Mental Prayer
according to St. Alphonsus Maria de Liguori
Chapter 3. The Ends of Mental Prayer
WE OUGHT NOT TO SEEK IN MENTAL PRAYER
SPIRITUAL CONSOLATIONS
We must apply ourselves to meditation, not for the sake of spiritual consolations, but chiefly in order to learn what is the will of God concerning us. "Speak Lord," said Samuel to God, "for Thy servant heareth" (1 Kings 3: 9). Lord, make me to know what Thou wilt, that I may do it. Some persons continue meditation as long as consolations continue; but when these cease, they leave off meditation.
It is true that God is accustomed to comfort His beloved souls at the time of meditation, and to give them some foretaste of the delights He prepares in Heaven for those who love Him.
These are things which the lovers of the world do not comprehend; they who have not taste except for earthly delights despise those which are celestial. Oh, if they were wise, how surely would they leave their pleasures to shut themselves in their closets, to speak alone with God!
Meditation is nothing more than a converse between the soul and God; the soul pours forth to Him its affections, its desires, its fears, its requests, and God speaks to the heart, causing it to know His goodness, and the love which He bears it, and what it must do to please Him.
But these delights are not constant, and for the most part, holy souls experience much dryness of spirit in meditation. "With dryness and temptations," says St. Teresa, "the Lord makes proof of those who love Him." And she adds, "Even if this dryness lasts through life, let not the soul leave off meditation; the time will come when all will be well rewarded."
The time of dryness is the time for gaining the greatest rewards; and when we find ourselves apparently without fervor, without good desires, and, as it were, unable to do a good act, let us humble ourselves and resign ourselves, for this very meditation will be more fruitful than others.
It is enough then to say, if we can say nothing more, "O Lord, help me, have mercy on me, abandon me not!" Let us also have recourse to our comforter, the most holy Mary. Happy he who does not leave off meditation in the hour of desolation.
#stalphonsus #mentalprayer
according to St. Alphonsus Maria de Liguori
Chapter 3. The Ends of Mental Prayer
WE OUGHT NOT TO SEEK IN MENTAL PRAYER
SPIRITUAL CONSOLATIONS
We must apply ourselves to meditation, not for the sake of spiritual consolations, but chiefly in order to learn what is the will of God concerning us. "Speak Lord," said Samuel to God, "for Thy servant heareth" (1 Kings 3: 9). Lord, make me to know what Thou wilt, that I may do it. Some persons continue meditation as long as consolations continue; but when these cease, they leave off meditation.
It is true that God is accustomed to comfort His beloved souls at the time of meditation, and to give them some foretaste of the delights He prepares in Heaven for those who love Him.
These are things which the lovers of the world do not comprehend; they who have not taste except for earthly delights despise those which are celestial. Oh, if they were wise, how surely would they leave their pleasures to shut themselves in their closets, to speak alone with God!
Meditation is nothing more than a converse between the soul and God; the soul pours forth to Him its affections, its desires, its fears, its requests, and God speaks to the heart, causing it to know His goodness, and the love which He bears it, and what it must do to please Him.
But these delights are not constant, and for the most part, holy souls experience much dryness of spirit in meditation. "With dryness and temptations," says St. Teresa, "the Lord makes proof of those who love Him." And she adds, "Even if this dryness lasts through life, let not the soul leave off meditation; the time will come when all will be well rewarded."
The time of dryness is the time for gaining the greatest rewards; and when we find ourselves apparently without fervor, without good desires, and, as it were, unable to do a good act, let us humble ourselves and resign ourselves, for this very meditation will be more fruitful than others.
It is enough then to say, if we can say nothing more, "O Lord, help me, have mercy on me, abandon me not!" Let us also have recourse to our comforter, the most holy Mary. Happy he who does not leave off meditation in the hour of desolation.
#stalphonsus #mentalprayer
Levels of Prayer
St. Teresa of Avila taught that the intensity of one's prayer life coincides with the intensity of one's charity. This is based on solid theology and was confirmed by St. Pius X who taught that the grades of prayer represent the grades of elevation or ascent to Christian perfection. In other words, where you are in your prayer life is a gauge of where you are in your spiritual life. You cannot advance in Christian perfection without advancing in grades of prayer.
“…pray, and never give up praying. If you pray, you will be certainly saved; if you do not pray, you will be certainly damned.” – St. Alphonsus De Liguori’s Conclusion to a Short Treatise on Prayer
The Church teaches us that there are three major expressions (or forms) of prayer – Vocal, Meditation, and Contemplation.
Through the lives of the Saints and their works, and the efforts of theologians, it is understood that there are nine levels or grades of prayer:
1.Vocal Prayer
___
2. Mental Prayer
3. Affective Prayer
4. Acquired Recollection
5. Infused Contemplation
6. Prayer of Quiet
___
7. Simple Union
8. Conforming Union
9. Transforming Union
Notice the lowest form of prayer is Vocal Prayer, meaning using words either audibly or mentally, whereas mental prayer is primarily in the intellect, focusing on God or meditating on some mystery without words of any kind. The Holy Rosary combines the first two levels through vocal prayers while meditating on the mysteries of our Lord (Mental Prayer). The saints tell us that Mental Prayer is the gateway to all the higher forms of prayer, and the higher you ascend also corresponds to your progress in virtue.
Church describes vocal prayer: “Vocal prayer associates the body with the interior prayer of the heart. Even the most interior prayer, however, cannot dispense with vocal prayer. In any case, it must always spring from a personal faith. With the Our Father Jesus has taught us a perfect form of vocal prayer.”
Meditation is a higher form of prayer than vocal prayer as it utilizes the power of your imagination with focus on holy truths. Meditation has been referred to as one of the more difficult forms of prayer as many have not yet mastered their imagination and distraction becomes common-place. The Compendium of the Catholic Church states: “Meditation is a prayerful reflection that begins above all in the Word of God in the Bible. Meditation engages though, imagination, emotion and desire in order to deepen our faith, convert our heart and fortify our will to follow Christ. It is a first step toward the union of love with God.” Or as St. Padre Pio has said, “The final purpose of meditation is the love of God and one’s neighbor. Love the first with all your soul and without reservation, love the second as another self, and you will have arrived at the final purpose of meditation.” And this beloved saint, knowing how difficult meditative prayer gives us hope in saying, “When you do not succeed in meditating well do not, for this reason, cease to do your duty. If there are many distractions do not lose heart. Make a meditation on patience; you will profit all the same. Fix the time, the length of your meditation, and do not rise from your place until you have finished it.
Contemplative prayer is a simple gaze upon God in silence and love. It is a gift of God, a moment of pure faith during which the one praying seeks Christ, surrenders himself to the loving will of the Father, and places his being under the action of the Holy Spirit. Saint Teresa of Avila defines contemplative prayer as the intimate sharing of friendship, “in which time is frequently taken to be along with God who we know loves us.”
https://youtu.be/WeOLenpKta8
#mentalprayer
St. Teresa of Avila taught that the intensity of one's prayer life coincides with the intensity of one's charity. This is based on solid theology and was confirmed by St. Pius X who taught that the grades of prayer represent the grades of elevation or ascent to Christian perfection. In other words, where you are in your prayer life is a gauge of where you are in your spiritual life. You cannot advance in Christian perfection without advancing in grades of prayer.
“…pray, and never give up praying. If you pray, you will be certainly saved; if you do not pray, you will be certainly damned.” – St. Alphonsus De Liguori’s Conclusion to a Short Treatise on Prayer
The Church teaches us that there are three major expressions (or forms) of prayer – Vocal, Meditation, and Contemplation.
Through the lives of the Saints and their works, and the efforts of theologians, it is understood that there are nine levels or grades of prayer:
1.Vocal Prayer
___
2. Mental Prayer
3. Affective Prayer
4. Acquired Recollection
5. Infused Contemplation
6. Prayer of Quiet
___
7. Simple Union
8. Conforming Union
9. Transforming Union
Notice the lowest form of prayer is Vocal Prayer, meaning using words either audibly or mentally, whereas mental prayer is primarily in the intellect, focusing on God or meditating on some mystery without words of any kind. The Holy Rosary combines the first two levels through vocal prayers while meditating on the mysteries of our Lord (Mental Prayer). The saints tell us that Mental Prayer is the gateway to all the higher forms of prayer, and the higher you ascend also corresponds to your progress in virtue.
Church describes vocal prayer: “Vocal prayer associates the body with the interior prayer of the heart. Even the most interior prayer, however, cannot dispense with vocal prayer. In any case, it must always spring from a personal faith. With the Our Father Jesus has taught us a perfect form of vocal prayer.”
Meditation is a higher form of prayer than vocal prayer as it utilizes the power of your imagination with focus on holy truths. Meditation has been referred to as one of the more difficult forms of prayer as many have not yet mastered their imagination and distraction becomes common-place. The Compendium of the Catholic Church states: “Meditation is a prayerful reflection that begins above all in the Word of God in the Bible. Meditation engages though, imagination, emotion and desire in order to deepen our faith, convert our heart and fortify our will to follow Christ. It is a first step toward the union of love with God.” Or as St. Padre Pio has said, “The final purpose of meditation is the love of God and one’s neighbor. Love the first with all your soul and without reservation, love the second as another self, and you will have arrived at the final purpose of meditation.” And this beloved saint, knowing how difficult meditative prayer gives us hope in saying, “When you do not succeed in meditating well do not, for this reason, cease to do your duty. If there are many distractions do not lose heart. Make a meditation on patience; you will profit all the same. Fix the time, the length of your meditation, and do not rise from your place until you have finished it.
