de Caritate Sacerdoti

This is truly scattered thoughts over a couple of days in between classes...good luck

This has been a thought that has been on my mind recently. In my life, I have found essentially two kinds of priests...not that every priest could ever be categorized into two distinct groups but this division will make sense for my eventual view.

On the one hand, you get the very nice and charitable crazy liberal priest who is 'fun' to be around. They are generally great people; people you can easily understand as to why they pursued the priesthood in the first place. They care about people and evangelize in a way very similar to that of JPII; by the interactions with the People of God and the very evident joy in a life of Christ that they exhibit. 

On the other hand, you get the traditional priest that I would, for the most part, label as bitter. There approach to the Sacraments is endearing and full of reverence and love for the Blessed Sacrament that inspires the People of God, through their own approaches to Holy Communion and the Sacraments, to take them seriously.

Thus, with regards to the former, there is a somewhat successful exterior and apostolic fulfillment of the his priesthood; his interactions with the People of God, by showing his love and joy of Christ is somewhat addictive and endearing and inspiring. He does, however, usually approach the Sacraments very casually, struggling from a laicization of his priesthood in an attempt to make the People of God feel 'comfortable.' He ends up distorting the supernatural hierarchy instituted by God and ends up denying his own special mark on his soul and life with Christ. 

Especially in the Church today, the latter priest (again, these are characterizations of extremes) naturally tends towards a kind of snobbyness or spiritual pride. He is traditional because he thinks it is better. He approaches the Sacrament in such a way because he thinks it is better. In my experience - there are exceptions like Fr. Gabet, FSSP, my pastor Father Miguel, Fr. Coughlin, OFM, and Fr. Mark Magnion, Opus Dei - these priests exhibit a type of bitterness or disdain to things that are not traditional or ordered. I think, especially with Joe Six-Pack in the pew, that the People of God subconsciously take spiritual cues from the priest. 

So the dichotomy that I am trying to present is the priest, on the one hand, who doesn't really inspire a reverence to God or the Sacraments as such but, filled with an easily identifiable love of the Lord, attracts people to the Faith. On the other hand, there is the priest who exhibits a bitterness (and unjoyfulness to the outsider) but, in his reverence to God, especially in the Sacraments, inspires one's spiritual journey to God.

What we need, what I hope to be, is a priest who can flourish in his eccentrism in an endearing and joyful way. A priest who approaches the Sacraments with great reverence and love and yet, while in the midst of the People of God, is charitable and loving and joyful. I don't mean 'cool' or 'fun.' Rather, I mean someone who is approachable and who gives witness in the same way the martyrs give witness. The effects these two would have together would be great. The priest would draw people outside to God and, in his reverence before the altar of God, would inspire a union and relationship with God that is endearing and, in a sense, addictive.

He must, I think, be attached to the Most Sacred Heart of Lord; this would bring to a great fulfillment, his life on earth as an alter Christus . His life in persona Christi.

notice the maniple on the Missal...

The essence of the priesthood, as I understand it, is caritas. What abides in Heaven, says St. Paul, but charity. One does not enter the priesthood for his own salvation; rather he enters the priesthood for the sake of the People of God. His salvation comes about through his efforts and full dedication to the salvation of the People of God. The essence, is the priesthood. Look at this prayer composed by the Curé d'Ars (St. Jean-Marie Vianney, Patron Saint of Parish Priests):

I love You, O my God, and my only desire is to love You until the last breath of my life.

I love You, O my infinitely lovable God,

and I would rather die loving You, than live without loving You.

I love You, Lord, and the only grace I ask is to love You eternally

My God, if my tongue cannot say in every moment that I love You,

I want my heart to repeat it to You as often as I draw breath.

It may not be a mere coincidence that Saint John Vianney was born close to where our Lord showed His Sacred Heart to St. Margaret Mary Alacoque.

Cor Jesu flagrans amore nostri

You have in the holy Curé a man who is pre-occupied with the salvation of souls. His love for the Lord was so addictive and inspiring that he drew multitudes to his humble little parish in Ars. Yet, his approach to the Sacraments was of complete reverence and humility inspiring those multitudes to confess their sins and Communicate with God. 

