Was re-reading Everlasting Man last night, and in it Chesterton points out how the Jesus of the gospels was hardly the meek and mild modern caricature of popular piety - but that the Church's emphasis is necessary:
The figure in the Gospels does indeed utter in words of almost heart-breaking beauty his pity for our broken hearts. But they are very far from being the only sort of words he utters. Nevertheless they are almost the only kind of words that the Church in its popular imagery ever represents him as uttering. That popular imagery is inspired by a perfectly sound popular instinct. The mass of the poor are broken, and the mass of the people are poor, and for the mass of mankind the main thing is to carry the conviction of the incredible compassion of God."Poor" is a key word above, and by poor I assume he means not just financially poor but spiritually poor. If so, this well connects with what our retreat master recently said in emphasizing the need to really believe God loves us. "All I ask of you is forever to remember Me as loving you," said Father quoting a song. We expect much more of ourselves - after all, that is basic Catechism 101 stuff - and yet how many of us do that well?
The world's suffering can lead us to question God's love, but to look at manifestations of Christ in his saints is to see the stark difference between the mankind and God when it comes to gentleness and compassion. St. Peter Clavier is one such person. It's incredible to believe that people could, in apparently good conscience, stack slaves like cordwood on ships. Living quarters made for twenty would carry two hundred and almost half would die. St. Peter Clavier would, year after year, wait at the dock and tend to those who survived the journey. One can see in him the contrast between the benevolence of God and the treachery of men.
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