Contemplative prayer is a simple gaze upon God in silence and love. It is a gift of God, a moment of pure faith during which the one praying seeks Christ, surrenders himself to the loving will of the Father, and places his being under the action of the Holy Spirit. Saint Teresa of Avila defines contemplative prayer as the intimate sharing of friendship, “in which time is frequently taken to be along with God who we know loves us.”
https://youtu.be/WeOLenpKta8
#mentalprayer
YouTube
Spiritual Theology Series: Levels of Prayer ~ Fr Ripperger
The 2nd part of the lectures on spritual theology. Prayer is the topic of this one. For more sermons & lectures please visit
http://sensustraditionis.org/ & remember to do the PenanceWare Fr asks for
Fr Ripperger's order of exorcists http://dolorans.org/…
http://sensustraditionis.org/ & remember to do the PenanceWare Fr asks for
Fr Ripperger's order of exorcists http://dolorans.org/…
On the authorities in the Church and fraternal correction, p.II
"To presume oneself to be simply better than one's prelate, would seem to savor of presumtuous pride; but there is no presumption in thinking oneself better in some respect, because, in this life, no man is without some fault. We must also remember that when a man reproves his prelate charitably, it does not follow that he thinks himself any better, but merely that he offers his help to one who "being in a higher position among you, is therefore in greater danger.""
Saint Thomas Aquinas, Summa Theologica II-II Q33, Art4, Reply to obj. 3
"The reprehension was just and useful, and the reason for it was not light: there was a danger for the preservation of Gospel truth. The way it took place was appropriate, since it was public and manifest. For this reason, St. Paul writes: 'I spoke to Cephas,' that is, Peter, 'before everyone,' since the simulation practiced by St. Peter was fraught with danger to everyone."
St. Thomas Aquinas: Summa Theologiae, IIa IIae, Q. 33, A. 4
"To withstand anyone in public exceeds the mode of fraternal correction , and so Paul would not have withstood Peter then, unless he were in some way his equal as regards the defence of the faith. But one who is not an equal can reprove privately and respectfully..It must be observed, however, that if the faith were endangered, a subject ought to rebuke his prelate even publicly. Hence, Paul, who was Peter's subject, rebuked him in public, on account of the imminent danger of scandal concerning faith, and, as the gloss of Augustine says on Gal.2:11: "Peter gave an example to superiors, that if in any time they should happen to stray from the straight path, they should not disdain to be reproved by their subjects."
St. Thomas Aquinas, Summa Theologica II-II, Q33, Art4, Reply to obj.2
"To presume oneself to be simply better than one's prelate, would seem to savor of presumtuous pride; but there is no presumption in thinking oneself better in some respect, because, in this life, no man is without some fault. We must also remember that when a man reproves his prelate charitably, it does not follow that he thinks himself any better, but merely that he offers his help to one who "being in a higher position among you, is therefore in greater danger.""
Saint Thomas Aquinas, Summa Theologica II-II Q33, Art4, Reply to obj. 3
"The reprehension was just and useful, and the reason for it was not light: there was a danger for the preservation of Gospel truth. The way it took place was appropriate, since it was public and manifest. For this reason, St. Paul writes: 'I spoke to Cephas,' that is, Peter, 'before everyone,' since the simulation practiced by St. Peter was fraught with danger to everyone."
St. Thomas Aquinas: Summa Theologiae, IIa IIae, Q. 33, A. 4
"To withstand anyone in public exceeds the mode of fraternal correction , and so Paul would not have withstood Peter then, unless he were in some way his equal as regards the defence of the faith. But one who is not an equal can reprove privately and respectfully..It must be observed, however, that if the faith were endangered, a subject ought to rebuke his prelate even publicly. Hence, Paul, who was Peter's subject, rebuked him in public, on account of the imminent danger of scandal concerning faith, and, as the gloss of Augustine says on Gal.2:11: "Peter gave an example to superiors, that if in any time they should happen to stray from the straight path, they should not disdain to be reproved by their subjects."
St. Thomas Aquinas, Summa Theologica II-II, Q33, Art4, Reply to obj.2
The Holy Sacrifice of the Mass
Thomas Aquinas identifies four obligations that every man owes to God indefinitely
1. To praise and honour His infinite majesty
2. To satisfy for the many sins commited against that infinite majesty
3. To thank Him for all benefits received
4. To supplicate Him as the giver of all graces
These four obligations correspond perfectly to the Four Ends of the Sacrifice the Mass
1. Adoration
2. Atonement
3. Thanksgiving
4. Petition
The Four Ends of the Mass are the same four obligations that we owe to God. This is why St. Thomas identified the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass as the most efficacious method of paying the four great debts owed by us to God. St. Peter Julain Eymard says in his book 'The Real Presence': let us pray as He does according to the Four Ends of the Sacrifice; this form of prayer sums up religious worship and entails the practice of every virtue."
Mass is the highest and holiest act and greatest prayer of the Church because it is the action of Christ Himself. When we unite ourselves and our prayers to Jesus' sacrifice on the cross at Calvary during every mass, truly that is the most efficacious method of prayer.
"All the good works in the world are not equal to the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass because they are works of men; but the Mass is the work of God. Martyrdom is nothing in comparison for it is but the sacrifice of man to God; but the Mass is the sacrifice of God for man."
St. John Vianney
#mass
Thomas Aquinas identifies four obligations that every man owes to God indefinitely
1. To praise and honour His infinite majesty
2. To satisfy for the many sins commited against that infinite majesty
3. To thank Him for all benefits received
4. To supplicate Him as the giver of all graces
These four obligations correspond perfectly to the Four Ends of the Sacrifice the Mass
1. Adoration
2. Atonement
3. Thanksgiving
4. Petition
The Four Ends of the Mass are the same four obligations that we owe to God. This is why St. Thomas identified the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass as the most efficacious method of paying the four great debts owed by us to God. St. Peter Julain Eymard says in his book 'The Real Presence': let us pray as He does according to the Four Ends of the Sacrifice; this form of prayer sums up religious worship and entails the practice of every virtue."
Mass is the highest and holiest act and greatest prayer of the Church because it is the action of Christ Himself. When we unite ourselves and our prayers to Jesus' sacrifice on the cross at Calvary during every mass, truly that is the most efficacious method of prayer.
"All the good works in the world are not equal to the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass because they are works of men; but the Mass is the work of God. Martyrdom is nothing in comparison for it is but the sacrifice of man to God; but the Mass is the sacrifice of God for man."
St. John Vianney
#mass
the_problem_of_the_liturgical_reform(1).pdf
971.7 KB
"The Problem of the Liturgical Reform" - a theological and Liturgical Study
The Society of Saint Pius X
Angelus Press
"The missal of Pope Paul VI, because of its serious theological defects, does not have and cannot have the character of a true and binding law. While waiting for the legislator to publish the neces-
sary theological, liturgical, and canonical clarifications, one can in good conscience use the missal revised by St. Pius V."
#novusordo #mass
The Society of Saint Pius X
Angelus Press
"The missal of Pope Paul VI, because of its serious theological defects, does not have and cannot have the character of a true and binding law. While waiting for the legislator to publish the neces-
sary theological, liturgical, and canonical clarifications, one can in good conscience use the missal revised by St. Pius V."
#novusordo #mass
Forwarded from ♰ Traditional Latin Mass ♰
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The Latin ♰ Sancta Missa ♰ Explained for Priests
Forwarded from ♰ Traditional Latin Mass ♰
The Latin Mass Explained and Demonstrated for Priests.mkv
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The Latin ♰ Sancta Missa ♰ Explained for Priests
J. R. R. Tolkien’s Ancestry in Gdańsk, Poland. From 1724 in Gdańsk to the Coming to London in 1770
J. R. R. Tolkien’s (1892–1973) ancestry has been an obscure matter. From the official biographies of the famous Oxford professor and author we have known only about Tolkien’s great-grandparents and about the general direction of the Tolkien family’s migration in the eighteenth century described as „Saxony”. Ryszard Derdziński has found out J. R. R. Tolkien’s great-great-grandfather’s roots. Discovering crucial genealogical documents from London, Gdańsk (Poland) and Kreuzburg (East Prussia) ie. church records, a Parliament bill, newspaper news, entries in the books from that age etc. Derdziński has proved that John Benjamin Tolkien (1752–1719), J. R. R. Tolkien’s ancestor who lived and died in London and was a watch- and clock-maker, was born in Gdańsk in June 1752. His brother was Daniel Gottlieb Tolkien from London who also was born in Polish Gdańsk in July 1746. They emigrated from Gdańsk to London in the years 1766–1772. Their father was Christian Tolkien (1706–1791), a craftsman from Gdańsk, brother of a Gdańsk furrier, Michael Tolkien (1708–1795). Both Christian and Michael were born in a little town Kreuzburg in East Prussia (now Slavskoye in Kaliningrad Oblast). Derdziński has found there at least four generations of this line of the Tolkien family and the first known Tolkien from Kreuzburg was Friedrich Tolkien from 1614. The article shows also the genesis of the Tolkien family name and locates its beginning in the fourteenth century and a small village Tolkynen (today Tołkiny in Poland).
