Russell Kirk: Ten Conservative Principles Part 2 -- The Lilies of the Field

Kirk's next three principles also correspond well to Catholic thought.

4. Fourth, conservatives are guided by their principle of prudence. So are Catholics. In his book, The Four Cardinal Virtues, Joseph Pieper quotes Church teaching that prudence is the "mother" of the cardinal virtues (prudence, justice, fortitude, and temperance). "In other words," says Pieper, "none but the prudent man can be just, brave, and temperate, and the good man is good in so far as he is prudent." Kirk and Pieper both look to Plato because the ancient philosophers also saw prudence as the first and head of the other virtues. It is not a novel idea. Kirk explains it saying, "As John Randolph put it, Providence moves slowly, but the devil always hurries.... The conservative...acts only after sufficient reflection, having weighed the consequences. Sudden and slashing reforms are as perilous as sudden and slashing surgery." The Catholic too is encouraged to "discern" before making decisions. That means taking the time to pray, study, and consult the wise before making a decision. So again, Kirk's fourth principle corresponds to Catholic action.

5. Fifth, conservatives pay attention to the principle of variety. This is probably my favorite principle because it recognizes the good sense of multiplicity and how it reflects the abundance and generosity of God. Think of the lilies of the field and the birds of the air. Variety illustrates the beauty and wonder of God who made every individual unique. The true conservative isn't interested in creating a society where man is a cog in a machine or in producing the stripped bauhaus architecture of utility. He also is a realist who recognizes, like Kirk points out, that, "For the preservation of a healthy diversity in any civilization, there must survive orders and classes, differences in material condition, and many sorts of inequality. The only true forms of equality are equality at the Last Judgment and equality before a just court of law; all other attempts at levelling must lead, at best, to social stagnation." Kirk isn't recommending subjugating the masses here; rather he recognizes that men have different capacities and talents and that a healthy society recognizes it. Catholic teaching says the same. "There are different gifts, but the same spirit gives them," says St. Paul. The head is not called to be the foot. In the body of Christ, all the parts are valuable in their diversity. Kirk hits the nail on the head again.

6. Sixth, conservatives are chastened by their principle of imperfectibility. Men are not angels; we are inflicted by the reality of original sin. This understanding is implicit in Kirk's point. "Man, being imperfect, no perfect social order ever can be created....All that we reasonably can expect is a tolerably ordered, just, and free society, in which some evils, maladjustments, and suffering will continue to lurk....The ideologues who promise the perfection of man and society have converted a great part of the twentieth-century world into a terrestrial hell." Amen! Look at the Enlightenment with its adulation of reason and the false promises of Communism and its less violent sister, Socialism, for the reality of Kirk's thought. As Obama imposes his liberal revolution on the United States, we have a birdseye view of the "terrestrial hell" Kirk mentions. This principle sounds very much like what Cardinal Stafford said recently when he warned, "For the next few years, Gethsemane will not be marginal. We will know that garden." The Utopia promised by liberal politicians and their cohorts like Planned Parenthood looks more like Huxley's Brave New World than the Garden of Eden before the fall. We embrace their false promise of a new world order at the risk of getting another hell-hole of history.

To be continued...

Open Letter to Senator Sam Brownback

Dear Senator Brownback,

Please say it isn't so -- that you haven't put political expediency above your Catholic faith and above the interests of the little unborn children. I could have cried when I saw your endorsement of Governor Sebelius, arguably one of the most pro-abortion women in the country. Your action reminds me of Rick Santorum's endorsement for Arlen Specter. Does any politician have rock-solid principles? Do you all stand on the sand of political expediency?

When I saw in your biography that you had been named a "Wilberforce Republican" I couldn't help but think what that indefatigable reformer would say to you. Would he have abandoned the welfare of the slaves to endorse a proponent of slavery? Your opposition to the Sebelius nomination could make a big difference on your colleagues who will be exercising their role to advise and consent. But you have abandoned the least of God's little ones to endorse a champion of their murder. If you are unfamiliar with her agenda I urge you to see my blog post, Phony Catholics Shill for Obama HHS Pick. Sadly, I now have to add you to the list. But I won't do it without sorrow and a promise to offer my daily Masses and rosaries during Lent for you.

As an active Republican (secretary of my local women's club) and even more active Catholic, I pray that you will reconsider your endorsement of Governor Sebelius.

Sincerely,

Mary Ann Kreitzer

E-MAIL SENATOR BROWNBACK

Russell Kirk: Ten Conservative Principles Part 1 -- The Moral Order

In this post we'll take a look at the first three of Kirk's "conservative principles" and how they correspond to Catholic truth.