--------

“I throw myself at the foot of the Tabernacle like a dog at the foot of his Master.”

"If we really loved the good God, we should make it our joy and happiness to come and spend a few moments to adore Him, and ask Him for the grace of forgiveness; and we should regard those moments as the happiest of our lives."

"If we could comprehend all the good things contained in Holy Communion, nothing more would be wanting to content the heart of man. The miser would run no more after his treasures, or the ambitious after glory; each would shake off the dust of the earth, leave the world, and fly away towards heaven,"

-----

Anywho, my point is the dichotomy i see in some priests today who either offer beatuiful Masses that inspire my Communion with God but are difficult to be around (or at least, less enjoyable) or who inspire many to begin journeys back to God but fail to inspire anything beyond that due to their approach to the Sacraments...they fail at inspiring devotion. 

As Bl. Cardinal Newman says, 'emotion is not true devotion' and the truly holy priest, participating in the salvation of the many, is one who, through his interaction with the People of God and his celebration of the Sacraments, is able to inspire in the Faithful a true devotion and adoration of God.

idk, those are some really scattered thoughts...

My Roman Adventure

My dear friends,


I beg your indulgence for not having updated my blog for nearly two weeks; I was extremely busy in Rome and upon returning to Notre Dame, I had to rush to finish up my Senior Thesis that was due yesterday on the Feast of the Annunciation --- and the Word was made flesh and dwelt among us...anyone?
hmmm, anyways here we go with a super long, as a detailed as possible, run through of my fabulous week in Rome with Dom. Giovanni (as I shall refer to him)


(note, this may be changed a few times as I recall more details from my wonderful Roman week)


Sunday
Nothing too special...
Flew from O'Hare to Munich, left the airport in Munich to have a good German beer, got on my next plane to Rome. Arrived in Rome to take a cab to Santa Maria in Via Lata to catch a rather late Sunday Mass. From there, I made my way over to the Domus Internationalis Paulus Sextus where Dom. Giovanni resides  and where I stayed as a guest for the week. Dom. Giovanni was in London that night so I left on my own to roam around Rome and instantly fell in love with the Eternal City; who would have thought that my, having no Italian blood in me, I would fit in so well in Rome...I must be a Roman at heart but we all knew that.


Monday
I got up early to pray Mattins and Lauds with Dom. Giovanni and then made my way over the Tiber to San Pietro, stopping in the Castel San'Angelo on the way...after a Cappuccino of course. At this point, I will warn my readers that I took no pictures; I didn't even take a camera. Miss Gabriella agreed with me that I should not see Rome through a camera lens.
Anywho, St. Peter's was amazing...for a Baroque Church. Words cannot describe the joy in my soul walking up the road into the Square of St. Peter. Oh the Glory of the Holy Roman Catholic Church. 
I kissed the statue of St. Peter, venerated the numerous saints, venerated the tomb of JPII and the other Popes in the Papal tombs, and hundreds of other awesome things. 
THEN, I WENT ON A SCAVI TOUR AND SAW, WITH MY OWN EYES, THE BONES OF ST. PETER AND I PRAYED THE CREDO QUICKLY SINCE THE TOUR GUIDE SEEMED TO NOT THINK THIS WAS SPECIAL...She was more interested in the pagan tombs and I had to beg her to stop so I could at least say a quick prayer.
From there I meant to go on the Cupola and get a view of the Eternal City and the Vatican Musuem but I kinda forgot.
From there, I made my way back to the Casa to meet Dom. Giovanni, stopping into every Church on the way including the Pantheon (of which I was not a huge fan), Santa Maria sopra Minerva which had this great image: The Triumph of St. Thomas Aquinas over the Heretics...Its a Fresco by Filippino Lippi in the Carafa Chapel, showing the great Dominican theologian Thomas Aquinas confounding heretics while two boys (the future popes Leo and Clement VII) look on



Upon meeting up with Dom. Giovanni, he offered a private TLM for me and we chanted Vespers (what else would we do?)
We met with two Old Collegians for Dinner near the English College.




