“Devout”

 

OK, we’re going to hear this word a lot from our illustrious press corps over the next four years.

The secular media does not understand this word.

They believe that someone can be a devout Catholic if he goes to daily mass.

That helps, yes, but it is not the main determinant of devout-ness.

Devout means you believe wholeheartedly in that which you are devout towards.

And belief manifests itself outwardly in words and actions.

Thus, a devout Catholic is not pro-abortion. Nor does his legislative actions put men and women out of honest work for a debatable secular gain. Nor does he, say, for instance, officiate at a gay wedding.

These are not actions of a devout Catholic because devout Catholics do not do these things, because they do not accept such things are sanctioned by their beliefs.

Simply going to mass every day or carrying a Rosary in one’s pocket does not make one a devout Catholic.

It must be confessed that a good segment of the bishops and cardinals in the Catholic Church cannot be described as devout.

The point is, “devout”, “devout-ness”, is a high bar. It’s a rough, tough standard to meet. Few do, and those few are generally called Saints.

So the center square in the Presidential Bingo Card for the next four years will be: DEVOUT.

Or if you’re playing the Presidential Drinking Game, take a sip every time the press describes the man as a “devout Catholic.”

Anything larger could result in a nasty case of alcohol poisoning.