The Decline of Gravitas in a Culture of Whiny Child Adults

This morning at Mass, our pastor read a letter from Fr. Davide Pagliarani to the lay faithful about the current situation between the SSPX and the Vatican. It offered consolation and encouragement, something the laity certainly haven't received from our father in Rome sad to say. It also manifested a virtue that one seldom hears about today -- gravitas, a seriousness and dignity, not to mention respect and concern for the laity. It was inspiring to listen to it. It's not published online yet, but no doubt will be by the time I return from my retreat. I'll post it then.

I happened to read an article on Substack after Mass about gravitas. It was an aha moment. Unfortunately, it was behind a paywall so I couldn't read the "four concrete practices you can start doing right now: ..." to increase gravitas. All these paywalls are a pet peeve of mine. I'll never put anything I write behind a paywall; but that's a rant for another day. At any rate, it doesn't take a rocket science to figure out what one can do to increase gravitas. Get serious!

You won't find much gravitas in the conciliar, synodal church these days. When a priest blesses the congregation with a guitar or dances in the middle of holy Mass or sings as a bride processes down the aisle does it demonstrate the seriousness the liturgy deserves? The answer is obvious. Priests clowning on the altar is childish and, frankly, it's unmanly. No executive at a meeting of the board of his company would jump up and start doing the twist. Does Almighty God deserve less dignity?

So what, exactly, is gravitas? 

"Gravitas was a key Roman virtue symbolizing seriousness, dignity, and moral rigor, emphasizing responsibility and commitment. Valued especially in leaders, it stood alongside other virtues such as pietas, severitas, gloria, simplicitas, integritas, dignitas, and virtus. Among these, gravitas and virtus were considered the most canonical virtues, embodying the ideals of self-discipline, moral strength, and leadership in ancient Roman culture.

"Gravitas was one of the virtues that allowed citizens, particularly statesmen, to embody the concept of romanitas, which denotes what it meant to be Roman and how Romans regarded themselves, eventually evolving into a national character. Many Roman philosophers praised constantia (perseverance, endurance, and courage), dignitas, and gravitas as the most important virtues; this is because they made dignified men capable." [Source]

Ah...to be "capable." That comes from the Latin word capabilis, able to grasp or hold much, to be fit for. The capable man is serious and able to take on difficult projects and express himself with dignity and moral rigor. Should we not all strive for the gravitas that makes us capable to be effective warriors for the Lord? 

It seems to me that the one who shows gravitas is not serious to the point of having no sense of humor. Rather, he knows when humor and playfulness are appropriate and when they're not. The lack of gravitas is not surprising in a culture where feelings rule and children in adult bodies act like whiny, raging two-year-olds demanding their own way and blaming everyone but themselves for their bad behavior. "It was the way my mother toilet trained me!" A woman actually called me once to argue after I had a pro-life letter to the editor in the Washington Post. She said she should be able to have an abortion because she was on the pill. It wasn't her fault the pill failed. The fact that when you have relations, the natural result is a baby seemed to escape her. If I remember correctly, after a tirade she hung up on me. I still pray for all the women I've touched who went through with their abortions and for those who chose life as well. 

Let us pray for a return of gravitas. I think we can engender it in ourselves by treating serious issues seriously, by engaging in Socratic argument instead of childish insults and name-calling and always thinking before speaking. Some things need to shelved until one has a chance to consider them with gravity. Haste and speaking off-the-cuff are not indicative of gravitas. We saw many examples of its lack during the airplane interviews with Pope Francis. And the practice of spontaneous press interviews seems to have taken root with Pope Leo as well. Is it really appropriate for popes to be holding press conferences at all? Vatican correspondent Edward Pentin calls them "media scrums" and thinks they open the door to doctrinal errors:

these spontaneous “doorstep” interviews proceed on others’ terms and demand an immediate, unconsidered answer, thereby making him vulnerable to stepping into controversy and to committing doctrinal errors that will likely be interpreted as magisterial.

Instead of gravitas, papal press events seem to lead to chaos and confusion. They certainly don't seem to clarify issues about the faith! On the contrary, they magnify the confusion.

The Good Man Project offers some excellent advice for developing gravitas. It's from a secular standpoint, but many of the recommendations can also be applied to living a life of Christian virtue, e.g., adhering to ethical principles, honoring your commitments, showing concern for others, etc. I think the beginning of developing gravitas is simple. Speak less and pray more. Oh...and go to confession often.