When Loyalty Goes Too Far - The Fr. Mike Schmitz Catholic Podcast

When Loyalty Goes Too Far

Thu Feb 06 2025

Loyalty is a powerful virtue—but can it become dangerous? Loyalty is seen as a sought-after virtue, even being the foundation of relationships. However, can loyalty be disordered? Can being loyal to the wrong things cost you your soul? Fr. Mike reveals to us that loyalty, when placed in the wrong order, is dangerous and can even lead to idolatry. What does your loyalty hierarchy look like?

Summary

Summary of "When Loyalty Goes Too Far" - The Fr. Mike Schmitz Catholic Podcast

Release Date: February 6, 2025

In the episode titled "When Loyalty Goes Too Far," Fr. Mike Schmitz delves deep into the concept of loyalty, exploring its virtues, boundaries, and the complex hierarchy that governs our allegiances. Through relatable examples from popular culture and everyday life, Fr. Mike offers profound insights into understanding where loyalty strengthens us and where it may lead us astray.

1. Introduction to Loyalty

Fr. Mike begins the discussion by acknowledging loyalty as a fundamental virtue. He emphasizes its positive role in building strong relationships and communities.

Fr. Mike (00:30): "Loyalty unites us and gives us unity."

However, he quickly pivots to the idea that while loyalty is inherently good, it isn't without its limitations.

2. Loyalty in Popular Culture

To illustrate the dual nature of loyalty, Fr. Mike references popular media, such as mafia movies and the "Fast and Furious" franchise.

Mafia Context:

He points out how loyalty is portrayed in mafia settings, where individuals commit crimes to protect or support their "family."

Fr. Mike (01:15): "You have people who end up doing crime on behalf of the family. We gotta do it for the family."
Fast and Furious Example:

Using "Fast and Furious" as another example, Fr. Mike highlights the glorification of familial loyalty.

Fr. Mike (02:00): "It's all about family, right? Loyalty is a good. It's a virtue."

These examples serve to show that while loyalty can bind people together, it can also be manipulated to justify unethical actions.

3. The Virtuous Nature of Loyalty

Fr. Mike explores why loyalty is considered a virtue, attributing its value to the cohesion and commitment it fosters within various relationships and communities.

Fr. Mike (03:20): "Loyalty knits us together. It can make a commitment to my family or to a group of people that transcends my emotions, my whims."

He underscores that loyalty provides stability and a sense of belonging, making commitments that last beyond transient feelings or circumstances.

4. Hierarchy of Loyalty

One of the central themes of the episode is the hierarchy of loyalty—the idea that our allegiances must be ordered based on priority and ethical considerations.

Primary Allegiances:

Fr. Mike discusses how personal relationships influence our primary loyalties. For instance, he uses the example of a young man whose primary loyalty shifts from his parents to his spouse upon marriage.

Fr. Mike (05:10): "When you get married, you transfer your primary allegiance from whoever had it before to your spouse."
Out-of-Order Hierarchies:

He warns against misplaced loyalties, such as being more loyal to friends than to ethical or authoritative figures like a bishop or a parent.

Fr. Mike (06:45): "If I'm more loyal to my buddies than I am to the bishop, then that is an out-of-order hierarchy."

This hierarchy ensures that loyalty serves its intended purpose without undermining moral or communal obligations.

5. Limits to Loyalty

While advocating for loyalty, Fr. Mike also acknowledges that it has its boundaries, especially when it conflicts with justice and truth.

Conflict with Justice and Truth:

He posits that loyalty should never override fundamental principles like justice and truth.

Fr. Mike (08:30): "Am I willing to sacrifice justice for the sake of loyalty to my country? Am I willing to sacrifice truth for a misplaced loyalty to my family?"
Political Implications:

Using political scenarios, such as a governor pardoning a child for crimes, Fr. Mike illustrates how excessive loyalty can corrupt ethical standards.

Fr. Mike (10:05): "We are all called to be more loyal to ideals of truth and justice than to anyone we happen to be related to."

