What Would Jesus Do? Canteberry Tales Essay

What Would Jesus Do?

Between 1951 and 1991, forty-one Catholic priests in Chicago alone were charged with sexual misconduct (Philip Jenkins). This number has only increased over the past ten years, with the recent valiancy among Catholic women and children to come forth about sexual indecencies committed against them. But while the charges against the priests may be relatively new, the corruption within the clergy is certainly not. Priests' abuse of their position can be traced back to the origin of the church itself through both stories and historical documents. In The Canterbury Tales, Geoffrey Chaucer exposes immorality in the church (both sexually and otherwise) through his introduction of various fictional characters. Together, these characters demonstrate the ways in which the church has fallen away from its original purpose and design--to make disciples of God through church members' imitation of Jesus' character.

In efforts to inspire Christians to act righteously, as well as instill a sense of religious pride among young people, Christians have cleverly coined the phrase, "What Would Jesus Do" or simply, "WWJD." Although the expression may be overused and somewhat childish, in the meaning behind the phrase lies the entire mission statement of Christian dome. The apostle Peter describes it by saying, "To this you were called, because Christ suffered for you, leaving you an example, that you should follow in his steps," (1 Peter 2:21). The message is simple; try to live as Christ lived. Of all people, most would expect the leaders of the church to strive the hardest for this level of Godliness. Quite ironically, however, Chaucer points out that the clergy possesses qualities opposite to those of Jesus--namely impurity, selfishness, and greed.

The dictionary defines the word 'pure' as being free of dirt, defilement, or pollution, and most Christians would agree that when the term is used in the bible, it means just that: being free of the dirt, scum, corruption, and sin in the world. According to Paul, the grace of God and the teachings of Jesus "teach us to say 'No' to ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright and godly lives," (Titus 2:12). In The Canterbury Tales, Chaucer shows that the clergy is doing anything but seeking after purity. The Friar is the best example of this defilement of Christianity with his fulfillment of worldly pleasures in the areas of women and alcohol.

Because of the attachment humans have to sex and their sexual partners, the Catholic Church is structured so that the leaders of the church remain celibate their entire lives. In this way, they are able to keep God their first and only concern. As has been proven through the recently exposed sexual indecencies Catholic Church leaders have committed, however, to some the temptation of the libido is simply too strong to suppress. Such is the temptation of the Friar. Chaucer accuses the Friar of destroying the celibate ideal by pointing out that he had "fixed up many a marriage, giving each of his young women what he could afford her," (216-217). This reveals his sin--that he had broken his vow of abstinence and engaged in the sexual acts of marriage. Chaucer goes on to describe the close relationship the Friar had with the barmaids and innkeepers. He states, "He knew the taverns well in every town and ever innkeeper and barmaid too," (245-246). Not only does this expose the Friar's immoral drinking habits, but it indicates that he was using the inn for other morally questionable acts. To know the innkeeper on such a level as he did, the Friar must have used the inn often, and the connection between the barmaids and the inn suggests that the barmaids stayed with the Friar in the inn. But even if these barmaids did not play the role of prostitute to the Friar, the fact is that he was a member of the clergy spending much of his time in bars. The role of a church leader is not only to teach the congregation the theory of the religion, but to be an example in the practice of it. In being publicly drunk, the Friar paved the road of impurity for all of his disciples.

In the same way that the Friar encouraged impurity by taking part in it, the Summoner encouraged impurity by allowing it--even endorsing it on occasion. The Summoner's job was to deliver messages to people to appear in the church court. When he stumbled upon people committing immoral acts, however, he was perfectly willing to dismiss what he had seen for a small price. In this way he profited by blackmailing the congregation. Chaucer explains, "Why, he'd allow--just for a quart of wine--any good lad to keep a concubine... he knew their secrets, they did what he said," (667-668, 683). Instead of bringing sinners to justice, the Summoner allowed corruption to occur. For the church members, then, the problem changed from how to avoid the sin to how to avoid being caught for the sin. The Friar and the Summoner abandoned the command to live like Christ and controlled their own lives as they pleased. Furthermore, in being impure and allowing impurity to occur all around them, the Friar and the Summoner were partially responsible for the trespasses of the church members.

In the New Testament of the Bible, a special emphasis is placed on helping the poor. The wealthy are commanded to aid their less-fortunate brothers and sisters in Christ. This portion of Christianity has developed beyond its religious foundations in the form of volunteer organizations and government programs. Within the church, offerings are taken nearly every week for various charities. In The Canterbury Tales, however, selfishness seems to be a quality prevalent among the clergy. Chaucer best exemplifies this lack of generosity while characterizing the Friar. He reveals the Friar's lack of concern for the poor by saying, "For though a widow mightn't have a shoe, so pleasant was his holy how-d'ye-do he got his farthing from her just that same" (259-261). Had the Friar thought, "What Would Jesus Do," he would have helped the woman. In fact, it was the Friar's job to help this woman. Instead he demanded help from her. In this way, the Friar demonstrated the overwhelming selfishness of the clergy--the lack of concern for the struggling church members and the absorption with themselves.

Even if the woman was required to give her portion to charity, the money should have come back to her through distribution of funds to the poor. It was the clergy's responsibility to spend the offering the way that Jesus would have, but their greed got in the way and the collection was kept for themselves. Chaucer points out the irony in the Friar's actions by defining the Friar's philosophy: "It