Patriotism
"Consequently, this very act of loving someone because he is akin or connected with us, or because he is a fellow-countryman or for any like reason that is referable to the end of charity, can be commanded by charity, so that, out of charity both eliciting and commanding, we love in more ways those who are more nearly connected with us." (ST II-II q26 a7)
You may not go so far as to call patriotism a virtue, but it is an act of charity and fidelity to country and your fellow countrymen. With all that has been said in the past two posts on Americanism, the founding fathers distaste for Catholicism, and the heresies at Americas foundation, how is a Catholic to proceed? The answer is both simple and complex. The simple answer that the speakers present is to convert the pagans around us -that includes ignorant Catholics but not exclusively. The complexity from my viewpoint is partly that even though the Church wields the truth, most of its members in america are simply nominally Catholic and many of its prelates are cowards, unwilling to teach the hard truths.
The first thing that needs to be distinguished is what makes a state good and what makes one evil? "A country is evil to the degree which it is run according to Catholic principles"(Coulomb). We have already established that America is not a Catholic country, nor is based on Catholic principles. There are few Catholic countries today, regardless you can judge a country in the same manner you can judge a person. I don't mean whether they are going to heaven or hell, simply that you can objectively judge based your intellect the actions of a person and by further inquiry the motives of that persons actions. Similarly with a nation, you look at what it has done for itself and others to determine whether it is good. What is the ultimate good a nation can afford to perform for its citizens? The ultimate good of any person is their salvation. Have the actions of this nation perpetuated this goal in any way? What would that look like?
Based on what was previously mentioned, if a country protects and nourishes truth -that is Catholicism, that county can be considered a good one. So, what has America done as a nation for Catholicism? Why would they do anything? More importantly, what has America as a nation done for the salvation of the souls of its citizens? America has off and on protected religious freedom for all religions, which may seem good, but it protects the rights of error and heresy in conjunction with truth. America has been involved in many wars and campaigns, the effects and motives of which are speculative and debatable. However, one thing is certain, it has never worked for any specific Catholic cause.
An example of a good act by a Catholic country was France' campaign in Vietnam. There were a large populace of Catholics in Vietnam due to the missionary works of the Jesuits. Vietnam had become a French protectorate because many had converted from confusion ism under Emperor Bao Dai. Catholics there were being persecuted, hence the French intervention. As we know from history, the French were defeated, and communism gained power thus splitting the nation in two -the north communists and the south remaining under the imperial rule of Bao Dai. To make a long story short, Dai invited Diem (a Catholic) to be prime minister. America instigated Diem to overthrow Dai and form a republic. This was successful and Diem lived in exile in France, later converting to Catholicism. The intervention of France was by definition a good act for Catholicism. On the other hand Coulombe makes an interesting point that if Dai had converted while he was in power and America hadn't meddled in their politics, then it is possible that Vietnam would have instantly become a Catholic country, similar to other empires whose emperors converted -Constantine comes to mind. This is a big what if, as is the possibility that if Diem didn't overthrow the emperor, America would not have had to go to Vietnam. If we didn't betray our French allies, then there may not have been a Communist north Vietnam.
How does a Catholic perform an act of patriotism in a country which is pagan without worshiping an idol? Joining the military.The most obvious and oldest example is that of the Roman Empire. Christians were a minority and heavily persecuted, yet against all the odds converted the pagan empire and eventually all of Europe. To show that Christians were loyal to their country, they joined the military and to the best of their ability, served honorably. Sometimes there were orders given which Christians could not obey, i.e. offering incense to Caesar. In which case, they were martyred. The Theban Legion was martyred for this in Switzerland whose relics are contained in the churches there.
Likewise in the Empire of Japan, there were many Catholic converts as well -we can thank St. Francis Xavier for that. Again in this imperial confusion model, the citizens were forced to worship the Emperor. However, Catholics could not do this; therefore, to show their patriotism, they joined the military. Here is an interesting fact: Raphael Yamamoto, the Admiral of the Japanese fleet was Catholic and lead the bombing of Pearl Harbor. A Catholic bombed Pearl Harbor, just as a Catholic atom bomb crew expunged Nagasaki -the center of Catholicism in Japan.
Coulombe presents the solution for proving your patriotism and fidelity to country by joining the military. Your faith and integrity can be maintained in the military amidst great temptation; however, I am a bit at odds with this solution for many reasons. I personally, served in the military and believe that it can be a good thing. However, there are many dangers associated with this, which I don't wish to go into great detail about. This could be a good post for later. One of my parish priests has given sermons on the topic of evils actions of and within the armed forces. Many things need be considered before joining the military. Are we at war? Is the war Just? One must also consider the various temptations when in the military.
I will sum this post with a few thoughts from the lectures:
It has taken the massive decay in morality to uncover the false principles of our country. We can only more starkly see it, because of how much it is going down hill.This is gods way of saving us...We live in a pagan country, it's always been pagan. Bits of it are Catholic, but the false religion of the country we can have no part of it...The founding fathers were not good men. They hated Catholics and how can you be a good man and hate our religion -it is not possible....What the flag is and what it has come to represent is something awful. The right to choose to believe whatever they want to and in the name of that belief the flag is carried to all sorts of places.
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