Author:" There are quotes from Tolkien that show his dream to know the prehistoric roots of his male lineage. Today we make this dream come true by
researching the Tolkien Y-DNA."
"Anyway I like to go back - and not with race only, or culture only, or language; but with all three. I wish I could go back with the three that are mixed in us."
-J.R.R. Tolkien
FamilyTreeDNA (Big Y) and YFull confirm that Eric Tolkien's haplogroup is R-Y42738. It was supposed to arise between 1800 and 3300 years ago (averaged 2500 years ago, i.e around 480 BC, in the Iron Age).
R-Y42738 is a subbranch of the great Indo-European haplogroup R1a, which has its origins 24,000 years ago in the Paleolithic mammoth hunting community of present-day Siberia (see the so-called "Mal'ta Boy"). From R1a in the Neolithic, an ancestral line with the R-Z92 mutation was separated, which we find mainly among the descendants of the Balts and Eastern Slavs. From R-Z92 in the Bronze Age, the pre-Baltic group R-YP350, which today mainly includes descendants of the (Baltic) Old Prussians and Yotvingians, was separated. A sub-branch of R-YP350 is R-Y42738 (which today includes the Tolkien family, the Derdzinski family and the Kacsóh family from Hungary, and from which in the Iron Age there were also separated sub-branches, which today include families from Norway, Finland and Belarus, which are probably related to with the history of the Baltic Sea Vikings).
Today we know the approximate history of Tolkien's male line over the last several tens of thousands of years. It's worth taking a look at this map by typing "Y42738" in the box
http://scaledinnovation.com/gg/snpTracker.html
•Sources:
pdf version
http://www.elendilion.pl/wp-content/uploads/2018/03/TolkienAncestry.pdf
published article(preview)
https://www.ceeol.com/search/article-detail?id=720195
author's blog:(article-Tolkien | the confirmed haplogroup is R-Y42738)
https://tolkniety.blogspot.com/2021/08/tolkien-confirmed-haplogroup-is-y42738.html
author's blog:(Why are we doing Tolkien's DNA testing?)
http://tolkniety.blogspot.com/2021/05/why-are-we-doing-tolkien-dna-testing.html?m=1
about the author of the article
http://www.elvish.org/gwaith/biography.htm
•reading material:
Old Prussians
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Old_Prussians
Warmians
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Warmians
Yotvingians
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yotvingians
Tołkiny village
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/To%C5%82kiny
#tolkien
J. R. R. Tolkien’s (1892–1973) ancestry has been an obscure matter. From the official biographies of the famous Oxford professor and author we have known only about Tolkien’s great-grandparents and about the general direction of the Tolkien family’s migration in the eighteenth century described as „Saxony”. Ryszard Derdziński has found out J. R. R. Tolkien’s great-great-grandfather’s roots. Discovering crucial genealogical documents from London, Gdańsk (Poland) and Kreuzburg (East Prussia) ie. church records, a Parliament bill, newspaper news, entries in the books from that age etc. Derdziński has proved that John Benjamin Tolkien (1752–1719), J. R. R. Tolkien’s ancestor who lived and died in London and was a watch- and clock-maker, was born in Gdańsk in June 1752. His brother was Daniel Gottlieb Tolkien from London who also was born in Polish Gdańsk in July 1746. They emigrated from Gdańsk to London in the years 1766–1772. Their father was Christian Tolkien (1706–1791), a craftsman from Gdańsk, brother of a Gdańsk furrier, Michael Tolkien (1708–1795). Both Christian and Michael were born in a little town Kreuzburg in East Prussia (now Slavskoye in Kaliningrad Oblast). Derdziński has found there at least four generations of this line of the Tolkien family and the first known Tolkien from Kreuzburg was Friedrich Tolkien from 1614. The article shows also the genesis of the Tolkien family name and locates its beginning in the fourteenth century and a small village Tolkynen (today Tołkiny in Poland).
Author:" There are quotes from Tolkien that show his dream to know the prehistoric roots of his male lineage. Today we make this dream come true by
researching the Tolkien Y-DNA."
"Anyway I like to go back - and not with race only, or culture only, or language; but with all three. I wish I could go back with the three that are mixed in us."
-J.R.R. Tolkien
FamilyTreeDNA (Big Y) and YFull confirm that Eric Tolkien's haplogroup is R-Y42738. It was supposed to arise between 1800 and 3300 years ago (averaged 2500 years ago, i.e around 480 BC, in the Iron Age).
R-Y42738 is a subbranch of the great Indo-European haplogroup R1a, which has its origins 24,000 years ago in the Paleolithic mammoth hunting community of present-day Siberia (see the so-called "Mal'ta Boy"). From R1a in the Neolithic, an ancestral line with the R-Z92 mutation was separated, which we find mainly among the descendants of the Balts and Eastern Slavs. From R-Z92 in the Bronze Age, the pre-Baltic group R-YP350, which today mainly includes descendants of the (Baltic) Old Prussians and Yotvingians, was separated. A sub-branch of R-YP350 is R-Y42738 (which today includes the Tolkien family, the Derdzinski family and the Kacsóh family from Hungary, and from which in the Iron Age there were also separated sub-branches, which today include families from Norway, Finland and Belarus, which are probably related to with the history of the Baltic Sea Vikings).
Today we know the approximate history of Tolkien's male line over the last several tens of thousands of years. It's worth taking a look at this map by typing "Y42738" in the box
http://scaledinnovation.com/gg/snpTracker.html
•Sources:
pdf version
http://www.elendilion.pl/wp-content/uploads/2018/03/TolkienAncestry.pdf
published article(preview)
https://www.ceeol.com/search/article-detail?id=720195
author's blog:(article-Tolkien | the confirmed haplogroup is R-Y42738)
https://tolkniety.blogspot.com/2021/08/tolkien-confirmed-haplogroup-is-y42738.html
author's blog:(Why are we doing Tolkien's DNA testing?)
http://tolkniety.blogspot.com/2021/05/why-are-we-doing-tolkien-dna-testing.html?m=1
about the author of the article
http://www.elvish.org/gwaith/biography.htm
•reading material:
Old Prussians
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Old_Prussians
Warmians
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Warmians
Yotvingians
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yotvingians
Tołkiny village
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/To%C5%82kiny
#tolkien
"Three men, two worlds, one cause"
On bishop Wawrzyniec Gościcki, Gilbert Keith Chesterton, John Ronald Reuel Tolkien and the case of distributist economics
(I've come across this very interesting article on one of the Polish conservative blogs and decided to share it here. Excuse the quality of the translation, I helped myself with an internet translator, which isn't ideal, especially given the style in which the original was written.)
It should be mentioned that the writer of these words has two fundamental ideological passions, these being the Polish political tradition (let us call it Sarmatian) and Catholic Social Teaching. How to combine these into a coherent whole? It will take two different political systems and cultures, which are only seemingly distant from each other (although in fact the capitals of the two countries in question are separated by more than 1 600 kilometres and a lot of water), because they are linked by a certain thread of understanding, which is easy to spot if one only cares to look closer.
1. (III)
Wawrzyniec Gościcki, bishop and political thinker. This is the third, or rather the first name, alongside Stanisław Orzechowski and Andrzej Frycz Modrzewski, to be mentioned when recalling the founders of Polish political thought during the most glorious period in the history of our state - the Sarmatian Commonwealth. Who would have thought that the work of a Polish bishop from Goślice near Płock would inspire William Shakespeare himself[1]? We are, of course, talking about the treatise "On the Perfect Senator"[2]. There, Grzymała[3] encapsulated the essence of the political ideal of a mixed monarchy, a system of government divided between the King, the Senate and the Chamber of Deputies, which there is no need to explain here. Let it suffice to say that those who malign the Sarmatian state by calling it a crowned republic are not at all doing the enthusiasts of this system a disservice, as there is absolutely nothing to be offended about. A Pole is a republican, a Pole is a monarchist, a Pole is a democrat. There is no contradiction here, in fact it is an organic combination of political phenomena that once brought the Sarmatians the opportunity to have a million square kilometre empire. It is worth mentioning, as a curiosity, that this vastness was managed by an administration of about a thousand officials (an internet search reveals that today there are about 250,000 of them working on less than 313,000 square kilometres).
"This type of state was not without reason considered the most just. For as on the strings a concordant sound is produced by the union of the various tones: the highest, lowest and middle states, as Cicero says, as if from the tones, a harmony is evoked which in the state constitutes the strongest and tightest knot of security for all. I, too, consider as the best such a polity, which consists first of good and eminent citizens of virtue, and then of these three states of men, the king, the senators and the people[4]."
There are two fundamental features of the political system of the Republic: decentralisation of power and locality of representation[5].
As for the former, it is not contained in the age-old fear of the Polish nobility of absolutum dominium or the systemic logic enshrined in Nihil novi. The phenomenon of decentralisation is based on the 'grantiveness' of power.
On bishop Wawrzyniec Gościcki, Gilbert Keith Chesterton, John Ronald Reuel Tolkien and the case of distributist economics
(I've come across this very interesting article on one of the Polish conservative blogs and decided to share it here. Excuse the quality of the translation, I helped myself with an internet translator, which isn't ideal, especially given the style in which the original was written.)
