Revelation & Revolt

In the United States, freedom is exalted unconditionally, and many individuals believe that governmental authority should exist solely for the restraint of evil, not for the promotion of the common good. Personal freedoms are held sacrosanct, and any inconvenience or disruption of that freedom is seen as strictly negative. In this light, no economic activity is seen as more moral than any other, as all depends upon man's will and through it, the assertion of his freedom of choice. It is decided that each person is the sole judge for himself of what a good life demands. This line of political thought dominates both the Left and the Right, which sharply sequesters American political thought from Catholic social teachings.

In our modern day, few Catholics are able to articulate Catholic apologetics on natural law, which is the basis of moral Catholic social teachings. For the uninitiated, when Catholics talk about the natural law, they are not referring to English-language meaning of the word “natural,” which calls to mind the workings of plants and animals. They instead mean the law of man's moral reason, which requires no supernatural aid to understand. “Natural” refers to the numerous actions which are instinctive to man to find good, and which lead man to greater health, and finally union with his Creator. What is not natural is anything which would cleave man from God, or which would hinder him from fulfilling his purpose. From natural law, we derive the unalienable duties we owe ourselves, and our fellow man.

1. Duties come before rights

Consider a man alone in the wilderness, Ask yourself, is it reasonable to describe him as a being who has rights? Scholars of the Church teach that a man as this has no rights, but duties, because a man alone can only imagine himself alone with his duties. A man has rights among other men, but not by himself. Therefore, duties come before rights, which are subordinate to them. These duties are “nothing else than the rational creature's participation in the eternal law,” (Summa Theologica, I-II, Q. xciv).

2. The eternal law is rooted in human dignity

The truth of Catholicism is ecstasy, as it answers the yearning in the heart of every man: we are not meant for this world. We are God's children, and our souls belong in God's kingdom. The home-sickness and suffering felt through our lives is the direct result of separation from God. It is the destiny of man to submit his life to God to rejoin Him in the Eternal City. The fact that every human being possesses this eternal destiny bestows dignity on every human. This truth is paid out in respect to our fellows, through following our instincts of conscience and foresight. This respect is a fundamental part of Catholic social justice teaching, which has been co-opted and perverted by leftists and so-called “Social Justice” warriors.

Consider the example of the ancient Egyptian, who believed that no soul could justify himself after his death unless he could say: “I have never let anyone suffer from hunger.” Each man knows in his heart what is right and wrong, as God stamped this knowledge on our very souls with our creation. In every culture, it is understood that to grow fat while the man next to you dies of starvation is immoral. It is understood that it is good for a man to preserve his own life, but not to be selfish. From there, it can be reasoned that it is wrong to kill. Likewise, it is understood that a man has a duty to have and rear children, so it is good for children to obey their parents, and for the family unit to be undisturbed by jealousy and lust. Common sense alone would reveal then the duty of always seeking the truth, which we then extend to others by avoiding lies, and is inscribed in the commandment against “bearing false witness.”

Actions which are unnatural in man are unworthy of his human dignity, inhibiting an essential aspect of his human nature. Disorders such as these are called sin, and cleave man from God.

As an example, it is a mistake to presume that the natural desire for food is good, for hunger only points to the good, which is nourishment. Food, as well, is not terminally good, for too much food can result in obesity, an illness. It is good to maintain life, as through life we experience God's creation and grow in faith. To deny life is to despair, and reject God.

The mere pursuit of good health, however, does not lead to God. It is like sexuality. If we believe sexuality is fundamentally good, then we will all go mad in pursuit of sexuality. In short, all must terminate in God, or else risk becoming a perversion of everything that is good.

3. Duties belong only to humans, not collectives

In the United States, companies and organizations are endowed with many of the rights of natural persons, though are not punished as such. As companies lack an eternal destiny, they ought not to be bound by the duties and rights afforded to men. Collectives exist to serve the family; men do not exist to serve collectives. Rightfully removing these rights and duties would naturally inhibit their growth in a manner which would prevent the formation of monopolies, and encourage capitalistic competition.

4. Other applications of natural law

Armed with apologetics, the modern Catholic can apply this knowledge to social issues of the time. The questions of abortion, contraception, feminism, and homosexuality are all adequately addressed through the ordinary application of simple natural law, as murder, disordered attachment to unlimited lust, and the upending of natural hierarchies are easily distinguishable from all that is good and natural.

5. Eternal Separation from God

The discussion of the fires and torments of Hell has become taboo in modern society. It offends feelings, being of something that is naturally revolting and terrifying, and impelling reflection on the state of one's soul. Hell is not only the fire-pits, but an eternal separation from God. Those damned to Hell will lack in any equanimity, and will remain cursed with their vices, unable to sate them for an eternity. Even with the specter of a terrible fate looming near, many Catholics are hesitant to even suggest they believe in Hell. Unfortunately for those of us driven by our vices, (which is almost all of us,) the danger of Hell is real and eternal. From the saints and Church mystics, we have learned that most people don't go to Heaven. The majority of souls are lost to Hell.

With so many souls lost to eternal torment, it calls to court the exaltation of freedom and demands a reckoning. At the heart of the promotion of the common good is the preservation of man's eternal soul, for how could anything else be more good? A healthy life, a moral life, is a life leading to Heaven.

We live in a time of fractured discourse, lacking the shared premises, definitions, and faith by which to engage profitably in discussion with individuals. We share no language. The result is suspicion, accusations, and division. The American people are proliferating a wide range of ideological archipelagos, often ones with no intellectual roots. A language and mission, The language and mission shared by the Universal Church, based in the solid reasoning of natural law, will be a unifying force in the battle ahead.