100 Best Catholic Novels. Or, How to Buy a Catholic Library for Christmas

 

By Deal W. Hudson
December 5th, 2012
Catholic Online (www.catholic.org)

WASHINGTON, DC (Catholic Online) - There is no grand metaphysic or aesthetic theory behind the making of this list.

Its purpose is merely to recommend good books, specifically books written by Catholic writers that are worthy of the reader's attention. For the most part these novels have explicitly Catholic themes and perspectives. 

That a great novel can have explicit religious themes of any kind is a tribute to the artistry of the writer since such explicitness is usually deadly to writing of any kind. I have included a few selections that will not strike the reader as "Catholic" since such signposts are either missing or even rejected outright.

Any good list should be controversial by the inclusion of choices potentially deemed questionable by some, perhaps intimating a certain absence of Catholic earnestness on the part of the chooser. I welcome any controversy that may ensue from this list; in fact I will be disappointed if no one takes me to task.

I'm always anxious to learn of titles I don't know, or have forgotten, or should know better, or be reminded that my own certainties may be unfounded.

Some of the novels listed are difficult to acquire, others are a click away at a modest cost. The year of publication references the original language edition.

A final note -- Readers may immediately notice that I've not included the great Fyodor Dostoyevsky or any writer from one of the Orthodox traditions.

This is not meant as a slight, but rather the recognition of a literary tradition that differs in significant ways.

Please note that the novels are listed in chronological order.

1. Alessandro Manzoni, The Betrothed, 1827.

2. Adalbert Stifter, Rock Crystal, 1845.

3. Joris-Karl Huysmans, En route, 1895.

4. Henryk Sienkiewicz, Quo Vadis, 1895.

5. Wladyslaw Reymont, The Comedienne, 1896.

6. Leon Bloy, The Woman Who Was Poor, 1897.

7. Antonio Fogazzaro, Little World of the Past, 1901.

8. Robert Hugh Benson, Lord of the World, 1907.

9. G.K. Chesterton, The Man Who Was Thursday, 1908.

10. Sigrid Undset, Kristin Lavansdatter, 1920-22.

11. Sigrid Undset, Master of Hestviken, 1925-27.

12. Georges Bernanos, Under the Star of Satan, 1926.

13. Francois Mauriac, Therese, 1928.

14. Su Xuelin, Heart of the Thorn Bush, 1929.

15. Maurice Baring, The Coat Without Seam, 1929.

16. Myles Connolly, Mr. Blue, 1929.

17. Georges Bernanos, Joy, 1929.

18. Sigrid Undset, The Wild Orchid, 1929.

19. Sigrid Undset, The Burning Bush, 1930.

20. Maurice Baring, Robert Peckham, 1930.

21. Gertrud von Le Fort, The Song at the Scaffold, 1931.

22. Francois Mauriac, The Viper's Tangle, 1932.

23. Maurice Baring, Darby and Joan, 1935.

24. Georges Bernanos, Dairy of a Country Priest, 1936.

25. Georges Bernanos, Mouchette, 1937.

26. J.R.R. Tolkien, The Hobbit, 1937.

27. Morley Callaghan, More Joy in Heaven, 1937.

28. Ignazio Silone, Bread and Wine, 1937.

29. Riccardo Bacchelli, The Mill On the Po, 1938.

30. Sigrid Undset, Madama Dorthea, 1939.

31. Joseph Roth, The Legend of the Holy Drinker, 1939.

32. Riccardo Bacchelli, Nothing New Under the Sun, 1940.

33. Graham Greene, The Power and the Glory, 1940.

34. Franz Werfel, Song of Bernadette, 1941.

35. Irene Nemirovsky, Suite française, 1942.

36. George Bernanos, Monsieur Quine, 1943.

37. Graham Greene, The Ministry of Fear, 1943

38. Hermann Broch, The Death of Virgil, 1945.

39. Evelyn Waugh, Brideshead Revisited, 1945.

40. Francois Mauriac, A Woman of the Pharisees, 1946.

41. Franz Werfel, Star of the Unborn, 1946.

42. Graham Greene, The Heart of the Matter, 1948.

43. Giovanni Guareschi, Little World of Don Camillo, 1948.

44. Evelyn Waugh, Helena, 1950.

45. Elisabeth Langgasser, The Quest, 1950.

46. Graham Greene, The End of the Affair, 1951.

47. Paul Horgan, Things As They Are, 1951

48. Flannery O'Connor, Wise Blood, 1952.

49. Jose Maria Gironella, The Cypresses Believe in God, 1953.

50. Jack Kerouac, On the Road, 1957.

51. John Howard Griffin, The Devil Rides Outside, 1952.

52. J.R.R. Tolkien, The Lord of the Rings, 1954-55.

53. Heimito von Doderer, The Demons, 1956.

54. Julien Green, The Transgressor, 1956.

55. Alfred Doblin, Tales of a Long Night, 1956.

56. Caroline Gordon, The Malefactors, 1957.

57. Shusaku Endo, Wonderful Fool, 1959.

58. Morris West, The Devil's Advocate, 1959

59. Julien Green, Each in His Own Darkness, 1960.

60. William Goyen, The House of Breath, 1960

61. Flannery O'Connor, The Violent Bear It Away, 1960.

62. Shusaku Endo, Volcano, 1960.

63. Morley Callaghan, The Many Colored Coat, 1960.

64. Morley Callaghan, A Passion in Rome, 1961.

65. Edwin O'Connor, The Edge of Sadness, 1962.

66. J.F. Powers, Morte D'Urban, 1962

67. Anthony Burgess, The Wanting Seed, 1962.

68. Shusaku Endo, Silence, 1966.

69. Rumer Godden, In This House of Brede, 1969.

70. Muriel Spark, The Driver's Seat, 1970.

71. Walker Percy, Love in the Ruins: The Adventures of a Bad Catholic at a Time, 1971.

72. Julien Green, The Other One, 1971.

73. William Peter Blatty, The Exorcist, 1971.

74. Otfried Preussler, The Curse of the Darkling Mill, 1972.

75. Brian Moore, Catholics: A Novel, 1972.

76. Jon Hassler, Staggerford, 1977.

77. Shusaku Endo, The Samurai, 1980.

78. David Lodge, How Far Can You Go? (Souls and Bodies, USA), 1980.

79. Walker Percy, The Second Coming, 1980.

80. Alice Thomas Ellis, The 27th Kingdom, 1982.

81. Torgny Lindgren, Bathsheba, 1984

82. Morley Callaghan, Our Lady of the Snows, 1985.

83. Brian Moore, Black Robe: A Novel, 1985.

84. Torgny Lindgren, Light, 1987.

85. Walker Percy, The Thanatos Syndrome, 1987

86. J.F. Powers, Wheat That Springeth Green, 1988.

87. Shusaku Endo, Scandal, 1988.

88. Muriel Spark, A Far Cry from Kensington, 1988.

89. Piers Paul Read, On the Third Day, 1990

90. Alice Thomas Ellis, The Inn at the Edge of the World, 1990.

91. Jon Hassler, North of Hope, 1990.

92. Ayako Sono, No Reason for Murder, 1990.

93. Ayako Sono, The Watcher from the Shore, 1990.

94. Ron Hansen, Mariette in Ecstasy, 1991.

95. David Plante, The Accident, 1991.

96. Sara Maitland, Daughter of Jerusalem, 1995

97. Laurence Cosse, A Corner of the Veil: A Novel, 1966.

98. Michael O'Brien, Eclipse of the Sun, 1998.

99. Cormac McCarthy, The Road, 2006.

100. William Giraldi, Busy Monsters: A Novel, 2011.

-----

Deal W. Hudson is the president of the Pennsylvania Catholics Network. Dr. Hudson has written about the Catholic Novel in his conversion memoir, An American Conversion: One Man's Search for Beauty and Truth in a Time of Crisis (Crossroad 2003).

Article brought to you by: Catholic Online (www.catholic.org)

Today on "Kresta in the Afternoon" - December 12, 2012

Talking about the "things that matter most" on Dec. 12

4:00 – Kresta Comments: Archaeologist Claims Proof of Noah, the Ark and the Flood

4:20 – Kresta Comments: Catholic Witness in a Divided Nation

4:40 – The Hobbit: A Review
It’s one of the most anticipated films of the year and it opens nationwide this weekend. It is the Hobbit and critic Steven Greydanus is here with a first look.

5:00 – Bilbo's Journey: Discovering the Hidden Meaning in The Hobbit
As you head to the theater this weekend to see The Hobbit, we help you discover the Christian meaning in the film. Joseph Pearce takes us beyond the dragons, dwarves, and elves, to discover the surprisingly deep meaning of J.R.R. Tolkien's classic novel. Bilbo's quest to find and slay the dragon Smaug is a riveting tale of daring and heroism, but as renowned Tolkien scholar Joseph Pearce shows, it is not simply Bilbo's journey, it is our journey too. It is the Christian journey of self-sacrifice out of love for others, and abandonment to providence and grace. Joseph joins us.

5:30 – Supreme Court Set to Hear Prop. 8 and DOMA Cases
Ending months of intense speculation, the U.S. Supreme Court confirmed on Dec. 7 that it would take up two high-profile “marriage equality” cases, a move that could result in the legalization of same-sex “marriage” across the nation. The court’s decision to address challenges to the federal Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA) and Proposition 8, California’s ban on same-sex “marriage.” Oral argument for both cases will likely be scheduled in March, with a ruling expected by June. We talk to Bill May who was instrumental in passing Prop 8 in California.

University settles case with student kicked out of program for her Christian beliefs

 

by Ben Johnson, LifeSiteNews, Tue Dec 11, 2012 17:17 EST

Julea Ward

DETROIT, December 11, 2012, (LifeSiteNews.com) – A nearly three-year ordeal has come to an end for a Christian psychology student kicked out of a public university’s program because she would not compromise her belief that homosexuality is sinful.
Eastern Michigan University has settled out of court with Julea Ward. In March 2009, the Ypsilanti-based university ejected her from its graduate counseling program because she would not affirm a patient’s homosexual lifestyle. Ward said her deeply held religious beliefs would not make her a good counselor for this person and that she wished to make a referral to another counselor.
Instead, EMU forced her into a “remediation” program designed to change her “belief system.” She responded by filing Ward v. Wilbanks.
Under the terms of the settlement, the university will pay Ward an undisclosed monetary settlement, and the expulsion will be stricken from her record.
U.S. District Judge George Caram Steeh agreed to dismiss the suit with prejudice on Monday.
“We are pleased that Julea and her constitutionally protected rights have been vindicated,” said Jeremy Tedesco, who argued the case on behalf of the Alliance Defending Freedom. ADF attorney Steven M. Jentzen acted as local counsel for Ward during the case.
The Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals ruled in Ward’s favor in January, excoriating the university for imposing its viewpoint on a student.
“A reasonable jury could conclude that Ward’s professors ejected her from the counseling program because of hostility toward her speech and faith,” the ruling stated. “A university cannot compel a student to alter or violate her belief systems based on a phantom policy as the price for obtaining a degree.”
The ruling added, “Tolerance is a two-way street. Otherwise, the rule mandates orthodoxy, not anti-discrimination.”
Lawmakers have since attempted to fix the situation.
In June, the Michigan House passed the “Julea Ward freedom of conscience act” by a vote of 59-50. The bill would establish that students studying psychology, counseling, and social work in the state’s colleges would never be forced to violate their consciences or suffer retribution.

Violence Breaks Out in Michigan Against Conservatives as Union Protests Rage

 by Katie Pavlich, Townhall

Dec 11, 2012 12:25 PM EST

The Republican controlled Michigan legislature passed right-to-work legislation late Tuesday morning as union members loudly protested inside and outside of the Capitol in Lansing. Michigan Democrat Rep. Douglas Geiss threatened on the House floor this morning "there would be blood" if the legislation passed. Riot police have been on the scene since early this morning bracing for violence.

The Michigan House Democrats reiterated their threat on their Twitter page, but have since deleted it.

Outside of the building a tent owned and set up by the conservative group Americans For Prosperity has been torn down by cheering union protesters, trapping elderly volunteers inside.

Conservative comedian Steven Crowder, who is in Lansing, has reported being punched in the face four times.

According to reporters on the ground in Michigan, troopers in riot gear are headed to the steps of the Capitol to try and prevent any further violence.

Vatican report on Medjugorje due this month?

 

CWN - December 03, 2012

A Vatican commission studying the alleged apparitions at Medjugorje will release its findings by the end of this year, a French magazine has reported. La Vie says that the Vatican commission, established by Pope Benedict XVI and chaired by Cardinal Camillo Ruini, will present its report to the Pontiff by the end of December. The French magazine did not cite any authority for its story, but in February an Italian publication made the same report. That earlier report quoted Cardinal Vinko Puljic of Sarajevo as saying that “we need to finish this year.” The reports of Marian apparitions at Medjugorje began in 1981, and the six “seers” claim that they continue to this day, taking place on a regular, predictable schedule. Interest in the “Medjugore phenomenon”—which has persisted despite the efforts of the local hierarchy to discourage it—prompted the Vatican to undertake its own investigation. Cardinal Ruini’s commission has been holding hearings under conditions of strict secrecy.

Today on "Kresta in the Afternoon" - December 3, 2012

Talking about the "things that matter most" on Dec. 3

4:00 – Kresta Comments

4:20 – Who Is My Enemy?: Questions American Christians Must Face about Islam--and Themselves
Our guest argues that current discussion of Islam in America tends toward two polar extremes. On one hand is the notion that Christianity is superior to Islam and that Muslims are warmongers. On the other is the notion that all religions basically say the same thing and are peaceable. Lee Camp argues that both these extremes are wrong. He introduces Christian and Islamic views on war and peacemaking. Lee is here to discuss how to respond faithfully and intelligently to Muslims in today's world as well as to the New Atheists who suppose that all religion is inherently violent.

5:00 – Kresta Comments

5:20 - Lincoln: The Movie, the Man and the 13th Amendment
The film critics and theater-goers everywhere have overwhelmingly given their collective “thumbs up” to the film “Lincoln” which focuses its scope to the fight over the 13th Amendment. But what about the Lincoln scholars? Ronald White Jr. is the author of numerous books on Lincoln and joins us to give his perspective.

St. Christina the Astonishing and the Holiday Stinkiness

November 23, 2012 | Stacy Trasancos, Accepting Abundance

“Used with permission from the artist, Cynthia Large.”

Alright, let’s face it. Is this the time of year, just after Thanksgiving, when you start dreading the impending “Holiday (Don’t call it Christmas) Season?” You know, the season of nightly news stories about how schools won’t allow the display of Christian symbols, the already beginning onslaught of commercialism and advertising, the atheist sloganeering that degrades an event so sacred, and all the politically correct puffery about how to speak of the Holy Celebration of The Birthday – Christ’s Mass – without actually saying it.

It’s almost intolerable and almost ruinous, like the odor of the hydro-treated petroleum distillates of Goo Gone® invading a warm and apple-cinnamony glowing kitchen. Pee-yew!

How to rise above it all? Well, there’s a unique, if not peculiar, saint who would probably react the way I’d like to react in the middle of holiday nonsense, St. Christina of Liége, also more appropriately named, St. Christina the Astonishing. She frequently tried to escape, well, worldly stinkiness.
St. Christina the Astonishing was born in 1150 and left an orphan at the age of fifteen with two elder sisters. She astonished her community at a most unexpected time.

“When she was about twenty-two Christina had a seizure, was assumed to be dead, and in due course was carried in an open coffin to the church, where a Mass of requiem was begun. Suddenly, after the Agnus Dei, Christina sat up, soared to the beams of the roof, and there perched herself. Everyone fled from the church except her elder sister, who, though thoroughly frightened, gave a good example of recollection to the others by stopping till the end of Mass. The priest then made Christina come down (it was said that she had taken refuge up there because she could not bear the smell of sinful human bodies). She averred that she had actually been dead; that she had gone down to Hell and there recognized many friends, and to Purgatory, where she had seen more friends, and then to Heaven.” [Butler’s Lives of the Saints]

“A Pelican in the Wilderness”
Used with permission from the artist, Cynthia Large.”

That’s right, she levitated at her own funeral. She did some other astonishing things too – fleeing into remote places, climbing trees and perching on tiny branches, scaling towers and rocks, and crawling into ovens. Why? She could not bear the smell of sin. Interesting gift, no?

 

There are many accounts of saints levitating, flying off the ground in deep meditations of ecstasy because they were so close to God spiritually: St. Teresa of Avila, St. Gemma Galgani, St. Gerard Majella, St. Ignatius Loyola, St. John Bosco, St. John Joseph of the Cross, St. Peter Claver, and St. Thomas Aquinas, to name several.
Some think of it as the body moving physically closer to Heaven because the soul is already so in communion with God’s will. Some physicists have suggested that levitation is the result of the mind tapping into the quantum vacuums zero point energy, whatever that is exactly.
Whatever it is, it happens and it has been well-documented in the lives of the saints. I don’t expect to fly up to the rafters if I see some tasteless advertisements, but I definitely will stop and smile at the astonishing ideas any time the stinkiness threatens to lower my spirits.

 

I have already warned my husband that if he sees me standing by the kitchen window wistfully staring at the tops of trees like I’m about to go out and climb them, or if he finds me sticking my head in the oven and lingering there just a little too long like I might try to crawl into it, or if I stand up from the table and run out into the woods and hide behind some rocks, it’s only because I’m pretending to be St. Christina, trying to forget about the world and get closer to Heaven.
He’ll probably understand.
There is much more to her story. Enjoy this essay, “Christina’s Life,” by the artist, Cynthia Large, to read more about St. Christina of Liége and to visit the gallery of Cynthia’s other beautiful works, or to purchase prints of them.

Judicial Watch Lawsuit Forces Release of bin Laden Burial Records from United States Navy

Heavily Redacted Documents in Response to JW FOIA Raise Further Questions about Obama Administration 'Stonewalling'

WASHINGTON, Nov. 26, 2012 /Judicial Watch/ -- Judicial Watch announced today that it has obtained bin Laden burial records from the United States Navy as a result of its July 18, 2012, Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) lawsuit seeking "any funeral ceremony, rite, or ritual" confirming that the slain terrorist was given full Islamic burial honors. Following the May 2, 2011, Navy SEAL raid that led to bin Laden's capture and killing, the al Qaeda leader was reportedly transported by the USS Carl Vinson and buried at sea in accordance with Muslim law.

The documents, including 31 pages of heavily redacted emails, contain a paragraph describing the bin Laden interment at sea:

Traditional procedures for Islamic burial was [sic] followed. The deceased body was washed (ablution) then placed in a white sheet. The body was placed in a weighted bag. A military officer read prepared religious remarks, which were translated into Arabic by a native speaker. After words were complete, the body was placed on a prepared flatboard, tipped up, whereupon the deceased's body slid into the sea.

The documents did not include the "prepared religious remarks" read at bin Laden's burial as requested in the JW FOIA. The U.S. Navy told JW, in a letter accompanying the documents, that a search did not produce any documents in response to the request for the "remarks." If U.S. Navy regulations were followed, the remarks could have included the Muslim prayer, "O Allah, forgive him, have mercy on him, pardon him, grant him security, provide him a nice place and spacious lodging, wash him (off from his sins) with water, snow, and ice, purify him ... make him enter paradise and save him from the trials of grave and the punishment of hell." The emails indicated that "less than a dozen" members of military leadership were informed of the burial and that "No sailors watched."

The U.S. Navy blamed the failure to provide the remarks and additional information related to the bin Laden burial on operational security: "The paucity of documentary evidence in our possession is a reflection of the emphasis placed upon operational security during the execution of this phase of the operation." The Obama administration continues to withhold bin Laden burial documents under the "foreign policy" exemption in FOIA law, which protects information relating to national security and defense. President Obama has said publicly he does not want to release information pertaining to bin Laden's capture and killing for fear of offending radical Islamists.

The documents suggest that preparations for receipt of bin Laden's body were considered three days before the raid.

"These new documents confirm the honors given bin Laden at his burial, including a prayer in Arabic and ritual cleansing of his remains," said Judicial Watch President Tom Fitton. "But the American people still don't have the full picture because the Obama administration is fearful of offending terrorists."

The documents supplied to Judicial Watch by the U.S. Navy also failed to include the bin Laden post-mortem photos and videos as requested in its FOIA request. The Obama administration continues to withhold these records citing national security concerns.

Judicial Watch contrasted the Obama administration's heavy reliance on FOIA exemptions to withhold information from the American people with its open embrace of filmmakers producing a bin Laden assault film that, at the time, was expected to praise the president's role in the affair. In response to an earlier JW FOIA request, the Obama administration has admitted that its revelations of sensitive information to the producers of the soon-to-be-released film Zero Dark Thirty could cause "unnecessary security and counterintelligence risk."

Visit www.judicialwatch.org

Michigan Considers Making Unborn Children a Tax Deduction

posted on November 22, 2012 by Dave Jolly, Political Outcast

While much of the country still debates whether an unborn child is a person or just a lump of helpless flesh, the state of Michigan is giving them more status than they’ve ever had before.
The Michigan House of Representatives is currently discussing House Bill 5684 and House Bill 5685. If passed these bills would allow expecting parents to claim their unborn child as a tax deduction on their state income tax. In order to qualify the parents would have to show that the mother and child have been under a doctor’s care from the time the baby was at least 12 weeks of age in the womb till the end of the tax year. Once qualified the unborn child would be worth the $3700 tax deduction.
The bill sponsored by Rep. Lisa Posthumus Lyons and Rep. Jud Gilbert, both Republicans. They said the reason for the bill was to help expecting parents to offset some of the costs they incur during pregnancy. In fact the two co-sponsors consider the tax deduction to be an extension of the current deduction received for children once they are born.
In an interview with MLive.com, Gilbert said:

“You’re recognizing the fact that people have additional expenses, another person to take care of. Money saved there could be contributed to doctor’s bills and all kinds of things.”

 

The cost of the bill is expected to run between $5 million and $10 million in reduced state tax revenue. But Republican sponsors believe the bill is necessary to help expecting parents in today’s struggling economy.
Michigan Democrats are already up in arms over the bill claiming that if it is passed that it would give legal status to the unborn child and thus affect women’s rights to abortion. They also see these legal rights as leading to criminal and health law issues.
Currently the Republicans control the Michigan House of Representatives, and since any bill that is not passed by the end of the year automatically dies, it is imperative that the Republican majority pass these two pieces of legislation as soon as possible. Whether or not they will be able to accomplish this remains to be seen.
Perhaps some see this as an end around play to get some form of personhood bill passed and give legal status to the unborn that they currently do not have. Regardless the bill does recognize them as a person and therefore worthy of the same rights as any other person would have.
Therefore let’s hope and pray that the House Republicans are able to get these measures passed. If you live in the state of Michigan then please contact your state Representative and State Senator and urge them to support these bills. In the long run they will not only benefit expecting parents but will also help protect the rights of the unborn child.


Read more: http://politicaloutcast.com/2012/11/michigan-considers-making-unborn-children-a-tax-deduction/#ixzz2DmI8VSZ4

Catholic Social Teaching: It’s Time to End the Misrepresentations

November 26, 2012

by Anthony Esolen, Crisis Magazine

 

Imagine someone appealing to Lord Baden-Powell, founder of the Boy Scouts, to justify the activities of gangs in Los Angeles. Why not? Lord Baden-Powell wanted boys to do risky things, and what’s more dangerous than running guns or smuggling cocaine or fighting another gang in a shooting spree? He enjoined upon the Scouts a stern code of honor and loyalty, and who is more loyal than a new recruit for the Crips? Who is more willing to shed his blood for the honor of the gang?