It should be mentioned that the writer of these words has two fundamental ideological passions, these being the Polish political tradition (let us call it Sarmatian) and Catholic Social Teaching. How to combine these into a coherent whole? It will take two different political systems and cultures, which are only seemingly distant from each other (although in fact the capitals of the two countries in question are separated by more than 1 600 kilometres and a lot of water), because they are linked by a certain thread of understanding, which is easy to spot if one only cares to look closer.
1. (III)
Wawrzyniec Gościcki, bishop and political thinker. This is the third, or rather the first name, alongside Stanisław Orzechowski and Andrzej Frycz Modrzewski, to be mentioned when recalling the founders of Polish political thought during the most glorious period in the history of our state - the Sarmatian Commonwealth. Who would have thought that the work of a Polish bishop from Goślice near Płock would inspire William Shakespeare himself[1]? We are, of course, talking about the treatise "On the Perfect Senator"[2]. There, Grzymała[3] encapsulated the essence of the political ideal of a mixed monarchy, a system of government divided between the King, the Senate and the Chamber of Deputies, which there is no need to explain here. Let it suffice to say that those who malign the Sarmatian state by calling it a crowned republic are not at all doing the enthusiasts of this system a disservice, as there is absolutely nothing to be offended about. A Pole is a republican, a Pole is a monarchist, a Pole is a democrat. There is no contradiction here, in fact it is an organic combination of political phenomena that once brought the Sarmatians the opportunity to have a million square kilometre empire. It is worth mentioning, as a curiosity, that this vastness was managed by an administration of about a thousand officials (an internet search reveals that today there are about 250,000 of them working on less than 313,000 square kilometres).
"This type of state was not without reason considered the most just. For as on the strings a concordant sound is produced by the union of the various tones: the highest, lowest and middle states, as Cicero says, as if from the tones, a harmony is evoked which in the state constitutes the strongest and tightest knot of security for all. I, too, consider as the best such a polity, which consists first of good and eminent citizens of virtue, and then of these three states of men, the king, the senators and the people[4]."
There are two fundamental features of the political system of the Republic: decentralisation of power and locality of representation[5].
As for the former, it is not contained in the age-old fear of the Polish nobility of absolutum dominium or the systemic logic enshrined in Nihil novi. The phenomenon of decentralisation is based on the 'grantiveness' of power.
Ecce Verbum
"Three men, two worlds, one cause" On bishop Wawrzyniec Gościcki, Gilbert Keith Chesterton, John Ronald Reuel Tolkien and the case of distributist economics (I've come across this very interesting article on one of the Polish conservative blogs and decided…
In practice, this meant that the king, aristocracy, clergy, nobility and, to some extent, the bourgeoisie exercised political power together, creating a situation of balance, control and mutual respect.
The two features mentioned above provide an almost dreamlike ground for the germination of distributism[6] - a phenomenon whose originator we shall discuss further on.
2 (III)
Gilbert Keith Chesterton, journalist and political thinker. The omission to call this eminent English Catholic convert a writer is no accident. For he said of himself that he was a journalist and also his writing style, rushed like a TGV (his pen often could not keep up with his thoughts), betrays the characteristics of reporters. We will not list his works here, even the most important ones. Firstly, we do not have that much space at our disposal and secondly, we live in a time when lack of access to the Internet is an unusual phenomenon and one that is desired almost panic-stricken by those seeking respite from their daily routines. So whoever wants it, will find it. It is interesting to note that Chesterton had a habit of rating his own work very low[7]. We are thus faced with the dilemma of whether to question the judgement of an author we ourselves regard as authoritative, or to question our own, in an act of humility? A matter for individual consideration
As has already been said, Chesterton invented distributism. Well, not by himself and not entirely invented. He was inspired by Catholic Social Teaching, especially by the encyclical Rerum novarum[8] (and therefore also by the thought of Pope Leo XIII), and Mr Hilaire Belloc is mentioned as the other founding father of this economic doctrine and social idea of which we are speaking. And that distributism cannot be said to be the author's idea of the above-mentioned gentlemen, becomes obvious when one delves into its assumptions. For distributism, in its most primordial and fundamental sense, is nothing other than a return to the economic ideals of the medieval world of Christianitas. In the introduction to the Polish edition of the "Essay on the Restoration of Property"[9] we read that "the term 'distributism' is not very apt, but it is no less appropriate than 'conservatism' or 'socialism' [...] it (distributism) has been a certain norm for centuries, and it is not usual to create terms for norms. Thus, for example, the term 'cannibal' functions to refer to a person who eats human flesh, but no separate name has been invented for a person who does not[10]."
Chesterton argued that "Too much capitalism does not mean too many capitalists, but too few capitalists[11]." This is mainly the basis of distributism in the economic sense. It is a system that seeks to generalise the ownership of small property (especially land) that enables the basic social cell, the family, to support itself, living in a small, self-sufficient and orgaic community. It therefore excludes large-scale ownership, monopolies, globalisation, the appropriation of markets, exploitation through wage labour, in short, everything that is unworthy of and permanently associated with capitalism (more accurately called proletarianism by the GKC). Anyway, the reader who has decided to take an interest in this short text will certainly be familiar with both the figure and his ideas.
However, it should be recalled that Distributism (like its authors) is a democratic creation by nature. At its core, a system based on equality of rights and property, there is essentially no other way to choose. The heart of a Catholic conservative may sometimes grumble at this fact, especially if he or she is a monarchist. Fortunately, democracy does not mean demoliberalism at all, and we are further helped by the following passage:
"Democracy by its very nature can only be local, because it is only at this level that we are able to ascertain the actual views of the majority, to assess the candidate and the reality of his or her programme.
The two features mentioned above provide an almost dreamlike ground for the germination of distributism[6] - a phenomenon whose originator we shall discuss further on.
2 (III)
Gilbert Keith Chesterton, journalist and political thinker. The omission to call this eminent English Catholic convert a writer is no accident. For he said of himself that he was a journalist and also his writing style, rushed like a TGV (his pen often could not keep up with his thoughts), betrays the characteristics of reporters. We will not list his works here, even the most important ones. Firstly, we do not have that much space at our disposal and secondly, we live in a time when lack of access to the Internet is an unusual phenomenon and one that is desired almost panic-stricken by those seeking respite from their daily routines. So whoever wants it, will find it. It is interesting to note that Chesterton had a habit of rating his own work very low[7]. We are thus faced with the dilemma of whether to question the judgement of an author we ourselves regard as authoritative, or to question our own, in an act of humility? A matter for individual consideration
As has already been said, Chesterton invented distributism. Well, not by himself and not entirely invented. He was inspired by Catholic Social Teaching, especially by the encyclical Rerum novarum[8] (and therefore also by the thought of Pope Leo XIII), and Mr Hilaire Belloc is mentioned as the other founding father of this economic doctrine and social idea of which we are speaking. And that distributism cannot be said to be the author's idea of the above-mentioned gentlemen, becomes obvious when one delves into its assumptions. For distributism, in its most primordial and fundamental sense, is nothing other than a return to the economic ideals of the medieval world of Christianitas. In the introduction to the Polish edition of the "Essay on the Restoration of Property"[9] we read that "the term 'distributism' is not very apt, but it is no less appropriate than 'conservatism' or 'socialism' [...] it (distributism) has been a certain norm for centuries, and it is not usual to create terms for norms. Thus, for example, the term 'cannibal' functions to refer to a person who eats human flesh, but no separate name has been invented for a person who does not[10]."
Chesterton argued that "Too much capitalism does not mean too many capitalists, but too few capitalists[11]." This is mainly the basis of distributism in the economic sense. It is a system that seeks to generalise the ownership of small property (especially land) that enables the basic social cell, the family, to support itself, living in a small, self-sufficient and orgaic community. It therefore excludes large-scale ownership, monopolies, globalisation, the appropriation of markets, exploitation through wage labour, in short, everything that is unworthy of and permanently associated with capitalism (more accurately called proletarianism by the GKC). Anyway, the reader who has decided to take an interest in this short text will certainly be familiar with both the figure and his ideas.
However, it should be recalled that Distributism (like its authors) is a democratic creation by nature. At its core, a system based on equality of rights and property, there is essentially no other way to choose. The heart of a Catholic conservative may sometimes grumble at this fact, especially if he or she is a monarchist. Fortunately, democracy does not mean demoliberalism at all, and we are further helped by the following passage:
"Democracy by its very nature can only be local, because it is only at this level that we are able to ascertain the actual views of the majority, to assess the candidate and the reality of his or her programme.
Ecce Verbum
In practice, this meant that the king, aristocracy, clergy, nobility and, to some extent, the bourgeoisie exercised political power together, creating a situation of balance, control and mutual respect. The two features mentioned above provide an almost dreamlike…
Only competition between decision-makers, with a small cost of changing subordination, can counteract the degeneration of power (the history of feudalism and free cities is proof).
Direct elections should include judges, prosecutors and the chief administrator, who can only be watched by a few knowledgeable councillors. Freedom in local lawmaking would introduce an element of competition between local authorities. Better managed ones would attract dynamic and creative individuals, becoming a model for other municipalities. If the interests of local communities are to be taken into account, the central legislature should be elected from local government by indirect suffrage. The current way in which government is elected, relies on unenforceable promises to various dominant interest groups, which are actually a pretext for plucking those who fail to organise and threaten power[12]."
