The Nature of Zealots

Fr. Jay makes an interesting point in his post on the Conversion of St. Paul:

Conversion always brings with it a bit of zeal. It's natural and it's a good thing. But what's funny is that zeal in the case of religion (and apparently only in the case of religion) is considered a negative by most people. The other day some former parishioners came to visit, and while we were talking one of them mentioned how her teenaged son told her that his friends consider her a bit of a "religious nut." Now, consider the source: A bunch of teens who will spend hours watching a football or basketball game, quoting obscure lines from Wil Farrell movies they've seen dozens of times, and willing to throw a fit in order to 'fit in' with the mob mentality that is high school. Why are a bunch of fans who go to a football game barechested in freezing weather called "diehards" and applauded, and a bunch of people who go to Washington to protest abortion in freezing weather called "religious nuts" and ridiculed? MORE


Indeed. We admire zeal in some areas while condemning it in others. This is important because it provides a glimpse of our innermost priorities. Are they in the right place?

The key question is what get us excited? What makes us willing to say and do things that others may think are a little strange? I don't mean there is anything wrong with being a devoted fan of your team. (In fact, few teams have rabid fans than Notre Dame.) In so doing, however, we should recognize that our greatest devotion is owed to God.

Maybe we feel a little guilty when we see other people displaying that devotion in public ways. However not everyone is called to vocal evangelization. Many people serve God extraordinarily well in private ways. Some who seem to be loudly faithful are, in fact, not faithful at all.

The real problem is that we assume people to be zealots of whatever kind without knowing them. We see the guys at football games all painted up and assume things about them that may not be true. We see someone carrying a Bible and make different presumptions. In either case, until we know someone and have opportunity to observe them over time we probably shouldn't make a lot of conclusions about their motivation.

The best practice: get to know people before you judge them. First impressions aren't always right.