Imagine someone appealing to Michelangelo to justify porn. Why not? Michelangelo painted nudes all over the Sistine Chapel, and Hustler and Penthouse are full of nudes. Michelangelo endured the disgruntlement of the prudish, so that the figures in his Last Judgment were later provided with discreet veils and tunics and loincloths. And aren’t Hustler and Penthouse stuck underneath the counter at convenience stores? Michelangelo admired the sculpture of ancient Greece; those ancient Greeks, for their part, traded in vases depicting acts of pedophilia. So why should a busy stockbroker in a hotel not be allowed to relax in front of a television, watching whatever delights his sophisticated tastes?
Imagine someone appealing to Florence Nightingale to justify doctor-dosed suicide. She wanted to relieve suffering, didn’t she? Imagine someone appealing to Saint Francis of Assisi to justify looting for fun and profit. His heart was with the poor, no? Imagine someone appealing to Saint Catherine of Siena to justify the modern feminist. Why, Saint Catherine dared to rebuke cardinals and popes!
Imagine a lawyer returning his fee when he loses a case; imagine a television pundit suddenly admitting that he doesn’t know what he is talking about; imagine a Hollywood starlet speaking English; imagine the Cubs winning the World Series; imagine anything most absurd, and you have not yet approached the absurdity of those who claim that Catholic Social Teaching implies the existence of a vast welfare state, bureaucratically organized, unanswerable to the people, undermining families, rewarding lust and sloth and envy, acknowledging no virtue, providing no personal care, punishing women who take care of their children at home, whisking the same children away from parental supervision and into schools designed to separate them from their parents’ views of the world, and, for all that, keeping whole segments of the population mired in a cycle of dysfunction, moral squalor, and poverty, while purchasing their votes with money squeezed by force from their neighbors.
I’m sick of it. I’m sick of hearing that Catholic teaching regarding sex and marriage is one thing, in that old-fashioned trinket box over there, while Catholic teaching regarding stewardship and our duties to the poor is another thing, on that marble pedestal over here. I’m sick of hearing that Catholic teaching regarding the Church and her authority is one thing, the embarrassing Latinate red-edged tome tucked away in that closet, while Catholic teaching regarding the laity is another, and pass that bread this way! No, it is all of a piece. What the Church says about divorce is inextricable from what she says about the poor. What she says about the presence of Christ in the Eucharist is inextricable from what she says about the respects in which all men are created equal—and the many respects in which she insists upon a salutary inequality. When we fail to see the integrity of the faith, not only do certain truths escape our notice; the rest, the truths we think we see, grow monstrous, like cancers, and work to destroy the flesh they once seemed to replace.
Pope Leo XIII is credited as being the founder of Catholic Social Teaching. He would have been appalled by the credit. He intended nothing other than to apply to current concerns what Jesus taught his apostles and what they handed down to their successors. His thoughts prescind not from the nature of the spanking new modern state, nor from social advances sometimes more apparent than real, but from the changeless nature of man, discoverable both by reason and by humble attention to the revealed word of God. Leo never supposed that one could devise any Social Teaching without understanding what a society is to begin with, which requires that we understand what human beings are, and why they are—for what end God made them, male and female, in His image and likeness. Leo surveys the world from the mountaintop of the faith—not from the mercurial ingenuity of a vain scholar, or the meddlesome pride of an innovator.
In this series, I shall discuss exactly what Pope Leo XIII had to say, when the name of “socialism” first burst upon the ear, and apply it to current controversies and miseries. His words sting like the first antiseptics, carbolic acid and iodine. They sting, but they cleanse. Or perhaps we should prefer to lay honey to our wounds?
Let’s begin at the beginning, with Inscrutabili (1878). Here Leo inveighs against a radical secularism which seeks, by calumny, to bring the Church of God into odium, resulting in laws that obstruct bishops in their duties, and confiscate “property that was once the support of the Church’s ministers and of the poor.” That confiscation detaches “public institutions, vowed to charity and benevolence, … from the wholesome control of the Church.” Leo sees the connection between this seizure and a spreading amoralism among the young, whose education is also removed from the Church’s purview.
Note that well. It is a gross violation of the Church’s Social Teaching, to wrest her schools from her direction. Do you hear, Catholics of Ontario? It is a gross violation of the Church’s Social Teaching, to demand that she cooperate in the State’s evil of the day if she is to continue to exercise charity for the poor and the orphaned. Are you listening, Catholics of Massachusetts? It is a gross violation of the Church’s Social Teaching, to suborn her institutions to assist the state in perverting the natural law, severing sex from marriage and snuffing out the life of the newly conceived. Do you understand that principle, Americans first and nominal Catholics later? The Church claims her liberty. Deny her that liberty, and you will soon find the chains chafing your own wrists. Begin as nominally Catholic, end as nominally free.
Don’t suppose that the Pope is merely grumbling. He knows that one cannot build anything upon the secularist sands: “It is perfectly clear and evident, Venerable Brothers, that the very notion of a civilization is a fiction of the brain if it rest not on the abiding principles of truth and the unchanging laws of virtue and justice, and if unfeigned love knit not together the wills of men, and gently control the interchange and the character of their mutual service.”
Let’s pause a moment, catch our breath, and think hard about what he’s just said. Catholics often hear that we intend to “impose our morality” upon our neighbors, and that this can’t be done in a truly free, that is to say thoroughly secular society. Set aside the plain fact that all law imposes a moral vision, though it is seldom consistent or adequate, and it is sometimes perverse. The fact is, morality admits no peculiar possessives. If a morality is only mine, it isn’t morality but meaningless predilection. Either a moral law exists, applying to everyone at all times, or it doesn’t. If it doesn’t, there is no moral reason to prefer civilization to savagery; the latter can be a lot more fun. But we won’t have that choice anyway, because we will lose civilization itself. What we now call “civilization” and “culture,” Pope Leo calls “a fiction of the brain,” a vain idea, when the reality is gone.
That loss of morality understood as what we receive, not what we create; not what shackles us, but what sets us free to realize our human potential, implies already the loss of “unfeigned love” which should knit together “the wills of men, and gently control the interchange and the character of their mutual service.” We must insist upon this connection. I cannot give amoral love. But human beings need love; they need the love that brings them deeper into the truth.
An unmarried friend of mine is with child. That’s not good. But the child needs love, and the mother and father need to return to a world of moral law—the real world, not the fantasy islands of hedonism. They too need love. That’s where the Church and the faithful Christian come in. So we do, if we’re given half a chance! It is calumny to say that we care only about fetuses and not about families. But the secular state cares for neither. The secular state is an amoral cash extractor and dispenser. If the mother repeats the wrong, more money comes. If she and the father try to right the wrong by marrying, they risk losing the money. She can leave the child fatherless and, most of the day, motherless by going to work, and the state will pay. None of this is oriented towards virtue. Therefore none of it is really social; no more than rust is steel.
Does Catholic Social Teaching mandate such a thing? Do architects build with rust?