Not only is such a presentation compatible with the spirit of decentralisation and localism that distributism entails, but it also leaves the door open for a monarchical system on a state-wide basis. At this point, it would be appropriate to return to Lawrence Goślicki. A catholic, civic-based economic doctrine, valuing decentralised authority and the agrarian nature of society, not excluding the presence, by God's Grace, of a king. A system made for the spiritual and political Sarmatian!
3 (III)
John Ronald Reuel Tolkien, writer and... political thinker! That's right! There is no need to dwell on the legitimacy of the Englishman's presence in this list or to describe in depth the profile of the most important literary creator of the 20th century[13]. First a quote:
"The Shire at this time had hardly any 'government'. Families for the most part managed their own affairs. Growing food and eating it occupied most of their time. In other matters they were, as a rule, generous and not greedy, but contented and moderate, so that estates, farms, workshops, and small trades tended to remain unchanged for generations.
There remained, of course, the ancient tradition concerning the high king at Fornost, or Norbury as they called it, away north of the Shire. But there had been no king for nearly a thousand years, and even the ruins of Kings' Norbury were covered with grass. Yet the Hobbits still said of wild folk and wicked things (such as trolls) that they had not heard of the king. For they attributed to the king of old all their essential laws; and usually they kept the laws of free will, because they were The Rules (as they said), both ancient and just[14]."
If the above description is not an exemplary representation of a distributist community, it is that it is impossible to make such a description. Does not the spirit of Catholic social values shine through from this passage alone? Doesn't an equalitarian community, relating its laws and customs to the dispositions of the monarchy, living in a democratically governed land unencumbered by officials, bring to mind the economical and countrified Greater Poland of the early 17th century? Here Tolkien, a man who spoke many of the languages of this world and a few known only in Middle-earth, found a way to unite distributism and Sarmatism in a warm embrace by means of a captivating literary image. And he was a devout Catholic with a record of missionary success[15] and his works are a veritable mine of Christian content. Besides, what could be more beautiful for a Sarmatian than a lavishly set table and feasting until the morning, as the Hobbits do? Mr Zagloba would certainly have stayed in Sire for longer. The ecological aspect of Tolkien's novel is also eminently distributist in nature. The land is, after all, the primary means of subsistence and the quality of the environment powerfully affects the community living within it.
Thus Gilbert Keith and Bishop Lawrence met over a pint in the inn at Michel Delving[16].
Direct elections should include judges, prosecutors and the chief administrator, who can only be watched by a few knowledgeable councillors. Freedom in local lawmaking would introduce an element of competition between local authorities. Better managed ones would attract dynamic and creative individuals, becoming a model for other municipalities. If the interests of local communities are to be taken into account, the central legislature should be elected from local government by indirect suffrage. The current way in which government is elected, relies on unenforceable promises to various dominant interest groups, which are actually a pretext for plucking those who fail to organise and threaten power[12]."
Not only is such a presentation compatible with the spirit of decentralisation and localism that distributism entails, but it also leaves the door open for a monarchical system on a state-wide basis. At this point, it would be appropriate to return to Lawrence Goślicki. A catholic, civic-based economic doctrine, valuing decentralised authority and the agrarian nature of society, not excluding the presence, by God's Grace, of a king. A system made for the spiritual and political Sarmatian!
3 (III)
John Ronald Reuel Tolkien, writer and... political thinker! That's right! There is no need to dwell on the legitimacy of the Englishman's presence in this list or to describe in depth the profile of the most important literary creator of the 20th century[13]. First a quote:
"The Shire at this time had hardly any 'government'. Families for the most part managed their own affairs. Growing food and eating it occupied most of their time. In other matters they were, as a rule, generous and not greedy, but contented and moderate, so that estates, farms, workshops, and small trades tended to remain unchanged for generations.
There remained, of course, the ancient tradition concerning the high king at Fornost, or Norbury as they called it, away north of the Shire. But there had been no king for nearly a thousand years, and even the ruins of Kings' Norbury were covered with grass. Yet the Hobbits still said of wild folk and wicked things (such as trolls) that they had not heard of the king. For they attributed to the king of old all their essential laws; and usually they kept the laws of free will, because they were The Rules (as they said), both ancient and just[14]."
If the above description is not an exemplary representation of a distributist community, it is that it is impossible to make such a description. Does not the spirit of Catholic social values shine through from this passage alone? Doesn't an equalitarian community, relating its laws and customs to the dispositions of the monarchy, living in a democratically governed land unencumbered by officials, bring to mind the economical and countrified Greater Poland of the early 17th century? Here Tolkien, a man who spoke many of the languages of this world and a few known only in Middle-earth, found a way to unite distributism and Sarmatism in a warm embrace by means of a captivating literary image. And he was a devout Catholic with a record of missionary success[15] and his works are a veritable mine of Christian content. Besides, what could be more beautiful for a Sarmatian than a lavishly set table and feasting until the morning, as the Hobbits do? Mr Zagloba would certainly have stayed in Sire for longer. The ecological aspect of Tolkien's novel is also eminently distributist in nature. The land is, after all, the primary means of subsistence and the quality of the environment powerfully affects the community living within it.
Thus Gilbert Keith and Bishop Lawrence met over a pint in the inn at Michel Delving[16].
Ecce Verbum
Only competition between decision-makers, with a small cost of changing subordination, can counteract the degeneration of power (the history of feudalism and free cities is proof). Direct elections should include judges, prosecutors and the chief administrator…
What was the attitude of the Republic to the law? Since the Sarmatian took a keen interest in Rome, as a republican ideal, surely Roman law also had an extraordinary status for him? Nothing could be further from the truth.
The legal culture of the RON[17] was the most important sphere of public life for the Polish nobility, next to religiosity and "citizenship". It had an eminently practical, common-sense and customary character. The nobleman loved to participate in the administration of justice. It was customary to listen to the courts, to stand trial for anything. They willingly undertook work at courts and chancelleries as secretaries (notarii, scribae). They were very reluctant to theorise
and abstracted law; this was manifested in the avoidance of legal codification and formalisation. Hence the suspicion and criticism of Roman law. There was a deep conviction that laws were not born from general theories and ideas, but from a proper reading of facts and concrete cases. Law, therefore, was developed in the judicial process as a result of the best recognition of reality. Judicial practice only updated the customary law known to the ancestors. The legal philosophy of the Republic assumed that free human actions conditioned the emergence of laws, not the other way around. Law was not to be a pure abstraction, it could not become a dictate against free human activity.
Isn't this somewhat reminiscent of an understanding of law in the fashion of Tudor England (Law makes the King)? There the king did not make the law either. In fact, until the 17th century, the English Parliament also did not make the law but promulgated it (law-declaring, not law-making body). This common sense as the basis of English law is one of the many points of contact in the political and legal culture of both countries. For Tolkien's and Chesterton's compatriots, isn't this Polish parliamentary-monarchist pattern also natural? Why, after all, was young America, formed especially by generations who remembered life in Britain, so keen to draw on Polish political models? GKC himself was a great friend of Poland and the Poles, and believed, like the writer of these words, that this was the perfect ground for his ideas to blossom[18]. Having visited our country in 1927, Chesterton left the following recollection in the memory of Bolesław Wieniawa-Dlugoszowski[19]: "In welcoming Mr. Chesterton, I cannot say that he is Poland's greatest friend, for her greatest friend is God Himself."
I.
To paraphrase the GKC[20], I feel entitled to say that in Catholicism, Sarmatian republicanism, distributist economics and Tolkien fantasy fit together perfectly. A person who recognises the pinnacle of morality in the teachings of the Catholic Church, who draws the ideals of political life from the Polish republicanism of the Golden and Silver Ages, and who is enchanted by the uniqueness, beauty and grandeur of Middle-earth should certainly take an interest in the ideal of distributivism. The distributivist, who does not necessarily love Sienkiewicz's Trilogy, should also consider how the ideal conditions for a property-based economy are created by a mixed monarchy, and note that it was not the Italians in the 1920s who first proved that the alternative of a republic or a monarchy is completely false. Finally, all people of goodwill should reach for Tolkien. There are even known cases of conversions under the influence of reading this amazing fantasy literature.
Everyone is due a bit of honesty at the end from the Sarmatism enthusiast who aspires to be a distributist. There are not many values more valuable to a distributist than property, especially concerning land. There are no people who are more worthy of owning this land than those who have farmed it, often for generations. How then to react to the solutions adopted by the Republic in this regard? Negatively, of course. The real drama is that the Polish people were not enfranchised until the 19th century, and that by despicable authorities.
The legal culture of the RON[17] was the most important sphere of public life for the Polish nobility, next to religiosity and "citizenship". It had an eminently practical, common-sense and customary character. The nobleman loved to participate in the administration of justice. It was customary to listen to the courts, to stand trial for anything. They willingly undertook work at courts and chancelleries as secretaries (notarii, scribae). They were very reluctant to theorise
and abstracted law; this was manifested in the avoidance of legal codification and formalisation. Hence the suspicion and criticism of Roman law. There was a deep conviction that laws were not born from general theories and ideas, but from a proper reading of facts and concrete cases. Law, therefore, was developed in the judicial process as a result of the best recognition of reality. Judicial practice only updated the customary law known to the ancestors. The legal philosophy of the Republic assumed that free human actions conditioned the emergence of laws, not the other way around. Law was not to be a pure abstraction, it could not become a dictate against free human activity.
