St. Dionysius the Areopagite—On Minding One’s Own Business
By James T. Majewski ( bio - articles - email ) | Mar 20, 2025 | In Catholic Culture Audiobooks (Podcast)
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“It is not for Demophilus to set these things straight. For if the Word of God commands us to pursue just things justly... this must be pursued by all justly, not beyond their own fitness.”
This letter—historically attributed to St. Dionysius the Areopagite, a 1st-century convert of Saint Paul from Acts, but now considered the work of an anonymous 5th-century author known as ‘Pseudo-Dionysius’—delivers a stern yet compassionate rebuke to a monk named Demophilus. Dionysius challenges the monk’s rash condemnation of a priest for absolving a repentant sinner, and urges mercy, humility and respect for the Church’s hierarchy. Adapted from an 1897 translation, this version retains the work’s rhetorical and theological depth while rendering the language more accessible to contemporary listeners.
Links
Letter VIII: About minding one’s own business, and kindness full text: https://www.tertullian.org/fathers/areopagite_08_letters.htm#letter8
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James T. Majewski is Vice President of Trinity Communications, Director of Customer Relations for CatholicCulture.org, the “voice” of Catholic Culture Audiobooks, and co-host of Criteria: The Catholic Film Podcast. Based in New York City, he holds both a BA in Philosophy and an MFA in Acting. See full bio.
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