Tuesday
I got up to pray Mattins and chant Lauds and Prime with Dom. Giovanni before heading to Sant'Anastasia for the Stational Liturgy, one of the first parishes in Ancient Rome. I walked with Dom. Giovanni to the Greg where he had classes in Canon Law and I went on my way to explore the city. Some of the Churches I saw this day included the Gesu and San'Ignazio. I then met up with Gabriella for lunch who then took me to a few Churches including Santa Cecilia in Trastevere with a gorgeous baldacchino and Santa Sabina where St. Thomas Aquinas actually lived during some of the early years of his Priesthood. We also visited Santissima Trinità dei Pellegrini, the FSSP parish in Rome:



We continued up the Aventine Hill to the Knights of Malta headquarters with a fantastic view through their keyhole:



I then met up with Dom. Giovanni and he celebrated Mass for in San Sebastiano fuori le mura, my confirmation saint. 



We then walked all the way back to the Casa, stopping in every Church along the way (that we could) including a Basilica built on the very spot where St. John was plunged into boiling oil and emerged unscathed: San Giovanni a Porta Latina. We then had another glorious dinner.


Wednesday
The Stational Church was the beautiful Santa Maria Maggiore. Dom. Giovanni and I went through our know regular morning ritual of offices and chants. I then went to San Andrea delle Valle. Today was also the day, each year, where in the Palazzo Massimo in Rome, special Masses are said in remembrance of a miracle of St. Philip Neri, whereby he revived Prince Paul Massimo. This miracle occurred on this day, March 16th, in 1583. I had the great privilege of going to a Missa Cantata with Cardinal Burke!!!!!! What follows is a set of awesome pics from the Mass and beautiful chapel in the Palazzo. The Mass was aided by the Institute of Christ the King:








I couldn't have been happier than at this very moment!!


I met up with Dom. Giovanni and we made our way over to Santa Maria Maggiore with Fr. Mark the Aussie. Dom. Giovanni offered Mass for me once again and it was awesome. I thought this church, on its own, was absolutely stunning (except for the stained glass in the back)...of course the Crib of Our Lord kinda helps ;)


At this moment, my memory escapes me as to what I did the rest of that evening but I remember walking through the rain with two priests and going to countless beautiful Churches that included San Pietro in Vincoli where Peter's Chains are kept:

the only issue here was that, while in the Church praying our Creed, the Church had some sacred music in the background. The next song was Handel and when the three of us realized it was the Great 'A-word' from Handel's Messiah, we ran out while covering our ears.


We also visited Santa Maria della Vittoria where Bernini's famous statue of the Ecstasy of St. Teresa of Avila:



We also stopped in Santa Maria di Loretto, San Marco (where tradition holds St. Mark wrote the majority, or all, of his Gospel), and San Alfonso di Liguori where the original icon of OL of Perpetual Help is:



Thursday
Dom Giovanni, one of his patrons being San Patrizio, insisted we go to San Patrizio for the big Mass in honor of St. Patrick organized by the Irish College; Cardinal Levada was the main celebrant. It was a newer church but the mosaic above the altar was gorgeous and the Mass was nice. Today was also the 150th year celebration of the unification of Italy (or the Fall of the Papal States :( ) and the Casa had a HUGE PRANZO that was soooooo delicious. Now that I think of it...I do miss the food...alot.


I ventured out on my own to San Paolo fuori le mura, stopping in as many Churches as possible and that Church was quite magnificent. I stayed for chanted vespers...IN LATIN!!!... and made my way to the L'Abbazia delle Tre Fontane, the spot where St. Paul's head was chopped off and his head bounced three times and fountains miraculously sprang out when it touched the ground.



Went out to dinner and had a grand ol' evening. 


Friday
Stational Church was Santi XII Apostoli. After Mass, I was able to go down and venerate the tombs of James Minor and Phillip. I then made my way over to the Colosseum where I dreamed about being a gladiator for a bit. Then I went down to the Roman Forum and among other really cool things, read (out-loud) Cicero's Speeches against Cataline (and apparently was filmed by a random group of Koreans). I then met up with Dom. Giovanni at the Lateran which was pretty amazing; the Cathedral of Rome and the whole world...wow!