Isn't this somewhat reminiscent of an understanding of law in the fashion of Tudor England (Law makes the King)? There the king did not make the law either. In fact, until the 17th century, the English Parliament also did not make the law but promulgated it (law-declaring, not law-making body). This common sense as the basis of English law is one of the many points of contact in the political and legal culture of both countries. For Tolkien's and Chesterton's compatriots, isn't this Polish parliamentary-monarchist pattern also natural? Why, after all, was young America, formed especially by generations who remembered life in Britain, so keen to draw on Polish political models? GKC himself was a great friend of Poland and the Poles, and believed, like the writer of these words, that this was the perfect ground for his ideas to blossom[18]. Having visited our country in 1927, Chesterton left the following recollection in the memory of Bolesław Wieniawa-Dlugoszowski[19]: "In welcoming Mr. Chesterton, I cannot say that he is Poland's greatest friend, for her greatest friend is God Himself."
I.
To paraphrase the GKC[20], I feel entitled to say that in Catholicism, Sarmatian republicanism, distributist economics and Tolkien fantasy fit together perfectly. A person who recognises the pinnacle of morality in the teachings of the Catholic Church, who draws the ideals of political life from the Polish republicanism of the Golden and Silver Ages, and who is enchanted by the uniqueness, beauty and grandeur of Middle-earth should certainly take an interest in the ideal of distributivism. The distributivist, who does not necessarily love Sienkiewicz's Trilogy, should also consider how the ideal conditions for a property-based economy are created by a mixed monarchy, and note that it was not the Italians in the 1920s who first proved that the alternative of a republic or a monarchy is completely false. Finally, all people of goodwill should reach for Tolkien. There are even known cases of conversions under the influence of reading this amazing fantasy literature.
Everyone is due a bit of honesty at the end from the Sarmatism enthusiast who aspires to be a distributist. There are not many values more valuable to a distributist than property, especially concerning land. There are no people who are more worthy of owning this land than those who have farmed it, often for generations. How then to react to the solutions adopted by the Republic in this regard? Negatively, of course. The real drama is that the Polish people were not enfranchised until the 19th century, and that by despicable authorities.
Ecce Verbum
What was the attitude of the Republic to the law? Since the Sarmatian took a keen interest in Rome, as a republican ideal, surely Roman law also had an extraordinary status for him? Nothing could be further from the truth. The legal culture of the RON[17]…
In addition, the partitioners won the peasantry against the Polish cause with this act.
As much as the Sarmatian is not an enthusiast of the May 3rd Constitution, it must be admitted that the first Polish real political upsurge to do something in the peasantry's direction occurred on its strength and in its spirit. This was particularly true of the "Act on the sale of royal lands" of 1792, which granted peasants settled in royal lands ownership, personal freedom (on termination of the contract with the heir), the right to bring up the land and to be freed from serfdom.
The law, however, did not come into force as a result of the lost war. It came into force as a result of the defeat of the war in defence of the 3rd May Constitution with Russia and the Second Partition of Poland. Who knows what the consequences and next steps of the Polish authorities would have been. But let us emphasise that the Constitution ended Sarmatia, it was not its natural outcome[21]... an unpleasant and shameful page of history.
The expression "ideal" was mentioned above, not without reason. We people of the 21st century would be foolish to think that a return to certain cultural, political or economic formulas unchanged is possible. Both distributism and political Sarmatism should be treated as ideals to which we should aspire and relate reality. But one cannot count on their revival in an unchanged form. Really, many elements of distributism in the economy and mixed monarchy in the polity can be introduced today at little cost. All it takes is for people to become newly enthralled with Tolkien.
Source:
https://myslkonserwatywna.pl/posadzy-polak-anglik-dwa-bratanki-trzech-mezczyzn-dwa-swiaty-jedna-sprawa/
translated
http://Deepl.com
#tolkien
As much as the Sarmatian is not an enthusiast of the May 3rd Constitution, it must be admitted that the first Polish real political upsurge to do something in the peasantry's direction occurred on its strength and in its spirit. This was particularly true of the "Act on the sale of royal lands" of 1792, which granted peasants settled in royal lands ownership, personal freedom (on termination of the contract with the heir), the right to bring up the land and to be freed from serfdom.
The law, however, did not come into force as a result of the lost war. It came into force as a result of the defeat of the war in defence of the 3rd May Constitution with Russia and the Second Partition of Poland. Who knows what the consequences and next steps of the Polish authorities would have been. But let us emphasise that the Constitution ended Sarmatia, it was not its natural outcome[21]... an unpleasant and shameful page of history.
The expression "ideal" was mentioned above, not without reason. We people of the 21st century would be foolish to think that a return to certain cultural, political or economic formulas unchanged is possible. Both distributism and political Sarmatism should be treated as ideals to which we should aspire and relate reality. But one cannot count on their revival in an unchanged form. Really, many elements of distributism in the economy and mixed monarchy in the polity can be introduced today at little cost. All it takes is for people to become newly enthralled with Tolkien.
Source:
https://myslkonserwatywna.pl/posadzy-polak-anglik-dwa-bratanki-trzech-mezczyzn-dwa-swiaty-jedna-sprawa/
translated
http://Deepl.com
#tolkien
Myśl Konserwatywna
Posadzy: Polak, Anglik, dwa bratanki? Trzech mężczyzn, dwa światy, jedna sprawa.
Omne trinum perfectum, jak powiada wyświechtane przysłowie. Numerologia nie jest i nigdy nie była obiektem moich zainteresowań, lecz w tym przypadku muszę przyznać liczbie „trzy” n…
On Christian Decorum
The attire of the body and the laughter of the teeth and the gait of the man show what he is.
(Eccl 19:27)
'Whether we think, speak or act in a good or an evil manner depends upon whether we cleave inwardly to virtue or to vice.'
St. Thalassios
'It is surprising that most Christians look upon decorum and politeness as merely human and worldly qualities and do not think of raising their minds to any higher views by considering them as virtues that have reference to God, to their neighbor, and to themselves. This illustrates very well how little true Christianity is found in the world and how few among those who live in the world are guided by the Spirit of Jesus Christ. Still, it is this Spirit alone which ought to inspire all our actions, making them holy and agreeable to God.'
St. Jean de la Salle
'To blaspheme no man, not to be litigious, but modest: showing all mildness toward all men.'
Titus 3:2
'Eyes, ears, and mouth are the doors of the soul.'
St. Francis de Sales
#decorum
The attire of the body and the laughter of the teeth and the gait of the man show what he is.
(Eccl 19:27)
'Whether we think, speak or act in a good or an evil manner depends upon whether we cleave inwardly to virtue or to vice.'
St. Thalassios
'It is surprising that most Christians look upon decorum and politeness as merely human and worldly qualities and do not think of raising their minds to any higher views by considering them as virtues that have reference to God, to their neighbor, and to themselves. This illustrates very well how little true Christianity is found in the world and how few among those who live in the world are guided by the Spirit of Jesus Christ. Still, it is this Spirit alone which ought to inspire all our actions, making them holy and agreeable to God.'
St. Jean de la Salle
'To blaspheme no man, not to be litigious, but modest: showing all mildness toward all men.'
Titus 3:2
'Eyes, ears, and mouth are the doors of the soul.'
St. Francis de Sales
#decorum
The Church is One
One body and one spirit, as you are called in one hope of your calling.
One Lord, one faith, one Baptism.--Eph. iv, 4, 5.
St. Paul wrote this Epistle to the Ephesians is from his prison in Rome. Fearing that there might be disagreements and dissensions among them, the Apostle calls to their minds the unity and harmony of the Christian faith they have received and the Baptism by which they have been regenerated. As there is only one Lord, only one true faith and one true Baptism, there is no room for discord or disagreement among the Christian--they should be one in peace and charity as they must be one in faith. This unity of authority, of doctrine, and of worship to which St. Paul refers as characteristic of the Apostolic Church, is found also today in the Catholic Church, and in it alone; it is therefore a clear indication that the Catholic Church is the same as the Church of the Apostles, and as such, is the one true Church of Christ.
I. "One Lord,"--unity in authority. 1. There is but one invisible head of the Church, namely, Christ, whom the Eternal Father "hath made head over all the Church, which is His body" (Eph. i. 22, 23). 2. There is but one visible head over all the Church, namely, the Vicar of Christ, the Pope of Rome, the successor of St. Peter--"thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church--to thee I will give the keys of the Kingdom of heaven" (Matt. xvi. 18, 19); "feed my lambs, feed my sheep" (John xxi. 15-17). 3. The supremacy of Peter, the first Pope, was recognized from the beginning even by the Apostles. Peter presided at the election of Matthias and at the Council of Jerusalem, his name heads all the lists of the Apostles, in the New Testament, etc. 4. The supremacy of the Bishop of Rome, Peter's successor, has always been acknowledged, as the unanimous consent of the Fathers proves. 5. As it is necessary in the State, and in every society, to have one supreme head, so it is in the Church, the most perfect of all societies.
II. "One faith,"--unity in belief. In all countries, in all times, and by all the members of the true Church one and the same teaching in faith and morals has been accepted.