He draws a clear line that loyalty must not lead to idolatry, where relationships take precedence over moral integrity.

6. Ultimate Allegiance: Loyalty to Jesus

Fr. Mike culminates his discussion by highlighting that above all, our highest loyalty should be to Jesus Christ.

Fr. Mike (12:50): "The one who has an ultimate claim on our loyalty is Jesus. If anything, if anyone makes a claim on me that would take me away from Jesus, my loyalty to Jesus comes before them."

He stresses that while loyalty to family, friends, or country is important, it must always be subordinate to our commitment to Christ. Placing anything or anyone above Jesus transforms that loyalty into idolatry, necessitating repentance and realignment of one's priorities.

7. Conclusion and Call to Reflection

Fr. Mike encourages listeners to reflect on their own loyalties, ensuring that their hierarchies align with ethical and spiritual truths.

Fr. Mike (14:20): "If you place anything or anyone ahead of your loyalty to Jesus, that person or thing has become your idol. In that case, you have to repent and reorient your heart."

He invites listeners to engage in conversations about loyalty, fostering a community of thoughtful and compassionate dialogue.

Final Thoughts

In "When Loyalty Goes Too Far," Fr. Mike Schmitz offers a balanced exploration of loyalty, celebrating its role in human connections while cautioning against its potential pitfalls. By establishing a clear hierarchy, with Jesus at the pinnacle, he provides a framework for authentic and ethical loyalties that honor both personal relationships and universal truths.

For those seeking to navigate the complexities of loyalty in their lives, this episode serves as a valuable guide, urging introspection and alignment with higher moral and spiritual principles.

Transcript

A (0:00)

