History is the record of an apocalyptic struggle between those two primordial kingdoms - that of God and that of the devil. St. Augustine saw these irreconcilable factions as the City of God and the City of Man. Both are world governments in the largest possible sense, and they are locked in mortal combat till the end of time, for nothing less than the souls of men. When "separation of Church and state" was established as a political principle in modern times, the two Cities began parting company visibly before the eyes of all, but only to square off properly and get at each other better. Like any couple whom God has joined together, Church and state can never be divorced. No matter how many fictitious decrees are handed down by the court of domestic relations, they are still married. And that precisely, is what causes all the trouble. This book covers a range of topics including Joan of Arc, Louis XVI, the political dimension of the sacred heart dimension, and of course Americanism. All focus on Utopia, that mysterious social aberration which always threatens, but never comes to fruition, because the very word means Nowhere.
Read the First Chapter Now
TO BEGIN WITH ...
Adam was a great disappointment to the devil. His wife had been easily deceived by his wiles, and when Adam followed her into disobedience against his better judgment, the angelic father of lies must have felt certain that all material creation was within his grasp. With Adam in his power, everything over which Adam had been given dominion would naturally fall under his exquisite satanic control, to rearrange and govern as he saw fit.
As Perfecter and Re-creator of the Universe, Satan would build on earth the Utopia he had failed to establish on high. His savage thirst for empire would be slaked, for naturally he expected that Adam, with the shamefaced Eve at his side, would become his terrestrial ally in the Great Revolution he had started in heaven. But this never happened.
Unlike Eve, Adam “was not deceived” (1 Tim. 2:14). First he hid, then he blamed his wife, but in the end our good father repented. Because even in his fallen state he was still head of the human family, he earned a second chance not only for himself, but for all of us. To the devil’s horror, instead of persisting in their disobedience, our first parents humbly accepted the punishments God meted out to them.
Let this be a lesson to us, for they ended by setting a good example. Determined to remain subject to God’s rule as best they could, they incurred, of course, the Adversary’s undying enmity. This brought on the state of affairs now generally known as “the human condition,” and under the circumstances, we are very fortunate to be in it.
But the devil remained steadfast in his desire to supplant the divine economy with his own artificial government, and he has been able to whip up plenty of enthusiasm for his program among Adam’s descendants. Beginning with Adam’s firstborn Cain, many would be led to “make the world a better place” by concocting utopias to inflict on themselves and others.
As the ages rolled on, humanity inevitably polarized around those two contingents designated in Genesis as “the seed of the woman” and “the seed of the serpent.” One wanted no more nonsense, because obviously the situation was bad enough, and the other was sure it could solve everything if only God were kept out of it. St. Augustine saw these irreconcilable factions as the City of God and the City of Man. Both are world governments in the largest possible sense, and they are locked in mortal combat till the end of time, for nothing less than the souls of men.
When “separation of Church and state” was established as a political principle in modern times, the two Cities began parting company visibly before the eyes of all, but only to square off properly and get at each other better. Like any couple whom God has joined together, Church and state can never be divorced. No matter how many fictitious decrees are handed down by the court of domestic relations, they are still married. And that precisely, is what causes all the trouble.
The text which follows deals with this touchy subject. Some minor redundancies may be found in it, for it is adapted from articles which appeared in the United States in The Remnant, in Scotland in Apropos, in England in Christian Order, and in France in Action Familiale et Scolaire. Three chapters, “The Usan Catholic” and those dealing with Joan of Arc and devotion to the Sacred Heart of our Lord, were originally delivered as talks at the annual Christ the King Symposium sponsored by the Christian Law Institute in El Paso, Texas. All focus on Utopia, that mysterious social aberration which always threatens, but never comes to fruition, because the very word means Nowhere.
Solange Hertz
Big Rock, Leesburg, Virginia
Feast of the Purification
February 2,1993