We crossed the street and Prayed the Scala Sancta which are the steps that led up to the praetorium of Pontius Pilate in Jerusalem, which Jesus Christ stood on during his Passion on his way to trial, brought to Rome by St. Helena.


We then went to the Basilica Sanctae Crucis in Hierusalem which houses the Passion relics!!!!!!!!!
Among these amazing relics were 1) a part of the Elogium or Titulus Crucis, 2) two thorns from the Crown placed on Our Lord's Sacred Head, 3) a piece of a nail that pierced Our Lord's Sacred Hand or Foot, 4) three pieces of the True Cross, 5) a fragment of the Good Thief's cross, 6) the finger of Doubting St. Thomas (that probably touched Our Lord's Most Sacred Heart), and 7) pieces of the Scouring Pillar, the Holy Sepulchre, and the crib of Our Lord.


On the way back to St. John Lateran, there was this huge statue of the great St. Francis holding up the walls of the Cathedral:



Today I also met with Fr. Flannery, SJ, at the Gregorian. For those of you that don't know, this meeting was the reasoning for my funding for the trip; I use a lot of his research in my Senior Thesis and he is a friend of the Center and my advisor. He really did help with my Thesis and and took me to the top of the Greg and showed me a fantastic view of the Eternal City. It was great to talk about Aristotle and Aquinas over an espresso with such a magnificent view. 


After my meeting with Fr. Flannery, Dom Giovanni and I headed to the last of the seven pilgrim Churches, the Basilica Papale di San Lorenzo fuori le Mura, hitting a few Churches along the way. We venerated his tomb and left just as Mass was starting and this Franciscan processed out (the acolyte) wearing a beautiful lace-filled surplice...tantum ergo, more grace. (it looked a lot like my surplice of the 7-inch lace).


On the way back, we stopped in San Clemente which was one of my favorite Churches:



We then met up wtih Gabriella and the Gallican for fish and then had a very long discussion/argument over the superiority of Gothic over Baroque architecture...some just didn't want to see the truth but thats ok:

as some examples...anywho


Saturday
 Dom. Giovanni said Mass for me in St. Peters (the stational church of the day) on the body of St. Gregory of Nazianzus. We then booked it to the train station to catch a train to Assisi, only to arrive as the train was pulling out of the station. So we went to Sacred Heart Church and prayed Mattins, Lauds, Prime, Terce, and Sext.


Assisi was AMAZING...I loved it. Had a great Pranzo and then we made our way up the hill to the Church of St. Francis. The Frescos in there were to die for, my favorite being this one:

this is the best pic i could find but on the bottom, you have Holy St. Francis pleading before the Triune God for his brothers and other Franciscan brothers pulling brothers out of their tombs into Heaven by their cintures. I venerated St. Francis' tomb and habit. We went to Santa Chiara which houses the famous Cross of  San Damiano and venerated Saint Claire's body. We went to the Cathedral and saw the baptismal font where St. Francis was baptized and enjoyed the evening in Assisi. On the way back, Dom. Giovanni and I had the whole train car to ourselves so we naturally chanted out of Liber's for the two hours...it was nice.


Sunday
Private Mass in Santa Maria Maggiore on the altar in front of the Crib of Our Lord....it was amazing. His Reverence even gave a lil sermon to me. We went to St. Peter's for the Angelus and upon seeing the Pope, i teared up for the first time...I just couldn't believe my eyes.


I received my papal blessings which extends to family and friends (and readers...so if you got a warm, tingly feeling last Sunday, you know why ;) ), and visited a few more Churches in the Vatican State. We ate a huge pranzo that included delicious wine (as every meal did) and Trippa Romana...mmmmmm


We went back to the Casa to relax for the day and chant out of the liber, I boarded my plane and landed back in the States on Monday evening...a whole ten minutes before I had to report on duty (I am an RA in my dorm for those that didn't know that).


That is it for now...I am quite tired having had a rough week of thesis writing and completing...like I said, I will update this post a few more times as I recall more awesomeness from my Roman Adventure





God Bless friends...

Jack was nimble, Jack was quick, but Jack still couldn't dodge Chuck Norris' roundhouse kick.

I leave for Rome tomorrow. I will do my best to post an update or two with my Roman Adventures in the Eternal City with Fr. Ian McDole; we will soon find out if the Eternal City can handle both of us.

