The Obligation of the Nobility

Well, give me the Middle Ages over the present Dark Ages. I know I am an incurable Romantic about the great age of Christendom, but there are certain core ideas that were held as ideals in the Middle Ages that we could do with today.



Take the beautiful concept of noblesse oblige--the obligation of the nobility or simply, "To whom much is given much shall be required." Pictured above is Elizabeth of Hungary--a kind of royal Mother Teresa of her day. She gave up much of her wealth to serve the poor and dying--even converting her castle to a hospital.



What would it be like if we took this principle to our hearts today and really believed that the destiny of our eternal souls rested on what kind of stewardship we exercised? What would our society be like if there was a direct relationship between what we were given and what we give? Think how our personal lives, the lives of our parish, the lives of our communities would be transformed if we believed--truly believed that the more we had been blessed with the more responsible we were to help others.



St Elisabeth of Hungary ora pro nobis.[image error]