Shouting & Gyrating Lenten Preachers!

Cardinal Saint Robert Bellarmine on Lenten Missions 400 years ago!


"There are many preachers of of God's word in the Church today, and there always have been.

"I do not say that many preachers lack energetic delivery or gyrations of their whole body.

"Cannons let out a mighty roar, even when they have no shot, but they produce no results ..."


Snippets from the Spiritual Writings of Robert Bellarmine. New York: Paulist Press, 1989.

Pages 113 - 114.

"There are many preachers of God's word in the Church today and there always have been.

"What is then the reason that all their exhortations and shoutings convert so few?

"In large cities twenty, thirty and even forty preachers give sermons every day during Lent, but when Lent has passed there seems to be no change in the morals of the city.

"I do not say that many preachers lack energetic delivery or gyrations of the whole body.

"Cannons let out a mighty roar even when they have no iron or stone shot, but they produce no results.

"Saint Peter had not mastered the art of speaking.

"But when the Holy Spirit came down on him in fiery tongues and filled him with a burning love, he at once began to speak in the middle of Jerusalem so powerfully, that in one sermon he converted many thousands to repentance and faith.

"Still we do not read that he used a lot of shouting or wore himself out by gyrations of his whole body ... "

Good points! :)