1. First, the conservative believes that there exists an enduring moral order. For a Catholic this is pretty much an a priori point. We know there's a difference between right and wrong and that truth exists and doesn't change with the seasons. God created us in His image and likeness and embedded in our nature a moral understanding that enables us to recognize the truths of the Ten Commandments. He also revealed himself throughout history, first through His people Israel and then, in the fullness of time, through His Son, Jesus Christ. So Kirk's first principle corresponds well to Catholic teaching. Kirk elaborates saying, "A society in which men and women are governed by a belief in an enduring moral order, by a strong sense of right and wrong, by personal convictions about justice and honor, will be a good society -- whatever political machinery it may utilize; while a society in which men and women are morally adrift, ignorant of norms, and intent chiefly upon gratification of appetites, will be a bad society -- no matter how many people vote and no matter how liberal its formal consitution may be." As our own culture abandons the moral order we prove exactly what Kirk is talking about. Divorce, homosexual indoctrination in the schools and workplace, the murder of the innocent, etc. are contributing to societal freefall. Consider the violence in our cities the movement from abortion to infanticide and euthanasia, etc. We are reaping cultural chaos by our abandonment of moral principles.

2. Second, the conservative adheres to custom, convention, and continuity. We can compare this to Catholic tradition. Man doesn't have to constantly reinvent the wheel. A culture that appreciates social conventions, for example courtesy, is a well-ordered society. Hillaire Belloc illustrated that in a poem saying, "The grace of God is in courtesy." Catholic conventions such as genuflecting before the tabernacle, making the sign of the cross with holy water on entering a church, etc. are meaningful reminders of who we are as a people. Kirk isn't a slave to convention; rather he stresses Edmund Burke's opinion saying, "The continuity, the life-blood of society must not be interrupted. Burke's reminder of the necessity for prudent change is in the mind of the conservative. But necessary change, conservatives argue, ought to be gradual and discriminatory, never unfixing old interests at once." Consider what happened in the Church after Vatican II for an illustration of the damage caused by precipitous and mindless change. The disastrous experiments with the liturgy, the stripping and wreckovation of the churches, persecution of the faithful who continued to kneel for Communion, etc. all damaged the faith. Had the bishops of the world followed Kirk's principle things might be very different in the Church today.

3. Third, conservatives believe in what may be called the principle of prescription. Kirk's third principle follows naturally from the second. Prescription means that some things are established by their "immemorial usage...There exist rights of which the chief sanction is their antiquity." Kirk refers to things like rights of property. Catholics might think of doctrines taught consistently for thousands of years and liturgical norms as well. Contraception is one example. The Church's consistent and unchanging teaching was upheld by Pope Paul VI through Humanae Vitae. As science develops ever more invasive reproductive technologies, the common sense of the encyclical is more and more obvious. As for liturgical norms, the recognition of the Latin Mass and the statement that it was never abrogated shows how foolish and mean-spirited the attempts to crush it were.

Real Catholics are Conservatives - Just Ask Russell Kirk

I've been reading The Politics of Prudence (published in 1993) by Russell Kirk , a hero of the conservative movement. After the first two chapters I had to find out whether he was a Catholic because his thought is so consistent with Catholic principles. Sure enough, he married and converted to Catholicism in the same year -- 1963 when he was 45. He and his wife, Annette had four daughters. They named their home "Piety Hill" and entertained there often. What an exciting dinner table that must have been. Kirk would not drive or own a television. That no doubt gave him more time to think, write, and enjoy his friends.

I'm a newcomer to Kirk but I don't plan to remain one. He not only wrote books and articles of conservative thought, he also wrote three novels and 22 short stories, particularly in the ghost-story genre. Over the next few days I want to describe Kirk's "Ten Conservative Principles" which could just as easily be described as "Ten Catholic Principles."

In my opinion, to be a Catholic in the public square means to be a Kirk (not a Bush or even a Reagan) conservative. In the political realm Kirk is one bookend for Catholic thought. The other is Fr. Felix Sarda Y Salvany who wrote Liberalism is a Sin. A Catholic would be well advised to position himself between Kirk's and Salvany's principles, embracing authentic conservatism and rejecting the egregious errors of an immoral liberalism.

