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Saint Thorlac: Gentle Pastor
The Saga of Bishop Thorlac uses many verbs to tell of his leadership in Iceland: commanded, ordered, admonished, taught, rebuked, helped, established, explained and called. Many historians characterize St. Thorlac as a headstrong reformer who tolerated no deviation from Church rules and battled with prominent leaders over matters of morality and ownership of Church property. Yet a study of the adverbs from the same pages of the Saga paints a different picture: beautifully, lovingly, gently, patiently, friendly and excellently. Two adjectives used often are mild and gentle. This hardly sounds like a stubborn taskmaster.
St. Thorlac was indeed a reformer. The clergy in Iceland during his time took many liberties with moral standards. Thorlac worked hard to teach, lovingly and gently, the reasoning behind Church rules. He took seriously his role as pastor (and later, Bishop), guarding against sin and leading people away from habits that were harmful to their souls. He believed a priest should serve the people, and so he did not flinch from telling the truth – yet he delivered his admonitions with, as the texts say, "moderation and gentle chastisement." (2)
St. Thorlac, Gentle Pastor: Pray For Us!