Peeking into the Past

I have seen a few articles lately that say things like, "Pope Leo's homily in 2004 reveals what he thinks about this or that" or "A comment from Pope Leo right after he was ordained shows how he does such and such". I appreciate their desire to look into a man that we know little about, but this is bad investigation. If someone were to listen to a homily I gave 20 years ago, it would not be an insight into what I do now. If someone were to watch my pastoral decisions just 10 years ago, they would not reveal what I am going to do today. This is not just true for the Pope and I, it is true for everyone who ever existed.

Unless someone's mental, spiritual, and emotional development is completely stagnated, then he will be going through changes (hopefully for the better) throughout his life. Just because someone did something in the past, does not mean that he will do or even think the same thing today. To presume this of someone is something of an insult. There are things that good and faithful people change their position on, and that is not a bad thing.

1600 to 1800 years ago, many of the Church Fathers wrote books of what they called "retractions". This was a list and explanation of those things that they once believed, but no longer did. It did not mean that they were flexible in their theology and changing on a whim, it meant that they were humble enough to admit it when they were wrong. They had changed their mind on certain subjects and come into to a more godly view of those particular issues. We call this spiritual growth, and it is expected of every one of us.

Something from someone's past might be informative of where that person is right now, but not necessarily. If anything, we should look into the past, not to determine what someone might do today, but rather to get a view of where that person has grown. If someone had a passion for bringing lost people to salvation, then it does not guarantee the same passion today, but it will give us greater insight into what has influenced him in the current day. Thus, let us be cautious when we are comparing the past with the present.

Let us not speculate on these things because they can easily disappoint us. If we find bad things in a person's past, it gives us something about which to pray (that he has repented and is doing better now). If we find good things in a person's past, let us pray that he has continued with that good and is deepening his commitment to it. We are not defined by our past, but by the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ.