By Francis X. Maier.

But first a note from Robert Royal: Fran Maier reminds us today that in the past, the Church has overcome many of the same challenges that we face at present. But that doesn't happen all on its own. It takes people with names like Hildebrand, Francis, Dominic, Catherine, Ignatius, Teresa, Karol, and many more, including you. In other words, people who stayed faithful and made a difference - as in our own ways, all of us may today. I often hear from readers that our daily columns help keep them sane and focused amid the many challenges and confusions of our age. That's no small thing,which means neither are your contributions to our efforts. The time is short. The need is great. And now is the time to make a big difference. Support The Catholic Thing.

Now for today's column...

I'm a sucker for history because it's a great teacher. And I talk a lot about the Reformation because, while our world today and the world of the Reformation era are very different, they also share some striking similarities: political and social turmoil; big changes in technology that reshape how we learn, think, communicate, work, and believe; and a pattern of ambiguity and battles within the Church. Names from the Reformation era like Thomas More, John Fisher, and Erasmus are widely known. John Colet, priest and scholar, is barely remembered. But I want to focus on Colet here because his love for the Church and her mission speaks directly to our age.

Colet was born in England in 1467. The middle of the 15th century witnessed the chaos of three simultaneous and competing popes. The century was marked throughout by bitter political conflict. And it ended with a corrupt Renaissance papacy.

Colet was ordained a priest in the late 1490s. He began his ministry during the papacy of Alexander VI (Rodrigo Borgia), one of the worst popes in the 2000-year line. None of this pushed Colet away from the Church. But it did anger him the way the moneychangers angered Christ. Google "John Colet, 1512 sermon" and you'll be a taken to a homily that he gave to English Church leaders just a few years before Luther posted his 95 theses. Five centuries later, it's still a stunning critique of corruption, ambition, greed, and indifference among Church leaders, and a barn-burner on the urgent need for Church reform. Nobody listened.

Colet died in 1519, just as Martin Luther was gaining steam in Germany. So he's sometimes described as a kind of proto-Protestant. But the facts simply don't support that. He was a friend of More and Fisher, and he had a huge influence on Erasmus. He treasured his priesthood, and very strongly believed that the clergy, despite their human flaws, were absolutely necessary for the saving role of the Church. He had no interest in reimagining doctrines or sacraments. He was a man of humility, fidelity, and Catholic continuity.

So that's some background. But here's the real reason I mention Colet.

He had an abiding love for the clarity and zeal of St. Paul. In 1497, barely 30 years old, he gave a series of lectures at Oxford on Paul's Epistle to the Romans. His lectures still have remarkable power. They speak directly to us, here and now.

And here's why: The Rome that Paul describes in Romans, especially in the first two chapters, is strangely familiar, and rife with recent echoes - the malice, confused sexuality, vanity, and strife. Paul's purpose in writing to the young Church in Rome was very simple: How should Christians live in such a place, the pagan capital of a pagan empire? Rome at the time was a dominant power in the world, just as America is today. Most first-century Romans viewed Christianity as an ugly superstition. Many saw it as a threat to public order and welfare. And if we think that our modern political leaders are disappointing, the Christians of Rome had Nero.

Colet made a sweeping tour of the letter's meaning for the Oxford audience. But two points are especially useful for our reflection today.

First, for ...