Hi, my name's Father Mike Schmitz, and this is Ascension. Presents. Presents. What am I, Monsignor Shake? Gosh, I don't know how to start this. Well, actually, I do. Sorry. Yes. I don't. No, I do. Okay, here we go. I've been thinking about this a lot lately. The concept of loyalty. Number one, loyalty is a good. It's actually a virtue. At the same time, there are limits to loyalty. Here's like, you know, a mafia movie or TV show or something like this where you have people who end up doing crime on behalf of the family. We gotta do it for the family. Or you have people who are covering up a crime for the family, and you think like, no, that's being loyal. That's being faithful to your family. That's being loyal to your kin. Right? That's in so many ways, in that particular context, it's depicted as, this is the right thing to do. Or I guess if you've seen any of the Fast and Furious movies, it's all about family, right? Loyalty is a good. It's a virtue. But there are limits to loyalty. So why is loyalty a virtue in the first place? I think for many, many reasons. It knits us together. That can make a commitment to my family or to a group of people that can make a commitment to a cause or even a commitment to my country that transcends my emotions, that transcends my whim. Right. Transcends my feelings, that transcends circumstances where I can say, I will be. I'm part of this family even when I don't feel like being part of this family, or I'm going to be that steady, loyal friend even when you're making demands on me that I'd rather you weren't making demands. Or again, I can be loyal to my country even if the country says, okay, we need you to serve in this way or that way, like there's something really, really good. Loyalty unites us and it gives us a stability. Right? Loyalty unites us and gives us unity. At the same time, I think we all would acknowledge, or we should acknowledge, that there is a hierarchy to loyalty. I ought to be more loyal to some people than to others. If it comes into conflict, who has my first allegiance, right? So as an example, you know, you have. Here's a young man and he grows up and he's loyal to his family. He's loyal to his parents. That's a good thing. At some point, he might meet a young woman, and when they get married, what he's doing Is, I've said this before, he's transferring his primary allegiance to his wife and to their children. That's who gets his primary allegiance. So there's a conflict between, here's what my wife wants, and it's good. Here's what my parents want and it's good. Okay, my primary allegiance has been shifted, it's been transferred to her, away from my parents. So there's a hierarchy of loyalty. And we probably, you know, again, you can see this all across the board in so many different human relationships. And so in that is my hierarchy well ordered, that that becomes the big question. So, for example, take that young man. If he is still more loyal to his own mother than he is to his wife, then that is an out of order hierarchy. If I'm more loyal to my buddies than I am to the bishop, then that is an out of order hierarchy. I'm more loyal to, again, my friends than my dad. It's an out of order hierarchy. So there's a certain hierarchy to loyalty. And some people's claim on me, to my loyalty can trump other people's. What are the most essential and primary relationships? And then out from there. That's the degree to which these people get my utmost loyalty. And expand it out. Now we also know this. We also know that not only is there a hierarchy to loyalty, but there is a limit to loyalty. In fact, again, go back to some of those TV programs, those stories about someone who says, in order to keep the family together, in order to take care of the family, you know, we gotta do this crime or whatever the thing is, in that case, we recognize that one of the limits of loyalty is, does this violate justice? Does this violate truth? Like, am I willing to sacrifice justice for the sake of loyalty to my country? Am I willing to sacrifice truth for a misplaced loyalty to my family? Sometimes people have those like, friend tests of like, you know, a good friend is someone to help you bury the body. That kind of idea, I assume. I hope that that's said in, in jokingly. I hope no one ever has to do that. But I would say no, never. I would never help you bury the body. If you've murdered someone, if you've killed an innocent human being, you're guilty. I should be loyal to truth. I should be more loyal to justice than you. And it's one of those situations where it should be this. I don't care who you are. If you have violated justice, if you violated truth, then I have a greater loyalty to, to justice and to truth than to you. Whoever you are. It's one of those situations where we can see this, and it comes out in politics where here is a governor or a president who says, I'm going to pardon my own child of crimes they're guilty of. You would do that? Of course you would do that. Everyone would do that for their, for their child. Just because everyone's going to jump off a bridge doesn't mean you're called to jump off a bridge too. We are all called, especially someone who's in a position of power, to be more loyal to those ideals of truth and of justice than to anyone we happen to be related to or anyone we happen to live with or anyone we happen to live among. Because without that, loyalty becomes idolatry. Let's say that again. If I'm willing to sacrifice justice and truth for the sake of a relationship, for the sake of loyalty, in that case, loyalty has now become idolatry. This good thing, loyalty that binds us together, unites us. Now because it's of an out of order hierarchy or because of a misplaced sense of loyalty, it is now idolatry. And I have now sacrificed my own character, I've sacrificed my own person at the altar of that idol, that idol of loyalty. This is the last thing I mentioned, that there is a hierarchy to loyalty. And that yes, of course we transfer our primary allegiance. You know, if you get married, you transfer primary allegiance from whoever had it before to your spouse. That's. That's wonderful. That's so good. But there is someone who has an ultimate claim on our loyalty. And it's not just the concept of truth or the reality of justice, but the one who has a claim on our loyalty above all is Jesus. If anything, if anyone makes a claim on me that would take me away from Jesus, my loyalty to Jesus comes before them. If any family member, if any friend, if any country, if any corporation, if any employer, if anyone were to say, okay, it's between us or me, and the loyalty you have to Jesus, then our loyalty goes to Jesus first and foremost. No, I can be loyal to the people around me after that. I can be loyal to my company after that and my country after that. But Jesus comes first. And if he doesn't, whatever comes first, that's my idol. If I place anything or anyone, my loyalty to that person or to that thing ahead of my loyalty to Jesus, that person or that thing has become my idol. Okay? In that case, I have to repent of that. In that case, I have to actually reorient my own heart and my own choices so that my heart and my life and my everything belongs to Jesus first and then those people and those principles after that. You might wrestle with that. You might actually be like ah really that's really tense because like yeah I came from a really tight family or because I don't understand how this would be good or this would be bad. If you have any questions about that or maybe even have a debate, put it in the comments. Keep it friendly, keep it, you know, charitable, keep it Christian and let's hear what you think down in the comments. Anyways, formless here to presents. My name's Father Mike. God bless. Here we go. Let's start. Is that right? Okay. Loyalty is a good. Let's sorry start again. The family and the family has to stick together. Sorry, let me not slap in face now we're have slapping hands.