The Protestant Reformation shaped history during the sixteenth century, but it did not come from out of the blue. The Catholic Church had deteriorated over a long period of time.
Regular Mass attendance in the late fifteenth century had gone down, yet there was increased interest in dramatic spectacles such as High Masses (masses commemorating particular saints). Large crowds often gathered to hear famous preachers. Several literary works of piety were produced during this time. One of these was the Imitation of Christ, by Thomas A. Kempis. This devotional encouraged the public to model their lives after Christ so they might receive His guidance. Pilgrimages were common during this time as well.
But not all the public trends were commendable. Superstitions were widespread with particular focus on death and astrology. There was exaggerated devotion to the saints. Extreme cruelty was not uncommon – the wars were particularly savage, the heads of enemies were saved and pickled in salt, executions would be prolonged so that the convict was tortured for a whole month before being killed and some were even buried alive…
Conditions in the Church institutions themselves were even worse. Much of the clergy was impoverished to a state of destitution, provoking a desire for money, which they incessantly demanded off the public. Reports of clergymen’s immoral conduct (including gaming, drinking, loose living, and keeping concubines) were common, but it is difficult to know if (or how much) these reports were exaggerated. Absenteeism (bishops who collect their income but do not reside in their dioceses and do not administer their spiritual duties) was a growing problem as well. There was widespread clerical ignorance because there were no seminaries to teach the preachers. Monasteries had strayed very far from traditional rules such as that of St. Benedictine or St. Francis. Many monks practiced adultery and demanded unwarranted amounts of money from the laity.
Since the spirituality on the earth, namely the institutions of the Church, was thoroughly corrupt, people sought spirituality outside the earth. Some became involved in mystical theology which claimed that all knowledge was in vain and one only needed love, obtained through contemplation and meditation on God. The eremitic tradition, promoting hermitage, also saw a revival.
A movement for religious reform known as Devotio Moderna began in the late fourteenth century. It is known today largely through the Imitation of Christ (c. 1400), by Thomas à Kempis. This devotional encourages Christians to reform themselves and model their lives after Christ.
Overall, the Church’s need for reform was desperate. Even devout Catholics despaired over its widespread corruption. But it wouldn’t be until the sixteenth century that reformation would finally come to pass. The council of Trent addressed worldliness, superstitions and immorality in the Church. Preserving the liturgy and traditional teachings of the Church, it dealt with abuses by particular people.
The Protestants, however, were done with the reoccurring reforms of the Church institutions. They instigated a reformation unlike any other, one that sought to abolish the Church institutions themselves. The common person should be accountable to God and God’s Law alone, not to man – pope, clergyman, or otherwise.
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