likely breaking the rules in other areas of morality. Is it any surprise that those priests caught in sexual sin are also usually disobedient in the Mass?

What you are willing to do in public, will reveal also what you are willing to do in private. How we behave in the Mass is a microscope on our entire soul. It will show to everyone and anyone what kind of life we live. Yes, it is possible for someone to "do ok" in the Mass, but hide his other sins (I did not say all the other sins would be evident to others). Yet, "the greater to the lesser": if a priest is not leading Mass according to the rules of the Church, then he is not living his life according to the rules of the Church either. If you want a guide by which to find faithfulness in a priest, this is it; it may not be perfect, but it is clearly a key.