Phony Catholics Shill for Obama HHS Pick

Well, they're at it again. No matter what name they choose (Call to Action, Voice of the Faithful, Catholics United, or Catholics in Alliance for the Common Good ) the phony Catholics are known by their actions. The latest abomination is their support for Kathleen Sebelius, Obama's pick to head Health and Human Services. Sebelius is well known to pro-lifers for supporting notorious late-term abortionist George Tiller. Some of her other abortion credentials have been released by pro-life groups.

The Family Research Council: "While a state representative, Mrs. Sebelius fought continually against parental notification, abortion waiting periods, and informed consent. As governor she twice vetoed abortion clinic regulation legislation and also a bill seeking to curb late-term abortions."

Traditional Values Coalition: "Sebelius has stated that she’s worked to keep abortions rare and safe, but this is false. She has done everything in her power to protect the notorious late-term abortionist George Tiller and Planned Parenthood from prosecution for felony crimes! In 2007, she vetoed a bill requiring explicit medical reasons for a late abortion, vetoed legislation that would have saved the lives of babies who were victims of botched abortions, and she vetoed other pro-life legislation in 2006, 2005 and 2003."

Liberty Counsel: "While receiving large contributions from Tiller, in 2003 Sebelius vetoed legislation designed to regulate the health and safety of abortion clinics, including Tiller's. The filthy abortion clinics continued to operate until 2005, when the Kansas State Board of Healing Arts revoked the medical license of Krishna Rajanna, a Kansas City abortionist who ran a rat-infested abortion mill.
"Sebelius was vehemently opposed to then-Attorney General Phil Kline and handpicked Paul Morrison to run against him. Morrison promised to cease investigations into the abortion clinics and received soft campaign contributions from Tiller. Morrison had to later resign, when a sex and abortion corruption scandal became public." Read more...

But despite Sebelius' record of evil, Catholics United claims she reduced abortion while she enabled it (just like Obama). Among the 26 "Catholic" leaders signing the letter of support for the pro-abortion governor are Doug Kmiec (by now well-known for his betrayal of the unborn during the 2008 presidential campaign), Delores Leckey, (former head of the Catholic bishops Secretariat for Family, Laity, Women and Youth, a 20-year employee - any wonder the USCCB is so bad?), Fr. Thomas Reese (Jesuit and former editor of America Magazine forced to resign by the Vatican), and many others. Everyone on the list should be denied Communion under Canon Law 915.

Stephanie Block has exposed a number of these "Catholic" dissenters for what they are. To read her analyses check out the links below. And please tell your senators a late-term abortion ennabler is wrong for HHS.

Dissenting Catholics hookup with Obama team

'We're not dissenting Catholics'

Abortion Crusades

I Love Home-Schooling!

I love home schooling. I did it for five years with my youngest (and one year with her older sister) and it was the most fun an adult who misses being a kid can have. We planned cooking day every six weeks or so to fill the freezer with easy meals and listened to a book on tape while we worked. We co-volunteered at a local nature center doing their pre-school program which turned into an art/English/social studies project once a month. We went on regular fieldtrips to Gettysburg, the Folger Shakespeare Library, the National Arboretum, the Capitol, Mount Vernon, you name it. It was just plain fun!

So I share with you the post of another home-schooling mom who also happens to be my oldest who went K-8 through Catholic schools but is now home-schooling four of her five children. Yes, even a one-year-old can be described as a home-schooler. It's amazing what those little ones are picking up in the home classroom.

So enjoy visiting Frodo Seven to read about their Lunch with Big Sis'. If you are thinking of home-schooling you can get an idea of what it's like by reading the life of a home-schooling mom. Home schooling is certainly challenging, but not as hard as you might think - and always an adventure.

Pray for Phyllis Schlafly

I'm an enthusiastic fan of Phyllis Schlafly. She is beautiful, gracious, and smart as they come. I only wish I had half her brains and beauty. (Barbara Walters, eat your heart out!) So when Phyllis took a fall recently and broke her hip I immediately began praying for her full recovery. Phyllis is an icon of the conservative movement and a champion for traditional marriage and the family.

It's hard to imagine the energy of a woman who taught all her children to read before they went to school, created the slogan and wrote a book for Barry Goldwater's run for president against LBJ, "A choice not an Echo," while her kids were still little, and almost single-handedly orchestrated the defeat of the Equal Rights Amendment. She continues to energize women to be the best they can be without having to be men. And did I mention she's beautiful, feminine, and carries herself with the dignity of a queen. I love that woman! What a role model!

