by Br. Alexis Bugnolo

Traduction française

In our age ruled by cruel and evil Masons, politics has a bad name, because by “politics” we are wont to understand the evil and godless trickery of the Masonic Lodges.

But poliltics, from its root in Greek, means the things which pertain to the city-state that is the state or civil order.

Politics was rectified by Jesus Christ when He said, while looking at a Roman Denarius,

“Render unto Caesar what is Caesar’s, and unto God what is God’s”. (Mark 12:17)

In Christ’s day, The Roman coin, the Denarius was a silver coin worth about 1 day’s wages. It bore the image of the Roman Emperor, whose title was “Caesar”.

For this reason, the Fathers of the Church explain this teaching of our Lord as meaning that in all honest and just matters pertaining to our civil duties we should obey our civil leaders, but that in all matters pertaining to God we should obey God.

A more profound interpretation, suitable for our godless age, is often given in our own days by many commentators, namely, that we should limit our obedience to the State to things which pertain to the civil order but remember that as individuals, God prefers the salvation of each man, and indeed has created all things and sent His Son Jesus Christ, to save him. Thus, nothing should be done or tolerated which impedes that end or purpose of the cosmos, that God-preferred outcome for each human person.

The Politics of Jesus Christ

Thus, it is not only not impious, but rather devout and faithful to assert that in this one teaching of Jesus Christ, God Himself has spelled out His politics. And for this reason since no other writers I know of have ever spoke on this subject I want to draw out some conclusions of this august divine teaching.

NOT AN IDEOLOGY

First of all, the politics of Jesus Christ is not based on an ideology. Ideologies are ideas thought up by fallible men which when imposed on mankind lead to death and slavery and sin.

But Christ’s teaching is God’s own teaching. And since He is the Author of Man and the author of Life and Liberty, His politics lead always to true freedom, live and virtue.

Thus the first conclusion we can draw is this: that every Christian has the grave moral obligation to adopt Christ’s politics and put it into action. Because nothing better for mankind can be hoped for than this.

THE FALSIFICATION OF ALL OTHER POLITICAL THEORIES

And since Christ’s teaching is of God, since He is God, it is also the falsification of all other political theories, which come from fallible men.

“Falsification” means here the truth which shows that all other theories are false, that is do not correspond to the truth of reality or the truth of man. For who knows reality better than the Creator of all things. And who knows what man is and is capable of better than the Creator and Savior of Men?

THE TRUE LIGHT FOR ALL JUST SOCIETIES AND GOVERNMENTS

Hence, Christ’s teaching here in the Gospel of Mark is the true light for all justice. Since as Aristotle teaches, justice is the virtue of the mind which inclines us to render unto the other what belongs to him.

Christ’s teachings are all lightsome, but they are especially so because in them, He defines and distinguishes rightly and properly on the basis of what things really are.

To Caesar belongs the things which are Caesars. Not only as regards the coins minted by the State, but the end and purpose of the state. Aristotle in his “Politics” describes this well: the state is that form of government which comes into being by necessity, so that the honest citizens and denizens can be suitably protected from the dishonest and wicked citizens and foreigners.

Since the State exists only by a necessity for justice, no State can legitimately be unjust. Thus the State must be governed by the honest for the honest. Thus every law which insures this is of prime importance for the good and preservation of the civil order.

That most modern states have few if any laws which actually lead to punishing rulers, shows from the start, how dark is the age in which we live, and how perverse are the nations which dominate us.

Likewise, since man was created for God, and to have the opportunity to learn to know Him, love Him, and serve Him in this life and to be blessed with Him forever in the world to come, man’s role in politics is an activity of his which must serve his purpose in life.

Thus the State must server man’s call to be with God forever. And thus the State must always be subordinate to mankind’s Savior, Jesus Christ, and to Holy Mother Church, in that work and divine service.

These short reflections on the politics of Jesus Christ should be meditated upon as they will lead to a powerful and profound transformation of how we live in this world and how we exercise our rights and duties in the political order. Let us preach them also, to everyone so that our generation may be saved from the big lies which are propagated on all sides by all voices.