A Word to the Wise

All this fuss over little deviations from Church instructions!! stated the old sage.
What do you mean by 'little deviations'.
This is what a good Catholic lady said to me, he explained. She was complaining about Priests coming under attack by these so-called real-Catholics and all over 'little' things'.
Nothing new about this erroneous type of thinking, unfortunately.
True. These 'little things' pave the way for the 'big' things. If a Priest is deliberately defiant in 'little things' does he end there?
I would suspect that the 'little things' would multiply and open the way for much greater defiance.
On the other hand, can we really call a Priest's minor defiance of The Church a 'little thing'?
Not necessarily old sage, because that 'little thing' shows where he stands as a Catholic. Even a 'little' defiance indicates a modernist attitude.
Yes, there's that but there's more. A Priest represents Christ and the Priest's attitude and his example are intended for the spiritual health of the faithful under his care.
I see what your point. While a minor defiance might be a 'little thing' to a lay person, when a Priest does the same, it becomes a 'big' thing. Are we talking about venial sins and mortal sins here?
I think we are. God knows.
The more one is given, the more is expected of him?
There you go.     W