Catholicism, Liberalism, and Socialism, Reaction Paper Example

This is, in plain terms, a reading as “Catholic” as the themes and ideas it presents.  More exactly, the author’s expanse of thought encompasses faith and human rule so completely, the inherent relationship between them is profoundly affirmed.  There is a logic to the work that is both complex and staggering in its simplicity, in that a true understanding and presence of faith within a culture must establish the true identity of that culture, and thus provide a foundation for rule. The complexity resides in the tracing of faith as interpreted by, and guiding, the Roman and other civilizations; the simplicity lies in a consistent and eloquent affirmation of the foundational quality of Christian faith.  As the author emphasizes, knowledge of God must serve as the ultimate authority over mankind, and all sciences and forms of government must bow to this implacable and supreme reality.  That which functions with a disregard of this truth defies God and consequently creates chaos.

The force of the essay, nonetheless, raises questions because it so insists on this human acceptance of God’s presence as actually providing the basis for all authority, and this overlooks  the weakness of man, even when man serves the Catholic Church.  Cortes writes in Chapter 2: “There are two things totally impossible in a truly Catholic society – despotism and revolutions” (Cortes  30).  This is difficult to contest, yet the key element in the assertion is the authenticity of the society as Catholic, which translates to those acting in authority as fully abiding by the greater authority of God.   The author insists that Catholicity has made societies more humane, and this is arguable when comparisons with ancient and despotic governments are made.  What is missing here, however, is a necessary acknowledgment of what Cortes himself observes; as man was redeemed from sin by God, man is subject to sin and error still, and an embracing of Catholicism by no means translates to an absence of human weakness.  It must be reiterated that the crux of the author’s position rests on as complete an awareness in humanity of God’s ultimate authority.  Unfortunately, and as the histories of even the most adamantly Catholic cultures reveal, human interpretation all too often defies the foundation, and human weakness generates despotism and revolution.  Ultimately, then, the issue with this stance is that little evidence exists of the “truly Catholic” society of which Cortes speaks.

Works Cited

Cortes, J. D.  Essays on Catholicism, Liberalism, and Socialism.  Dublin: M.H. Gill & Son, 1879. Print.