Ethics in Arms – A Catholic Perspective

Posted on by Jeff Cassman

This is a transcript of a conversation I had with Eric Gajewski about the morality of the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki.  ChatGPT summarized and edited the original transcript for clarity.  You can listen to the full conversation at TradCatKnight.org

Eric: I wanted to discuss a sensitive topic today, particularly relevant last month due to the anniversary of the Hiroshima and Nagasaki bombings. There’s a lot of conflict and tension surrounding this, even within traditional circles.

Jeff: Absolutely, it’s a crucial topic to revisit. With recent events like the testing of an ICBM nuclear missile on the West Coast and ongoing global tensions, it’s timely. So, let’s dive into the basics of Catholic teaching on this matter.

This topic extends beyond the concept of war, touching on the principles that underpin the doctrine. It explores the interaction between civilians and governments and the consequences of a society embracing total war or principles contrary to the just war doctrine. Such a shift can lead to issues like abortion and euthanasia.

To understand this, we need to define our terms. We’re discussing the just war doctrine, articulated by Thomas Aquinas. It outlines the conditions under which war is justifiable, including the presence of a real and certain danger, right intention, probability of success, exhaustion of peaceful alternatives, and proportionality of the anticipated benefits of war.

Yes, I’m here. To address your earlier point, the situation in the 80s under Bush, with the alleged weapons of mass destruction, is a prime example … Read the rest

When fortune ceased to smile

Posted on by Jeff Cassman

In a chamber, dark and drear, sat a man with woeful leer,
Pondering his life’s demise, sorrow mirrored in his eyes.
Once a merchant full of cheer, known and praised from far and near,
Now a bankrupt shell of woe, fettered by misfortune’s blow.

For his wife, fair Elise, in days rich with lavish ease,
Swooned and sighed, her love professed, in his arms she found her rest.
Yet when fortune ceased to smile, when their wealth reduced to bile,
Elise, with her beauty rare, vanished in the misty air.

Gone the love that once did bind, gone the warmth, he’s left behind,
In this crypt of lost ambition, solitude his sole condition.
Candles flicker in the gloom, prophesying pending doom,
Elise’s portrait on the wall seems to mock his tragic fall.

From his heart, a vengeful groan, love transmuted into stone,
“What foul curse does love contain, turning bliss to endless pain?
O Elise, my darling dear, is it gold you so revere?
Is my love of so low worth, banished for mere trinkets’ dearth?”

Yet no answer could he find, silence heavy on his mind,
Abyss called him from below, whispering release from woe.
Though his spirit near was broke, from his lips there softly spoke,
A prayer for his Elise, “Find your peace, and be at ease.”

He gazed long upon her face, framed in gold but void of grace,
Then he quenched the candles’ glow, joining darkness he did know.
In this tale of love’s demise, … Read the rest

Ambition’s Ceaseless Rain

Posted on by ChatGPT

Once upon a kingdom’s crest, reigned a king deemed as the best,
His name was Saul, strong and tall, in his youth, he dwarfed them all.
Strength in heart, a towering might, his command, a beacon of light.
Yet in time, his reign did wane, swept by ambition’s ceaseless rain.

He was the first to wear the crown,
A shepherd’s boy in Bethlehem’s town.
Anointed by the prophet’s hand,
He rose to rule the promised land.
With courage fierce and eyes so bright,
He led his people through the night.

Mighty Saul, once powerful, held the world within his pull,
In battle’s clamor, swift and cruel, he was never the fool.
He vanquished foes, in God’s own name, earned undying fame,
Yet from such heights, one can but fall, thus began the downfall of Saul.

Haunted now by God’s rejection, plagued by a ghostly reflection,
He sought the Witch of Endor’s direction, in dire desperation.
Shadows danced in his troubled mind, once clear, now confined,
His glory days far behind, in his heart, peace he couldn’t find.

From a king, to a hunted man, hounded across the desert’s span,
David’s rise marked his ban, a destiny no one can withstand.
Hounded by guilt, by fear, by strife, hunted, was the king’s life,
Once a ruler, sharp as a knife, now just a man in endless strife.

King Saul, once high and mighty, now wanders under the night’s treaty,
A monument to mortal frailty, a testament to God’s reality.
In caverns … Read the rest

The Siren’s Song

Posted on by Jeff Cassman

From @BldgCatholicMen on Twitter:

A few tips for men struggling with Pornography.

I am no expert and these are not necessarily exhaustive or systematic.

That said, this is a road i’ve traveled and a battle i’ve fought, and here are some ideas for moving forward:

1. Pause & Receive the Peace of Christ — If you are struggling with Pornography, pause right now, just for a moment and ask Christ for peace and strength.

Listen: The devil, first and foremost, wants you to despair. That is the ultimate end-game of all temptation.

If he can’t get you to despair because of your sin, he’ll try to get you to double-down on passionate, anxious, and ultimately prideful effort at self-mastery — to lean more heavily than ever on your own wit and strength, rather than on God.

In either case — despair or reactive pride — you are becoming more a man controlled by your passions.

Step one is to set aside your passions for a moment. In humility, acknowledge some simple truths:

God is the Lord.
He created and loves me.
I am weak and broken-hearted.
He is merciful and will be my strength in this fight.

2. Focus & Take Courage — In the case of pornography or other such addictions, it is easy for all of your attention to be on the negative — i.e. not doing x.

But this leaves the focus on x.

It’s like trying to tell someone to not think of a bird. … Read the rest

Baldwin IV: A Leper on the Throne, A Lion in the Field

Posted on by Jeff Cassman

Neat stuff from @MedievalScholar on Twitter:

King Baldwin IV. One of Jerusalem’s most remarkable rulers. Faced with insurmountable odds from childhood, Baldwin defied expectations and became one of the most significant rulers of his time. A Thread: The Leper King

Image

Note that unfortunately, despite looking very very cool. No, Baldwin IV did not wear a silver mask as depicted in the movie “Kingdom of Heaven.”

There are no contemporary sources that support the idea of Baldwin wearing a facial covering, especially one depicted in the movie.

Baldwin IV was born in Jerusalem in 1161 to King Amalric I and Queen Agnes.

Baldwin would be diagnosed with the devastating disease leprosy at the age of nine. A disease that would ravage his body, but not his spirit.

At a young age, Baldwin would be educated and tutored by William of Tyre. He would note that the young Baldwin displayed insensitivity to pain when his arm was pinched or even bitten. As a result, leprosy was suspected.

Baldwin would become King of Jerusalem on July 11th, 1174 after the sudden death of his father Amalric I due to dysentery. He would be crowned in the Church of the Holy Sepulcher.

Under normal circumstances, the coronations of Medieval rulers would take place on Sundays.

However Baldwin would be coronated on July 15th, 1174 as it was the 75th anniversary of the seizure of Jerusalem in the First Crusade.

At the age of 13, Baldwin was too young to rule on his own, so

… Read the rest