A Very Belated Birthday to Chuck Norris also known as Walker Texas Ranger who turned 71 last year. As some of you may know, I come from the Great Republic of Texas (still waiting for us to secede) and I love that the manliest man of all men starred in a absolutely awesome TV show as a Texas Ranger. That and watching Walker Texas Ranger was some of the best bonding time, outside of running errands all over the place for various priests, that Jefe spent with Memo. I mean, just look at him; he is awesome (yes Cholo, better than Randy Savage).       

I will now conclude with some facts about Chuck Norris:

1. Chuck Norris' tears cure cancer. Too bad he has never cried.
2. Chuck Norris counted to infinity - twice.
3. Chuck Norris does not hunt because the word hunting infers the probability of failure. Chuck Norris goes killing.
4. If you can see Chuck Norris, he can see you. If you can't see Chuck Norris you may be only seconds away from death.
5. When the Boogeyman goes to sleep every night he checks his closet for Chuck Norris.
6. Chuck Norris has already been to Mars; that's why there are no signs of life there.
7. Chuck Norris can speak braille.
8. Chuck Norris does not sleep. He waits.
9. Chuck Norris once won a game of Connect Four in 3 moves.
10. Chuck Norris can delete the Recycling Bin.
11. Chuck Norris can do a wheelie on a unicycle.
12. Once a cobra bit Chuck Norris' leg. After five days of excruciating pain, the cobra died.
13. Chuck Norris can squeeze orange juice out of a lemon
14. Chuck Norris died ten years ago, but the Grim Reaper can't get up the courage to tell him.
15. Chuck Norris can slam revolving doors.
16. Giraffes were created when Chuck Norris uppercutted a horse.
17. Chuck Norris doesn't read books. He stares them down until he gets the information he wants.
18. Chuck Norris can kill two stones with one bird.
19. Death once had a near-Chuck-Norris experience.
20. Chuck Norris can play the violin with a piano
21. Chuck Norris was once on Celebrity Wheel of Fortune and was the first to spin. The next 29 minutes of the show consisted of everyone standing around awkwardly, waiting for the wheel to stop.
22. Chuck Norris is the only person on the planet that can kick you in the back of the face.
23. Chuck Norris can build a snowman out of rain.
24. Chuck Norris can drown a fish.
25. Chuck Norris eats the core of an apple first.
26. Chuck Norris plays russian roulette with a fully loded revolver... and wins.
27. When Chuck Norris enters a room, he doesn't turn the lights on, he turns the dark off.
28. When Chuck Norris looks in a mirror the mirror shatters, because not even glass is stupid enough to get in between Chuck Norris and Chuck Norris.
29. Chuck Norris once bowled a 300. Without a ball. He wasn't even in a bowling alley.
30. Rosa Parks refused to get out of her seat because she was saving it for Chuck Norris.
31. Chuck Norris is the only person that can punch a cyclops between the eye.
32. Chuck Norris can tie his shoes with his feet.

The Best Political Regime

The question of the best political regime has been discussed since the Ancient Greeks. It is not an easy topic to discuss, especially in today's society that is so "pro-Democracy."

Today in my class (Graduate PolySci seminar on Thomistic Ethics and Law), we had an absolutely fascinating two and a half hour discussion of the best regime. It began with a discussion of ends. One of my colleagues attempted to argue his view (which I have heard before) that there are, in fact, two ends for humans in St. Thomas Aquinas; the natural end and the supernatural end. The supernatural, and more perfect end, is life with God, the Beatific Vision, seeing God as God sees Himself. The natural end(s) are marriage, friendship, success, etc (and one could argue, the common good). He argued that in fact, a contemplation of God cannot be our natural end for it cannot be achieved by our nature; it needs grace.

We debated in the classroom for a bit on this point that included a discussion of the separated soul, life in Heaven (of course, highly speculative), and Aristotle. I concluded by raising the point that it seems that the end in line with the nature of angels - the natural end of angels - is a contemplation of God and the angels are equally created and finite before God. Thus, it seems, as though it may not need to seem so odd that our end as humans is Life with God, even if it is an end we cannot achieve on our own.

