Douglas, this is a great essay although it will take me 2 or 3 passes to appreciate all of it.
Most if not all of what is wrong with the world is as you said in the opening paragraphs man's fear of death and loss of faith in God and the Resurrection, which go hand in hand.
Excellent. This essay reminded me of these paragraphs from the Compendium of the Social Doctrine of the Church:
382. When human authority goes beyond the limits willed by God, it makes itself a deity and demands absolute submission; it becomes the Beast of the Apocalypse, an image of the power of the imperial persecutor “drunk with the blood of the saints and the blood of the martyrs of Jesus” (Rev 17:6). The Beast is served by the “false prophet” (Rev 19:20), who, with beguiling signs, induces people to adore it. This vision is a prophetic indication of the snares used by Satan to rule men, stealing his way into their spirit with lies. But Christ is the Victorious Lamb who, down the course of human history, overcomes every power that would make it absolute. Before such a power, Saint John suggests the resistance of the martyrs; in this way, believers bear witness that corrupt and satanic power is defeated, because it no longer has any authority over them.
383. The Church proclaims that Christ, the conqueror of death, reigns over the universe that he himself has redeemed. His kingdom includes even the present times and will end only when everything is handed over to the Father and human history is brought to completion in the final judgment (cf. 1 Cor 15:20-28). Christ reveals to human authority, always tempted by the desire to dominate, its authentic and complete meaning as service. God is the one Father, and Christ the one Teacher, of all mankind, and all people are brothers and sisters. Sovereignty belongs to God. The Lord, however, “has not willed to reserve to himself all exercise of power. He entrusts to every creature the functions it is capable of performing, according to the capacities of its own nature. This mode of governance ought to be followed in social life. The way God acts in governing the world, which bears witness to such great regard for human freedom, should inspire the wisdom of those who govern human communities. They should behave as ministers of divine providence”.[773]
The biblical message provides endless inspiration for Christian reflection on political power, recalling that it comes from God and is an integral part of the order that he created. This order is perceived by the human conscience and, in social life, finds its fulfilment in the truth, justice, freedom and solidarity that bring peace.[774]
Readers may be interested in this, which I've only just seen. Naomi Wolf also points us to the scriptures for encouragement, much needed encouragement in view of what she has to say: https://naomiwolf.substack.com/p/dear-friends-sorry-to-announce-a?s=r
Douglas, this is a great essay although it will take me 2 or 3 passes to appreciate all of it.
Most if not all of what is wrong with the world is as you said in the opening paragraphs man's fear of death and loss of faith in God and the Resurrection, which go hand in hand.
Thanks for posting this again. ❤️🎶
My Crawfordian takes: https://thaddeuskozinski.substack.com/p/from-liberal-democracy-to-global?r=jl12o&s=w&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web&utm_source=direct
https://thaddeuskozinski.substack.com/p/what-plato-can-teach-us-about-covid?r=jl12o&s=w&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web&utm_source=direct
https://thaddeuskozinski.substack.com/p/covid-19-the-warning?r=jl12o&s=w&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web&utm_source=direct
Excellent. This essay reminded me of these paragraphs from the Compendium of the Social Doctrine of the Church:
382. When human authority goes beyond the limits willed by God, it makes itself a deity and demands absolute submission; it becomes the Beast of the Apocalypse, an image of the power of the imperial persecutor “drunk with the blood of the saints and the blood of the martyrs of Jesus” (Rev 17:6). The Beast is served by the “false prophet” (Rev 19:20), who, with beguiling signs, induces people to adore it. This vision is a prophetic indication of the snares used by Satan to rule men, stealing his way into their spirit with lies. But Christ is the Victorious Lamb who, down the course of human history, overcomes every power that would make it absolute. Before such a power, Saint John suggests the resistance of the martyrs; in this way, believers bear witness that corrupt and satanic power is defeated, because it no longer has any authority over them.
383. The Church proclaims that Christ, the conqueror of death, reigns over the universe that he himself has redeemed. His kingdom includes even the present times and will end only when everything is handed over to the Father and human history is brought to completion in the final judgment (cf. 1 Cor 15:20-28). Christ reveals to human authority, always tempted by the desire to dominate, its authentic and complete meaning as service. God is the one Father, and Christ the one Teacher, of all mankind, and all people are brothers and sisters. Sovereignty belongs to God. The Lord, however, “has not willed to reserve to himself all exercise of power. He entrusts to every creature the functions it is capable of performing, according to the capacities of its own nature. This mode of governance ought to be followed in social life. The way God acts in governing the world, which bears witness to such great regard for human freedom, should inspire the wisdom of those who govern human communities. They should behave as ministers of divine providence”.[773]
The biblical message provides endless inspiration for Christian reflection on political power, recalling that it comes from God and is an integral part of the order that he created. This order is perceived by the human conscience and, in social life, finds its fulfilment in the truth, justice, freedom and solidarity that bring peace.[774]