III. "One baptism,"--unity in worship. Throughout the world we find in the true Church the same sacrifice, the same Sacraments, the same observances of feasts and fasts, the same devotions--all substantially alike, though they may sometimes differ in details.
Moreover, the Apostle, writing to the Corinthians, tells them that there is but one and the same Spirit who imparts grace to the faithful, as the soul communicates life to the members of the body.(1 Cor. xii. 11, 12.) Exhorting the Ephesians to preserve this unity, he says: "Be careful to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace."( Eph. iv. 3, 4) As the human body consists of many members, animated by one soul, which gives sight to the eyes, hearing to the ears, and to the other senses the power of discharging their respective functions, so the mystical body of Christ, which is the Church, is composed of many faithful. The hope, to which we are called, is also one, as the Apostle tells us in the same place;"(Eph. iv. 4.) or we all hope for the same consummation, eternal life. Finally, the faith which all are bound to believe and to profess is one: "Let there be no schisms amongst you" (Cor. i. 10.) and Baptism, which is the seal of our solemn initiation into the Christian faith, is also one.
Conclusion:
Although the members of the Church are from every nationality and may have different interests and positions in life, yet as members of Christ's mystical body they should all strive to keep the unity of the spirit in the bond of peace, as St. Paul recommends and as our Lord commands in the Gospel, "thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself."
#unity
One body and one spirit, as you are called in one hope of your calling.
One Lord, one faith, one Baptism.--Eph. iv, 4, 5.
St. Paul wrote this Epistle to the Ephesians is from his prison in Rome. Fearing that there might be disagreements and dissensions among them, the Apostle calls to their minds the unity and harmony of the Christian faith they have received and the Baptism by which they have been regenerated. As there is only one Lord, only one true faith and one true Baptism, there is no room for discord or disagreement among the Christian--they should be one in peace and charity as they must be one in faith. This unity of authority, of doctrine, and of worship to which St. Paul refers as characteristic of the Apostolic Church, is found also today in the Catholic Church, and in it alone; it is therefore a clear indication that the Catholic Church is the same as the Church of the Apostles, and as such, is the one true Church of Christ.
I. "One Lord,"--unity in authority. 1. There is but one invisible head of the Church, namely, Christ, whom the Eternal Father "hath made head over all the Church, which is His body" (Eph. i. 22, 23). 2. There is but one visible head over all the Church, namely, the Vicar of Christ, the Pope of Rome, the successor of St. Peter--"thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church--to thee I will give the keys of the Kingdom of heaven" (Matt. xvi. 18, 19); "feed my lambs, feed my sheep" (John xxi. 15-17). 3. The supremacy of Peter, the first Pope, was recognized from the beginning even by the Apostles. Peter presided at the election of Matthias and at the Council of Jerusalem, his name heads all the lists of the Apostles, in the New Testament, etc. 4. The supremacy of the Bishop of Rome, Peter's successor, has always been acknowledged, as the unanimous consent of the Fathers proves. 5. As it is necessary in the State, and in every society, to have one supreme head, so it is in the Church, the most perfect of all societies.
II. "One faith,"--unity in belief. In all countries, in all times, and by all the members of the true Church one and the same teaching in faith and morals has been accepted.
III. "One baptism,"--unity in worship. Throughout the world we find in the true Church the same sacrifice, the same Sacraments, the same observances of feasts and fasts, the same devotions--all substantially alike, though they may sometimes differ in details.
Moreover, the Apostle, writing to the Corinthians, tells them that there is but one and the same Spirit who imparts grace to the faithful, as the soul communicates life to the members of the body.(1 Cor. xii. 11, 12.) Exhorting the Ephesians to preserve this unity, he says: "Be careful to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace."( Eph. iv. 3, 4) As the human body consists of many members, animated by one soul, which gives sight to the eyes, hearing to the ears, and to the other senses the power of discharging their respective functions, so the mystical body of Christ, which is the Church, is composed of many faithful. The hope, to which we are called, is also one, as the Apostle tells us in the same place;"(Eph. iv. 4.) or we all hope for the same consummation, eternal life. Finally, the faith which all are bound to believe and to profess is one: "Let there be no schisms amongst you" (Cor. i. 10.) and Baptism, which is the seal of our solemn initiation into the Christian faith, is also one.
Conclusion:
Although the members of the Church are from every nationality and may have different interests and positions in life, yet as members of Christ's mystical body they should all strive to keep the unity of the spirit in the bond of peace, as St. Paul recommends and as our Lord commands in the Gospel, "thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself."
#unity
Ecce Verbum
Mental Prayer according to St. Alphonsus Maria de Liguori Chapter 3. The Ends of Mental Prayer WE OUGHT NOT TO SEEK IN MENTAL PRAYER SPIRITUAL CONSOLATIONS We must apply ourselves to meditation, not for the sake of spiritual consolations, but chiefly in…
Method of mental prayer or Meditation
according to St. Alphonsus Liguori
I. PREPARATION.
A recollected life and regular Spiritual Reading are the best remote preparation.
For the immediate preparation, make three short but fervent acts
(I) An Act of Adoration of God present to the soul.
Example: O my God, I believe Thou art really here present; I bow down and adore Thee. Thou art so good, I am so
sinful; Thou art so great, I am only nothingness; etc.
(2) An Act of Sorrow for Sin:
Example: O my God, I am heartily sorry for all my sins of thought, word, deed, and omission, and by the help of Thy
holy grace I will never sin again.
(3) A Petition for Light and Strength:
Example: O my God, give me light to see Thy holy Will, give me grace to do Thy Will. O .Wisdom of the Sacred
Heart of Jesus, direct me in all my ways. O Love of the Sacred Heart, consume me in Thy fire.
Add a Hail Mary to the Blessed Virgin and an ejaculation to St. Joseph, your Patron Saints and Angel Guardian.
II. BODY OF THE PRAYER.
Use the mind in thinking on some subject as much as is necessary in order to pray fervently. But do not imagine that very much is necessary in order to pray. Do not wait for a great fire to burn up in your soul, but cherish any little spark you may feel.
To help your mind, read a text of Scripture or a short Meditation out of a book. St. Teresa used a book in her Meditations for seventeen years.
Meditate for a few minutes on any thought that has struck you; that is, think for a short time on what it means, what lessons it teaches you, and ask yourself: What have I done about this hitherto? What shall I now do? But remember, you think only in order that you may pray.
The great benefit of Mental Prayer consists less in meditation or thinking than in acts, prayers and resolutions, which are the fruits of Meditation. The thinking is the needle which draws after it the golden thread of acts, prayers and resolutions. The thread is more important than the needle. The chief part of the time of Meditation should, then, be spent in making
1. Acts and Affections.
Examples. -Acts of Humility: 'My God, I am nothing in Thy sight. Act of Thanksgiving: 'My God, I thank Thee for Thy goodness. Act of Love: ' My God, I love Thee with my whole heart. I wish to please Thee in all things. I will only what Thou wiliest. I love Thee because Thou art infinitely good. Do with me and mine all that pleases Thee, because it is Thy will. Acts of love and of contrition are golden chains binding us to God. St. Thomas says: ' Every act of love merits eternal life. Make then many simple but fervent acts of love and sorrow.
2. Prayers of Petition.
In mental prayer, it is extremely useful, and, perhaps better than all else, to make many earnest petitions for the graces you want. Always ask, above all, for (a) the perfect forgiveness of all past sin; (b) the perfect love of God; and (c) the grace of a holy death. 'At first, said Father Paul Segneri, S.J., 'I used to employ my time of prayer in reflections and affections, but God opened my eyes, and then I gave myself to petitions, and if I have any good, it comes from this practice.
3. Resolutions.
'The progress of a soul, says St. Teresa, ' does not consist in thinking much of God, but in loving Him, and this love is gained by resolving to do much for Him. Make one practical resolution that you mean to keep during the day.
III. CONCLUSION.
Three short fervent acts:
(1) Thank God for the light He has given you.
(2) Renew your resolution to abstain from some fault or to do some good thing, during the day. (3) Ask the Eternal Father, for the love of Jesus and Mary, to help you to keep it. At the end of meditation, always pray for poor sinners and for the souls in Purgatory.
N.B.-The acts and prayers of petition should occupy the most of the time. Thus, in a half-hour's prayer, give three minutes to the preparation: think for five minutes and then pray.
#mentalprayer #stalphonsus
according to St. Alphonsus Liguori
I. PREPARATION.
A recollected life and regular Spiritual Reading are the best remote preparation.
For the immediate preparation, make three short but fervent acts
(I) An Act of Adoration of God present to the soul.
Example: O my God, I believe Thou art really here present; I bow down and adore Thee. Thou art so good, I am so
sinful; Thou art so great, I am only nothingness; etc.
(2) An Act of Sorrow for Sin:
Example: O my God, I am heartily sorry for all my sins of thought, word, deed, and omission, and by the help of Thy
holy grace I will never sin again.
(3) A Petition for Light and Strength:
Example: O my God, give me light to see Thy holy Will, give me grace to do Thy Will. O .Wisdom of the Sacred
Heart of Jesus, direct me in all my ways. O Love of the Sacred Heart, consume me in Thy fire.
Add a Hail Mary to the Blessed Virgin and an ejaculation to St. Joseph, your Patron Saints and Angel Guardian.