We moved then, to the specific discussion of the best political regime in De Regno and the Summa Theologiae. Aquinas describes the monarchy in De Regno as a rule by “shepherd who looks after his people before himself...for the sake of peace...so that virtue, the necessary conditioning for beatitude, can flourish.” The king guides a group of men, each of which are motivated by their own self-interest. The monarchy is the best regime because it is the most capable of attaining peace because, for the very same reason a government is needed to guide the group of people that, due to their own self interests, more than one ruler will result in “quarrels between rulers that will tear the regime from its path to unity.”

In the ST., IaIIae, xc, 1, Aquinas similarly argues that law works for peace within the political community and for virtue. However, in the Summa, Thomas argues for a mixed regime of a monarchy, aristocracy, and democracy. It is a mix of the three justly ruled goverments (as opposed to the unjustly ruled governments) and argues that, for the sake of peace which grounds a flourishing in virtue among the citizens, “everyone should have some role in government if peace is to be maintained.”

Thus, on the one had, Aquinas argues for the monarchy; on the other hand, for a mixed regime. In the so-called Treatise of Law, Aquinas, like in the rest of the Summa, is combining Aristotle and St. Augustine. ( I refer to it as the 'so-called Treatise of Law' since it is not a treatise of Law as such; it is a small set of questions in a much larger book geared towards the origins and end of man in God.) Aristotle wrote in Politics about three distinct versions of regimes but also detailed what had to be accomplished in the society for those regimes to prosper; all geared toward an understanding of the polis as working towards the common good. St. Augustine, in City of God, argues that Rome and secular powers, through their glory, have twisted politics towards themselves in pride rather than keeping their eyes focused on God in respect to politics. St. Thomas Aquinas' notion of human law is rooted in his attempt to integrate St. Augustine and Aristotle. In the Politics, Aristotle argues that human beings are by nature political animals (1253a1-3). By nature, human beings are animals that belong in a polis, engaging in the activities of the polis. Thus, the human being that is without a polis is the “worst of all animals”, lacking not only justice, but also phronesis and virtue (1234a29-38). Thus, Aquinas accepts the Aristotelian notion that human beings are by nature political animals and that the state, with its laws, are formed naturally from the political nature of man, not from the man's Fall as Augustine argues with his very negative functional understanding of law.

Law, for Aquinas, is a type of 'signposts of happiness;' they are geared toward an end beyond the common good. Law must root itself in Natural Law for it to be a law and the monarch must be intimate with the Scriptures and rule according to NL and DL or he is not Aquinas. Therefore, on a side note, there is really no notion of a divine right of kings; for Aquinas, the monarch must have the consent of the people and his ruling power comes from the people. This is something Aristotle is quite aware of and hence, the eventual conclusion that all must have a say in the government if they are to abide by said government and support it. Looking back to questions 90-92, we see that law “properly speaking, regards first and foremost the order to the common good,” (ST, IaIIae, xc, 3) and that “it is evident that the proper effect of law is to lead its subjects to their proper virtue: and since virtue is “that which makes its subject good.” (ST, IaIIae, xcii, 1)

So which account satisfies these requirements? Which political regime will produce laws that will work towards the common good and educate its citizens in the virtues (in the most perfect way). Aquinas defends his argument for a monarch as the best regime in De Regno on the grounds that government of many is more likely to become unjust than the government by one (Aquinas Political Writings, pg. 17, “If, however, one man rules…” and “For when dissension arises.” (Bk.1, chapter VI)). The question of government by many is explained by Aquinas as, “For there is no beauty in a body unless all its members are properly disposed, and ugliness arises when even one member is improperly so” (Aquinas Political Writings, pg. 13. (Bk.1, Chapter IV)).

On the other hand, the best regime in the Summa is a mixed regime for it has the most authoritative law. Looking back to questions 90-92, we see that law is “properly speaking, regards first and foremost the order to the common good,” (ST, IaIIae, xc, 3) and that “it is evident that the proper effect of law is to lead its subjects to their proper virtue: and since virtue is “that which makes its subject good.” (ST, IaIIae, xcii, 1).