The last time I heard Phyllis speak she was addressing a meeting of the Catholic Leadership Conference about the dangers of no-fault divorce which is devastating middle-class families in the same way welfare policies destroyed poor (mostly minority) families. She continues to speak the truth and influence the Republican party. Her Eagle Forum is a group to be reckoned with. I wish the party had listened to her for the past twenty years and really practiced conservative principles instead of running on Eastern, yankee, backroom powerbroking. We'd have a real conservative, small-government party instead of being Democrat-lite.

But it's never too late. If the Republican party returns to conservatism it will present a sharp contrast to the liberal dystopia threatening to turn the United States into an orwellian nightmare under a socialist demagogue.

Get well, Phyllis. We need your sensible voice now more than ever!

X-Rated Catholic Campuses -- Run by Jesuits (No Surprise)

One has to wonder about the sexual orientation of many Jesuits in view of the horrible scandals on their campuses. Most of the Catholic schools featuring the V-Monologues this year were Jesuit. They included USF, Santa Clara, Georgetown, Seattle U., Holy Cross, Fairfield, Fordham, John Carroll, and Loyola of Chicago.

And now, as Lent begins, we have three more examples of Jesuit lust and perversion exploiting students. Georgetown, Loyola of Chicago, and Seattle University have given the penitential season new meaning. Instead of the traditional time of repentence, these campuses will fill the weeks of Lent with talks by porn writers and directors, a "Color of Queer Film Series," and gender-bending activities including interpreting Biblical heroes and heroines as transgendered. Read more...

It's all so relentlessly predictable and evil. But will we hear anything from the local prelates whose dioceses are polluted by these so-called institutions of higher learning? Don't hold your breath. Unlike Bishop Martino who addressed the scandal at Misericordia where a gay activist was invited to speak and has urged disbanding of the "diversity institute," most bishops act like the three monkeys covering their eyes, ears, and mouths so they won't have to do anything. Perhaps they are just imitating the monkeys at these institutions who pass for college presidents. Pray for bishops who let the monkeys rampage among the sheep. I suspect it's part of the "diversity" plan to transform the sheep into goats. The monkeys in the president's offices and the monkeys in the chanceries seem to be doing a pretty good job on that score. Unfortunately, it's one they will have to answer for on judgment day.

P.S. I apologize to the two good Jesuits I know for the evil antics of their bastard brethren. Please excuse the coarse language, but these men certainly can't be authentic sons of St. Ignatius.

George Will Takes on His Critics

George Will has been in the liberal crosshairs ever since he published his article, Dark Green Doomsayer, comparing the 1970s hysteria over the coming ice age with today's global warming mania. Today he published a response to his critics, Climate Science in a Tornado, which is also being attacked. I'm sure he's enjoying the excitement. Nothing like being a tornado watcher. The only thing better is being inside the tornado and surviving it. Go, George, go. And thanks for the smack at the New York Times. I still get occasional phone calls urging me to subscribe. I tell them I don't eat enough fish to use it. The so-called paper of record is nothing but a record of unleashed one-sided liberalism masquerading as journalism. Every page is the editorial page, but without being honest enough to admit it. No wonder they're losing business to The Wall Street Journal.

Bishop Martino, Our (Super) Hero

It's a bird, it's a plane, it's Bishop Martino warning pro-abortion Catholic politicians to defend truth, justice, and the American way -- well, Catholic truth and justice anyway; the American way these days is unfortunately X-rated.

The good bishop of Scranton increasingly is the hero of pro-life Catholics who have been calling for Church authorities to enforce Canon Law 915 (denying Communion to obstinate sinners). The purpose of 915 is threefold: to preserve the Eucharist from sacrilege, to limit scandal, and to be a medicine to those with sick souls who don't have the integrity to stop receiving Communion on their own.

Bishop Martino's directive is clear: "Those whose unworthiness to receive Holy Communion is known publicly to the Church must be refused Holy Communion in order to prevent sacrilege and to prevent the Catholic in question from committing further grave sin through unworthy reception." While the document didn't name anyone specifically there's no doubt of at least one intended politician. The same day the chancery released the directive on Communion (which is an instruction to ministers of Holy Communion), Bishop Martino sent a second letter of warning to Pennsyvania Governor Bob Casey. Bishop Martino's intention could not be more clear. The question is will Casey obey? Pro-abortion politicians generally believe they are above the law, both Church and state. But for once a pro-abortion Catholic politician is facing an adversary who's a man of steel.

Thank you, Bishop Martino, from the bottom of our hearts. We pray for you and for the obstinate public sinners you correct. May your strong medicine bring them to their senses and back to the Communion rail with repentant hearts.

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