II. BODY OF THE PRAYER.
Use the mind in thinking on some subject as much as is necessary in order to pray fervently. But do not imagine that very much is necessary in order to pray. Do not wait for a great fire to burn up in your soul, but cherish any little spark you may feel.
To help your mind, read a text of Scripture or a short Meditation out of a book. St. Teresa used a book in her Meditations for seventeen years.
Meditate for a few minutes on any thought that has struck you; that is, think for a short time on what it means, what lessons it teaches you, and ask yourself: What have I done about this hitherto? What shall I now do? But remember, you think only in order that you may pray.
The great benefit of Mental Prayer consists less in meditation or thinking than in acts, prayers and resolutions, which are the fruits of Meditation. The thinking is the needle which draws after it the golden thread of acts, prayers and resolutions. The thread is more important than the needle. The chief part of the time of Meditation should, then, be spent in making
1. Acts and Affections.
Examples. -Acts of Humility: 'My God, I am nothing in Thy sight. Act of Thanksgiving: 'My God, I thank Thee for Thy goodness. Act of Love: ' My God, I love Thee with my whole heart. I wish to please Thee in all things. I will only what Thou wiliest. I love Thee because Thou art infinitely good. Do with me and mine all that pleases Thee, because it is Thy will. Acts of love and of contrition are golden chains binding us to God. St. Thomas says: ' Every act of love merits eternal life. Make then many simple but fervent acts of love and sorrow.
2. Prayers of Petition.
In mental prayer, it is extremely useful, and, perhaps better than all else, to make many earnest petitions for the graces you want. Always ask, above all, for (a) the perfect forgiveness of all past sin; (b) the perfect love of God; and (c) the grace of a holy death. 'At first, said Father Paul Segneri, S.J., 'I used to employ my time of prayer in reflections and affections, but God opened my eyes, and then I gave myself to petitions, and if I have any good, it comes from this practice.
3. Resolutions.
'The progress of a soul, says St. Teresa, ' does not consist in thinking much of God, but in loving Him, and this love is gained by resolving to do much for Him. Make one practical resolution that you mean to keep during the day.
III. CONCLUSION.
Three short fervent acts:
(1) Thank God for the light He has given you.
(2) Renew your resolution to abstain from some fault or to do some good thing, during the day. (3) Ask the Eternal Father, for the love of Jesus and Mary, to help you to keep it. At the end of meditation, always pray for poor sinners and for the souls in Purgatory.
N.B.-The acts and prayers of petition should occupy the most of the time. Thus, in a half-hour's prayer, give three minutes to the preparation: think for five minutes and then pray.
#mentalprayer #stalphonsus
BBC Documentary 2017 - Great Cathedral Mystery: Santa Maria del Fiore | HD Documentary"
Santa Maria del Fiore's construction was begun in 1296 in the Gothic style to a design of Arnolfo di Cambio and was structurally completed by 1436, with the dome engineered by Filippo Brunelleschi.
It is the third largest church in the world (after St. Peter's in Rome and St. Paul's in London) and was the largest church in Europe when it was completed in the 15th century. It is 153 metres long, 90 metres wide at the crossing, and 90 metres high from the floor to the bottom of the lantern. The third and last cathedral of Florence, it was dedicated to Santa Maria del Fiore, the Virgin of the Flower, in 1412, a clear allusion to the lily, the symbol of the city of Florence.
It was built over the second cathedral, which early Christian Florence had dedicated to St. Reparata.
The numerous different styles that we encounter in the building bear witness to changing tastes over the long period of time that elapsed between its foundation and its completion.
Santa Maria del Fiore was a clarion call to the worlds of art and architecture that the glories of the Roman past, one of the largest inspirations for the Italian Renaissance, could be achieved once again.
Serving as an inspiration, Roman ruins also acted as blueprints for ancient architectural forms. Two forms mastered by the Romans yet lost after the collapse of the imperial world were the arch and the dome. Essential components of Roman architecture, these structural forms confounded many medieval architects and designers.
This was until geniuses like Brunelleschi restored the ancient Roman forms through mathematical and design insights that endure even now. Of course, aiming for a different, more ancient architectural style also has its roots in Florence’s competition with Milan to be the preeminent city in northern Italy.
The signature cathedral in that city featured the Gothic style with flying buttresses. Herein was Brunelleschi’s challenge: Constructing a domed cathedral capable of supporting masonry without collapsing in Florence.
Whereas Gothic cathedrals could rely upon the strength of buttressing to achieve height, a dome would have to use other mechanisms to remain freestanding.
Construction of the Cathedral of Santa Maria del Fiore began on the 7th August 1420 after a public competition in which Brunelleschi and his rival Lorenzo Ghiberti were commissioned with the work. Immediately, the team was faced with a challenge and that was the construction of the scaffolding necessary to shape the masonry of the dome.
Unfortunately, timber supports were ruled impractical.
Instead, the dome would need to support itself during construction. He decided upon an octagonal structure with lightweight materials tapering as it reached the apex.
Exemplary of the ideal Golden Ratio, Brunelleschi and his team achieved what is considered a perfect balance of form and function with the structure’s own architecture supporting itself through its very layout.
The egg-shaped dome was so spectacular, in fact, that the people of Florence wondered among themselves about what sort of trick Brunelleschi employed to make it happen. While well known for his ability to transform illusions into reality, the dome on the cathedral of Santa Maria del Fiore is a product of mathematical genius.
https://youtu.be/f_3DTSyuJlQ
#architecture
Santa Maria del Fiore's construction was begun in 1296 in the Gothic style to a design of Arnolfo di Cambio and was structurally completed by 1436, with the dome engineered by Filippo Brunelleschi.
It is the third largest church in the world (after St. Peter's in Rome and St. Paul's in London) and was the largest church in Europe when it was completed in the 15th century. It is 153 metres long, 90 metres wide at the crossing, and 90 metres high from the floor to the bottom of the lantern. The third and last cathedral of Florence, it was dedicated to Santa Maria del Fiore, the Virgin of the Flower, in 1412, a clear allusion to the lily, the symbol of the city of Florence.
It was built over the second cathedral, which early Christian Florence had dedicated to St. Reparata.
The numerous different styles that we encounter in the building bear witness to changing tastes over the long period of time that elapsed between its foundation and its completion.
Santa Maria del Fiore was a clarion call to the worlds of art and architecture that the glories of the Roman past, one of the largest inspirations for the Italian Renaissance, could be achieved once again.
Serving as an inspiration, Roman ruins also acted as blueprints for ancient architectural forms. Two forms mastered by the Romans yet lost after the collapse of the imperial world were the arch and the dome. Essential components of Roman architecture, these structural forms confounded many medieval architects and designers.
This was until geniuses like Brunelleschi restored the ancient Roman forms through mathematical and design insights that endure even now. Of course, aiming for a different, more ancient architectural style also has its roots in Florence’s competition with Milan to be the preeminent city in northern Italy.
The signature cathedral in that city featured the Gothic style with flying buttresses. Herein was Brunelleschi’s challenge: Constructing a domed cathedral capable of supporting masonry without collapsing in Florence.
Whereas Gothic cathedrals could rely upon the strength of buttressing to achieve height, a dome would have to use other mechanisms to remain freestanding.
Construction of the Cathedral of Santa Maria del Fiore began on the 7th August 1420 after a public competition in which Brunelleschi and his rival Lorenzo Ghiberti were commissioned with the work. Immediately, the team was faced with a challenge and that was the construction of the scaffolding necessary to shape the masonry of the dome.
Unfortunately, timber supports were ruled impractical.
Instead, the dome would need to support itself during construction. He decided upon an octagonal structure with lightweight materials tapering as it reached the apex.
Exemplary of the ideal Golden Ratio, Brunelleschi and his team achieved what is considered a perfect balance of form and function with the structure’s own architecture supporting itself through its very layout.
The egg-shaped dome was so spectacular, in fact, that the people of Florence wondered among themselves about what sort of trick Brunelleschi employed to make it happen. While well known for his ability to transform illusions into reality, the dome on the cathedral of Santa Maria del Fiore is a product of mathematical genius.
https://youtu.be/f_3DTSyuJlQ
#architecture
YouTube
BBC Documentary 2017 - Great Cathedral Mystery: Santa Maria del Fiore | HD Documentary
BBC Documentary 2017 - the edge of space - bbc documentary 2017. full documentary 2017 - anonymous chasing edward snowden - hacker documentaries bbc. The world's greatest free documentary.
Great Cathedral Mystery Pbs PBS Documentary 2017 Great Cathedral…
Great Cathedral Mystery Pbs PBS Documentary 2017 Great Cathedral…
When St. Anthony of the Desert thought about the depths of the judgments of God, he asked:
'Lord, how is it that some die when they are young, while others drag on to extreme old age? Why are there those who are poor and those who are rich? Why do wicked men prosper and why are the just in need?' He heard a voice answering him, 'Anthony, keep your attention on yourself; these things are according to the judgment of God, and it is not to your advantage to know anything about them.'
'Lord, how is it that some die when they are young, while others drag on to extreme old age? Why are there those who are poor and those who are rich? Why do wicked men prosper and why are the just in need?' He heard a voice answering him, 'Anthony, keep your attention on yourself; these things are according to the judgment of God, and it is not to your advantage to know anything about them.'