Originally published in The Way on October 4, 1941.
Times of war, times of stress bring added requirements upon all of us. To meet those requirements all sorts of methods are employed to strengthen patriotism. We have unusual parades, celebrations, new songs and speeches — yet the desired results are seldom reached. Why? Simply because the true source of patriotism has not been approached.
The true source of patriotism is religion. The decline of religion heralds the decline of patriotism. Many will make objections to this statement, some will even maintain that religion is the enemy of patriotism. These people are making a grave error. They are hindering the development of patriotism.
Saint Augustine, who lived in the fifth century, and who was a convert to the Christian Church from paganism, writes in Epistle 138, Chapter II, Section 15:
“Let those who declare the teaching of Christ be opposed to the welfare of the State, furnish us with an army of soldiers such as Christ says soldiers ought to be; let them give us subjects, husbands, wives, parents, children, masters, servants, kings, judges, taxpayers and tax gatherers, who live up to the teachings of Christ; and then let them dare assert that Christian doctrine is harmful to the State. Rather let them not hesitate one moment to acclaim that doctrine, rightly observed, the greatest safeguard of the State.”
In other words if we recognize God and His laws we shall make good citizens. God is the source of our rights and our responsibilities. The ancestors of our country laid the foundation of this great land on that truth. In the Declaration of Independence they wrote:
“We hold these truths to be self evident. That all men are created equal: that they are endowed by their Creator with the unalienable rights: that amongst these are life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness; that to secure these rights, governments are instituted among men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed.”
The founding Fathers of our country were most anxious to find some basis for human rights, some guarantee of human liberties. They trusted no state, no parliament, no dictator, no human power to give it to them. They went to God. This is the essence of Americanism. Now, if the essence of Americanism is the sacredness of human personality, as a creature of God, who is doing most to preserve that Americanism? Who is inculcating patriotism? Is it not the institution of God, is it not His Church?
William Penn, in his “Frame of Government” for his Pennsylvania colony, wrote:
“Governments rather depend upon men than men upon government; let men be good and the government cannot be bad; if it be ill they will cure it. Though good laws do well, men do better, for good laws may lack good men and be evaded or abolished by ill men, but good men will never suffer ill ones. That, therefore, which makes a good constitution must keep it, namely, men of wisdom and virtue; qualities that because they descend not with worldly inheritance must be carefully propagated by a virtuous education of youth.”
The answer obviously is that the forces building constructive Americanism are those that recognize God. Our patriotism is based on their recognition and because of this the Catholics are the better patriots.
