Confessions of a Gadfly?

Socrates, the original gadfly

Do you ever think you know what a word means and use it in your mistaken way only to find out that you didn't have it quite right?

 That's what happened to me the other day. It's embarrassing for a wordsmith to admit it. If I'm not sure of a word, I usually look it up. But when you think you know a word's meaning, you tend to just use it. And that's what I did.

I had to empty the dishwasher and put everything away. Whenever I do that it's with a sigh. You would think it was one of the tasks of Hercules. It was all I could do to force myself to complete the task and, in fact, I stopped with the dishwasher half empty to do something else. 

"What a gadfly I am," I said to myself since I thought it meant someone who goes from one thing to another like a bee collecting nectar. I decided to look up the word and found I had completely misinterpreted its meaning. So what is a gadfly and where does the word come from? Here's the definition from the American heritage dictionary:

gadfly /găd′flī″/

noun

• A persistent irritating critic; a nuisance.
• One that acts as a provocative stimulus; a goad.
• Any of various flies, especially a warble fly, botfly, or horsefly, that bite or annoy livestock and other animals.

And where did the word originate? The answer is interesting:

A gadfly is a person who annoys or provokes others, often by challenging the status quo or asking uncomfortable questions. The term originally comes from a type of fly that irritates livestock, and it is also associated with the philosopher Socrates, who was known for his critical questioning.

Socrates described himself as a gadfly in his apology as he faced condemnation by the Athenians for corrupting the young (making them think actually):

Indeed, men of Athens, I am far from making a defense now on my own behalf, as might be thought, but on yours, to prevent you from wrongdoing by mistreating the god’s gift to you by condemning me; for if you kill me you will not easily find another like me. I was attached to this city by the god—though it seems a ridiculous thing to say—as upon a great and noble horse which was somewhat sluggish because of its size and needed to be stirred up by a kind of gadfly. It is to fulfill some such function that I believe the god has placed me in the city. I never cease to rouse each and every one of you, to persuade and reproach you all day long and everywhere I find myself in your company. 

Mark Crosby: assaulted in MD 

Well, perhaps I am a gadfly according to that definition, but it wasn't what I had in mind when I used the word. I find, however, that I love the thought of being in the company of Socrates. He encouraged people to think critically and to be able to defend their opinions. 

Many pro-lifers do that and often the result is they get the Socrates treatment, like the sidewalk counselors in Baltimore physically attacked. The violence against pro-lifers escalated after Roe v. Wade was overturned. [See here and here and here for examples of pro-abortion violence]

In a culture disintegrating into barbarism, gadflies are necessary to wake up people of good will. Edmund Burke once said, the only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for enough good men to do nothing. Pope St. Pius V was even more specific:

“All the evils of the world are due to lukewarm Catholics.”

 Pope St. Pius X said something similar:

“All the strength of Satan’s reign is due to the easygoing weakness of Catholics.”

Isn't it time for all Catholics to become gadflies who challenge the culture? Isn't it our job to annoy and provoke those who support the insane gender ideology and the murderous abortion machine? The prophets certainly acted as gadflies and most of them were put to death as were all the apostles but John. Martyrs abound among the saints, mostly because they annoyed and provoked. Can we not learn to speak the truth in charity and let the chips fall where they may? 

July is the month of the Precious Blood of Jesus. Let us at the very least have the courage to suffer a pin prick for the Lord.

May Jesus Christ be praised!