Thus, in a sense, with the whole mindset of the Summa as the guide of one's assent to a life with the Divine Godhead, law must allow man to know and participate in the Divine. Further, leaning heavily on Aristotle's notion that we are, by nature, political animals (i.e., we belong to a polis for the sake of obtaining our ultimate telos, which is necessarily tied to a common good so that we can 1) practice the virtues and 2) fulfill our social natures) it seems that though in terms of preserving the peace and the common good, theoretically a monarchy would be ideal - have the philosopher king, the magnanimous statesman, dictate the laws that will help guide the rest who lack magnanimity towards it – but in terms of allowing the people as a whole to be practically active, we must extend the right of rule to the people; we must extend to the aristocracy and monarchy to the plebs. To be sure, good men are often called to stand up heroically against tyrants (ST, II-II, 42.2, ad 3), but the full potential of the good citizen will never be realized unless he lives in best of all possible regimes. In other words, only in the best regime do the good citizen and the good human being coincide (Commentary on the Politics, Book 3, Lecture 3 [366]) and this would seem to be a regime in which all are able to engage in practical activity.

The Magnanimity of Scipio

I think the distinction here between the monarchy and the mixed regime is one of a theoretical best and a practical best. The mixed regime seems to preserve the monarchy but it seems to be best only on the practical level. The best of all regimes, the monarchy, has the greatest tendency to become the worst (especially mixed with the a theological understanding of pride and sin and evil and the Fall). This is why, whereas monarchy is the best regime simply speaking, the best possible regime seems to be the mixed regime which maintains the monarchy but puts a necessary check on his power to avoid this big danger and risk. Though, I do not wish to claim that the movement from a monarchy to a mixed regime is a downward move; to simply put a check on the evil-tended monarch. Rather, the monarch must be one who is intimate with the Scriptures and excel in all virtues (if he is to be a true monarch) and these people just don't exist (except for me of course).

Some last notes; 1) Aquinas didn't necessarily write all of De Regno, 2) it is a treatise specifically dealing with the merits of a monarchy, and 3) it is written as a favor to a monarch and 4) De Regno was written 5 years (roughly) before the so-called Treatise on Law. Thus, it can't be viewed as an authoritatively Thomist treatment of Law. Furthermore, the use of democracy in De Regno is not even remotely similar to its appearance in the Summa. He treats democracy as an unjust regime in De Regno. Thus the inclusion of the democracy in the best regime in the Summa is strange but he is not actually advocating a democratic rule as we understand it; how could those who need to be educated in the virtues create laws to teach the virtues. Rather, I think it is an attempt, since our nature is political and our end involves us acting in accord with our nature, to extend the capacity for political activity to the whole of the polis. The monarch must, of course, come from the people and be accepted and supported by the people. 

Finally, an interesting is the uniqueness of the Order of Preachers, the Dominicans, of which the Angelic Doctor was a member. Unlike most religious orders before their time that simply had an abbot (monarch), they have chapter meetings with a Head Master, his higher ranking counselors, and the rest of the friars all discussing the missions they find themselves in. OK I am tired. Goodnight. Enjoy the following picture:

Ash Wednesday - Starting from Ashes

Hello my Reader, or hopefully Readers, and welcome to my blog where I shall undoubtedly discuss and rant on issues surrounding the Intellectual Life and the Catholic Church. Be advised that the format of this will undoubtedly change a myriad of times until I like it...deal with it :)


Today is Ash Wednesday and the beginning of the Lenten Season. Having given up, among other things, Facebook, I need something new to distract myself from my school work. So why not start a blog?


Actually, I received an email earlier today from a very good friend of mine (http://becomingleaven.blogspot.com/) and she encouraged me to start this blog so here we are. Also, my other friend has recently started her blog (http://summacontranietzsche.blogspot.com/) and, quite frankly, mine has to be better.


Since I have wasted most of my spare time today figuring this whole blog thing out, I will leave you with


The Collect of the Day: 
Concede nobis, Domine, praesidia militiae christianae
sanctis inchoare ieiuniis,
ut, contra spiritales nequitias pugnaturi,
continentiae muniamur auxiliis.

Finally, I think this picture is cool:

Enjoy your Lent....but not too much ;)