 

By Anthony Esolen

Professor Esolen teaches Renaissance English Literature and the Development of Western Civilization at Providence College. A senior editor for Touchstone: A Journal of Mere Christianity, he writes regularly for Touchstone, First Things, Catholic World Report, Magnificat, This Rock, and Latin Mass. His most recent books are The Politically Incorrect Guide to Western Civilization (Regnery Press, 2008); Ironies of Faith (ISI Press, 2007); and Ten Ways to Destroy the Imagination of Your Child (ISI Press, 2010). Professor Esolen is the translator of Dante.

Reverend Rubio? The Media Begins Its Attack on Marco Rubio

 

November 28, 2012 | by Paul G. Kengor, Vision and Values.org

Editor’s note: A longer version of this article first appeared at American Spectator.
In a recent interview, Senator Marco Rubio, effectively the Republican front-runner for 2016, was asked, “How old do you think the Earth is?”
It’s a question of utter irrelevance to the country’s status and whether Marco Rubio would be a good president. Rubio’s answer was excellent: “I’m not a scientist, man. I can tell you what recorded history says, I can tell you what the Bible says, but I think that’s a dispute amongst theologians and I think it has nothing to do with the gross domestic product or economic growth of the United States. I think the age of the universe has zero to do with how our economy is going to grow. I’m not a scientist. I don’t think I’m qualified to answer a question like that.”
To any sensible person, this was a perfect response. Who could object?
Well, an editor for the New York Times—that flagship of faith and reason—judged Rubio’s response “ludicrous.” A writer at the liberal Slate, who no doubt Googled first, claimed authoritatively: “Our planet was formed 4.54 billion years ago. If Rubio suggested otherwise, it’s because he’s uninformed or stupid.”
Ah, yes. I’m sure everyone at Slate knows the Earth is 4.54 billion years old.
As for myself, if someone asked me that question out of the blue, I couldn’t answer. I’ve been a scientist, an agnostic/borderline atheist, and ultimately a Christian. I’ve taught Sunday School, lectured at colleges, collected data at top research labs, and everything in between. I’ve published in scientific and political journals. I know, as Marco Rubio does, that theologians dispute this.
In fact, anyone with a serious, sincere interest in this question knows this. But, of course, the question wasn’t asked to Rubio out of serious, sincere interest; it never is when posed to a Republican.
Marco Rubio needs to understand two things at play here: 1) these types of questions will only get worse as he continues to campaign for president; and 2) these are not earnest questions. No, these are political booby-traps set by political partisans who work as journalists. They are used to try to caricature conservatives as extremists.
I recall a painful example when George W. Bush first became Texas governor. Bush was known as a committed Christian who had a late-in-life conversion. For the secular liberal media, this meant that Bush was a “fundamentalist.” For liberal journalists, it also meant an opportunity.
And so, one journalist asked the governor if Jews get into heaven. Taken by complete surprise, Bush fumbled his answer. Afterward, he thought long and hard about it, and consulted Billy Graham. The next time Bush got the question he was ready. It was December 1999, when he was running for president, and when his opponent, Al Gore, wasn’t (of course) getting asked any such questions by the liberal media. Bush’s answer was a good one:

[I] understand that people communicate with God and reach God in dif­ferent ways…. Obviously there’s the big issue between the Christian and the Jew, the Jewish person. And I am mindful of the rich traditions and history of the Jewish faith. And I am mindful of what Billy Graham one time told me: for me not to try to figure out—try to pick and choose who gets to go to heaven…. Billy Graham said, “Don’t play God.” I don’t get to determine who goes to heaven and who goes to hell. That’s not me. Governors don’t do that.

