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| Thursday July 3rd was the Feast of Thomas the Apostle |
There was
not an underlying theme this past week at Principium et Finis, but we did look
at the matter/spirit, body/soul connection from a couple of different angles,
both in reference to the relationship between temporal authority and the Church.
There seems to be a bit of a trend among some Catholics toward adopting a sort of
permanent adversarial stance toward their country. It seems to me that an appropriate, and in fact commendable
Patriotism balances the love of one’s fellow citizens and the history and
traditions of one’s country with the recognition of the sovereignty of
God. This is a good thing. I suspect that
in some quarters there is not a clear enough distinction being made between Patriotism and
its evil cousin, the idolatry known as Nationalism, which puts the nation or the state in the place reserved for God.
Wednesday, for instance, I took issue with a writer whom I admire, David
Warren, because in an otherwise well-done article he engages in a sort of
historical Docetism by denying the significance of the material context, that
is the culture of Greece and Rome, in which the Church took shape during the
first few centuries of its existence.
Friday, Independence Day here in the United States, I discussed the formal
declaration of that independence, a document which points to a unique republic
in which “sovereignty belonged to the people, [but] the true Sovereign was God
himself”. Because of the Declaration of
Independence, Abraham Lincoln in his Gettysburg Address* famously described his
country as “a new nation, conceived in Liberty, and dedicated to the
proposition that all men are created equal”. While the United States has often fallen short
of its ideals, the Declaration has always served as a standard by which it measures, and sometimes corrects itself, and as an inspiration to aim higher (it has also been an inspiration to
countless others around the world). It
also reminds us that all earthly authority is ultimately subject to the
authority of God, a truth we ignore at our peril.
This past
week at Principium et Finis:
Another glorious contribution form the Boy Wonder of Salzburg: “Mozart: Gloria from
his Coronation Mass in C Major” [here]
The preliminary document for this fall's synod on the family suggests maybe the Pope doesn't want to jettison Church teaching after all . . . “Good News: The Pope Is Catholic” [here]
We can't fight the rise of secularism by holding up an image of Western Culture that denies its human sources: "How Do We Counter the Culture of Narcissism?"
Sure, atheists can be good people - if they want to. Or not. Whatever. “Why Be Moral? (Throwback Thursday Edition)”
A July 4th reflection on the Declaration of Independence: “Appealing To The Supreme Judge Of The World” [here]
*Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday, July 1-3, marked the 151st anniversary of the Battle of Gettysburg, the greatest and most destructive battle ever on North American soil.
*Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday, July 1-3, marked the 151st anniversary of the Battle of Gettysburg, the greatest and most destructive battle ever on North American soil.
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| Pickett's Charge, Gettysburg, July 3rd 1863 |
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