For me but not for thee

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Family

GK Chesterton, in his work Everlasting Man, observes that, “[t]he truth is that only men to whom the family is sacred will ever have a standard or a status by which to criticize the state.” He goes on to remark that it was because the Roman based his world upon his family, Rome was never at peace: “the state that imposed peace on the world was never really at peace.” As I read these lines a thought struck me:

Who criticizes our state? Who can criticize our state?

The most vocal opponents of modern America seems to come from those who have this unsettling notion (unsettling, that is, to the eyes of those in power) that in some strange fashion, the family is more important than the state. These same power-mongering-officials are doing everything they can to destroy this last bastion of revolt.

Surely, I overreact. It is not as though the government has taken over the formation of the youth (government schools), care for the ill & aged (government health care), or even transportation (Government Motors). It is not as though the state has taken upon itself the very definition of family (“same sex marriage”) and life (IVF, abortion, & euthanasia).

Surely, I overreact. Then why is it that voices that defend the family are mocked, ridiculed, and excluded from public discourse? Whether this be diabolically intentional or myopically misguided, our politically-dominated culture seems to be going out of its way to destroy the only institution that allows, no demands, the government be scrutinized and bow before the common man.

If the family is enough to move a man to fight, then the highest offices of power must tread lightly. If the family is independant, then the government must risk constant rebellion- as we saw in Rome for centuries. In this constant revolt, the state can never forget that it is not sacrosanct; it is derivitave. In this ongoing struggle of family and politics, vigilence in the name of liberty will never allow the opprosive tyrants to squelch that local freedom which, perhaps, best defines human society.

If, however, the family be not enough to move a man to stand up and fight, what shall? If the home be not enough for a man take arms against that which threatens it, then perhaps (in CS Lewis’s terms) we have finally created men without chests. And we need not wait to be conquered, for we already are in thralldom.

Earth Full of Lab Rats

I think people tend to associate random illness or physical pain with their past sins. In olden days (see: the Bible), it was commonly thought that sinfulness led to physical infirmity as seen in John 9 when people asked Jesus if the man born blind was in such a state because of his sin or his parent’s. Matthew 9 shows Jesus seeing a paralytic lying on a stretcher and telling the person “Courage child, your sins are forgiven.”

Ok. I’m the paralytic thinking, “AND???”

Yeah, the guy is healed in the end, but Christ shows quite vividly that spiritual sins do not cause physical infirmity. At least not paralysis…

But getting back to my point, it seems to be within human nature to look for a cause of a poor physical condition. Many faithful people who fall ill with one disease or another question God and many unfaithful people remain as such because they see that a believer’s God won’t save them.

But what if God did save faithful people from physical infirmity? Only the mafia would get Parkinson’s disease. The pope wouldn’t get Parkinson’s disease. Atheists would get tuberculosis. St. Therese wouldn’t get tuberculosis. And so people believe and worship God, not out of love, but out of a desire to avoid illness.

Exit question: If all things come from God, why is it that one is thought to be ‘blessed with good health,’ but not ‘blessed with poor health?’

Introduction

Well, since Drewbie decided to give me some authorship in his blog, let me say a few words about myself:

• I’m a 20-something living in Middle-America, but born and raised in the Mitten.
• GK Chesterton has had a profound influence on how I think & see the world.
• I am entering a Benedictine monastery in August.

Some previous thoughts on:
Discernment I & Discernment II
My backstory

Much of my writing will have little to do with politics– D is much better at such discourse than I. My hope is to contribute more on reflections & maybe share insights and syntheses that strike me. Also count on some thoughts on the works of GK Chesterton, Tolkien, & Lewis. I’ll likely sign off in August, but until then will gladly share my thoughts with y’all out there.

Pax
C

A Marian Litany

Mary, most holy
Mary, ever listening
Mary, peaceful heart
Mary, courageous and trusting
Mary, obedient before God
Mary, pierced by seven sorrows

Mary, hear a sinner’s plea
Mary, Mother of God pray for me
Mary, direct my willful heart
Mary, intercede for me

Mary, Queen of Heaven
Mary, hope of Christians
Mary, pray for us sinners
-Amen