That’s a really good response: “Governors don’t do that.” They “don’t play God.” They don’t decide who goes to heaven.
Marco Rubio wasn’t asked that same question, at least not yet, but his answer might be the same: “Sorry, man, I’m not playing God.”
In fact, here’s a further response Rubio might consider more generally: “Look, let’s be honest: We both know what you’re trying to do. You’re trying to trip me up. I’m not a theologian. I’m not a minister. I don’t want to be one, and the American public doesn’t want me to be one. Let’s stick to issues that concern people. And one more thing: Are you asking these same questions to any Democrats? Are you?”
Rubio should say it calmly, gently, and with a smile—but emphatically. He is running for president, and not running for reverend. He wants to be President Rubio, not Reverend Rubio.
Unfortunately, for Rubio, like all conservative Republicans who seek the presidency, it will be open season on his beliefs. Republicans are badgered on their faith in ways that liberal Democrats plainly are not. For the media, it’s the same old double standard. I hope Marco Rubio refuses to tolerate it.

Paul G. Kengor

Dr. Paul Kengor is professor of political science at Grove City College, executive director of The Center for Vision & Values, and New York Times best-selling author of the book, “The Communist: Frank Marshall Davis, The Untold Story of Barack Obama’s Mentor.” His other books include "The Crusader: Ronald Reagan and the Fall of Communism" and "Dupes: How America’s Adversaries Have Manipulated Progressives for a Century."

Pro-Lifers Win First Appeals Court Victory Against HHS Mandate

by Steven Ertelt | Washington, DC | LifeNews.com | 11/28/12 8:41 PM
A federal appeals court today issued an order granting a motion for a preliminary injunction that temporarily blocks the implementation of the HHS mandate against a Missouri business owner.
The decision is the first occasion on which a pro-life plaintiff has secured a legal victory against the HHS mandate at the federal appeals court level. Most of the dozens of cases against the HHS mandate are still at the federal district court level.

The order, issued by a three-judge panel of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit, puts the HHS mandate on hold pending the outcome of the appeals process, prohibits the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) from requiring the business owner, who contends the mandate violates his constitutionally-protected religious beliefs, to comply with the mandate which requires employers to purchase health insurance for their employees that includes coverage for contraceptives, sterilization, and abortion-inducing drugs.
The American Center for Law and Justice (ACLJ), a pro-life legal organization that focuses on constitutional law, represents Frank R. O’Brien and O’Brien Industrial Holdings, LLC — a holding company based in St. Louis, Missouri, which operates a number of businesses that explore, mine, and process refractory and ceramic raw materials.
“By granting our motion, the appeals court blocks the implementation of the HHS mandate and clears the way for our lawsuit to continue – a significant victory for our client,” said Francis Manion, Senior Counsel of the ACLJ. “The order sends a message that the religious beliefs of employers must be respected by the government. We have argued from the beginning that employers like Frank O’Brien must be able to operate their business in a manner consistent with their moral values, not the values of the government. We look forward to this case moving forward and securing the constitutional rights of our client.”
O’Brien, a Catholic, says his religious beliefs provide the framework for the operation of his businesses, which employ 87 people. The company website states the OIH mission “is to make our labor a pleasing offering to the Lord while enriching our families and society.” OIH’s statement of the company’s values begins with the following: “Integrity. Our conduct is guided by the Golden Rule and the Ten Commandments. We will not discriminate based on anyone’s personal belief system.”
In October, a federal district court judge granted the Obama Administration’s Motion to Dismiss the lawsuit. The ACLJ immediately filed an appeal with the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit. In an order issued today, the appeals court granted the ACLJ motion requesting an injunction pending an appeal.
The lawsuit, which was filed in March 2012, marked the first legal challenge to the HHS mandate from a private business owner and his company. Until the suit was filed, only religious organizations or institutions brought lawsuits challenging the mandate.
In addition to the O’Brien case, the ACLJ has filed two other direct challenges to the HHS mandate and filed amicus briefs backing other challenges in more than a dozen cases.
The Supreme Court has ordered a federal appeals court to take a new look at the controversial Obamacare law and whether it unconstitutionally forces taxpayers to fund abortions and birth control, violating religious freedoms. The high court is ultimately expected to resolve the debate over the HHS mandate.
On the Friday before Thanksgiving, a federal district court judge in Chicago issued a preliminary injunction requested by the religious publisher Tyndale House in its challenge to the mandate. HHS has denied Tyndale House’s request for an exemption, saying that it didn’t meet the government’s definition of a “religious employer” because it operates as a “for-profit” business.
But while Tyndale House won an important victory, at the same time the owners of Hobby Lobby, an arts and crafts store chain, were losing their challenge to the HHS mandate in Oklahoma City. Like other challengers, they said that paying for such coverage violated their religious beliefs.