Some one has said that in the Middle Ages there were just
three classes of society: the nobles who fought; the peasants who worked; and
the clergy who prayed. The latter class was divided into the secular [14]
clergy, including deacons, priests, and bishops, who lived active lives in the
world, and the regular [15] clergy, or monks, who passed their days in
seclusion behind monastery walls.
[14] Latin saeculum, used in the sense of "the
world."
[15] Latin regula, a "rule", referring to
the rule or constitution of a monastic order.
POSITION OF THE CLERGY
It has been already pointed out how early both secular and
regular clergy came to be distinguished from the laity by abstention from
money-making activities, differences in dress, and the obligation of celibacy.
Being unmarried, the clergy had no family cares; being free from the
necessity of earning their own living, they could devote all their time and
energy to the service of the Church. The sacrament of Ordination, which was
believed to endow the clergy with divine power, also helped to strengthen their
influence. They appeared as a distinct order, in whose charge was the care of
souls and in whose hands were the keys of heaven.
