You, my teenage grandchildren, are interested in politics and social justice. That is very good; so am I. I offer you here a viewpoint you will not get in fashionable politics of the left or the right.
Social justice flows from its more foundational analogue: personal justice. Justice is one of the four cardinal or "hinge" virtues. (The other three: fortitude, temperance, prudence.) Justice is the habit of giving to each what is his due; it is the inclination to do the right thing. A just life also requires fortitude, prudence and temperance. Personal justice is the basis of and source of social justice. In this essay we will relate sexual temperance or chastity to social justice. This connection is entirely ignored in normal political science and politics.
Consider the patriarch Joseph of ancient Egypt. He became known for his wisdom, especially in interpreting dreams, and so was elevated by the Pharoh to a position of vast influence from which he did works of mercy and justice, especially providing food for the starving, including his own family, during a famine. Prior to that, however, he showed his purity of heart in resisting the seduction by the Pharoh's wife who falsely accused him and had him unjustly thrown in prison. We see here that the peace and plenty enjoyed by Egypt and its neighbors at this time was rooted in the prudence and purity of Joseph. That is how social justice works.
The iconic Just Man is his namesake: St. Joseph, father (moral, legal, but not by blood) of Jesus and real husband of Mary. He is chaste. He provides for and protects mother and child. He is silent. He is obedient. He provides order, peace, safety, provision, encouragement and instruction for the growing child. He is the epitome of justice and social justice both.
The stability of the family, and especially the chastity and fidelity of the father, is the very first building block of a society that is just, peaceful, solid. The primary root of violence, injustice, abuse, disorder, poverty: lust and infidelity by men who father children and then neglect, abuse or abandon them.
The root cause of abortion: men who indulge in sex and then refuse to care for mother/and/child and pressure for abortion. Abortion is a crime against child and mother BOTH. The primary culprit: the man. Abortion is a necessity for men who want to indulge in sexual intercourse but refuse to take responsibility for the fruit of the engagement. It is matricide/infanticide by the toxic, unchaste male.
The Me-Too Movement properly defended women against abusive men, but it did not go deep enough. It did not advocate chastity, on the part of men and women, as the deeper source of reverence and safety. It remained entangled within a radical feminism that impelled women to imitate the worst of masculine indecency and then supported abortion as the backup protection required by that behavior.
Chastity on the part of women is crucial because women exercise so much influence on men. They are often not aware of this, but women exercise greater personal influence than do men: upon children, but also upon men. This is largely an unconscious dynamic. When in college, one of my daughters was spoken of by men friends: "We would never do anything not wholesome with her. Because she is good." The dignity, purity and inner integrity of a good woman has an inspiring influence on men, even when they may not be so conscious of it or be able to articulate it.
Dolores Hart was a beautiful Hollywood actress, compared to Grace Kelly, who costarred with Elvis Presley at the age of 18. At the age of 23 she left the celebrity life to become a cloistered nun. She has been faithful to that life, is now about 85 years old, and still votes in the Academy Awards. She spoke of Elvis as an "innocent." She recalls that he behaved like a gentleman with her, gentle and respectful. He would approach her and want to talk about the meaning of Bible verses. She is proof that beauty and goodness in a woman exercise an irresistible charm and inspiration upon a man.
The basis for a just and peaceful society is marriage and family, fidelity, purity of heart. The building block of society is not the individual, but the family. It is libertarianism and really liberalism that isolates the autonomous Self as the center of the world. This is a philosophical disaster. Each of us is born of a specific mother and father, already imbedded in a network of relationships which come to define us. In a primal, foundational way each of us is daughter/son, brother/sister, cousin, etc. Our identity is bound together with our web of relationships.
Some history: I was blessed to be born in the post-war era, 1947, as the men returning from war were welcomed by women so happy to have them home safe. The Depression and War were over. It was a good time to work hard, make money, raise big families, and practice our faith. The economy was booming: blacks also benefited and Puerto Ricans were flowing into NYC and other urban areas. This peaked by 1965: Civil Rights Movement triumphant, Vatican II bringing a euphoria to the Church, Peace Movement, and an explosive economy. All good news!
Lurking in the shadows, however, was a moral/social catastrophe about to explode after 1965: The Sexual and Cultural Revolution. The word "diabolical" means "demonic" but etymologically means "to tear apart." What happened in the Cultural Revolution was an invasion from the depths of hell: a "perfect storm" of the diabolical. The linchpin was the perfection of the birth control pill: artificial contraception. This tore sexuality away from marriage, family and fruitfulness and isolated it as an expression of personal or mutual satisfaction. Secondly, it deconstructed masculinity/femininity and set male against female in a militant feminism that mimicked a toxic masculinity of promiscuity and careerism. This effected a crisis in masculinity as purity, fidelity and paternity as well as an assault on genuine femininity. Thirdly, it implemented a genocide of the unborn as abortion became necessary as backup contraception. Lastly, it tore the Church away from tradition, authority and holiness and replaced this with a trust in technology, science and social engineering as a path to happiness. Accompanying this revolution was the destruction of the family and the supportive network of communities...Church, neighborhood, small associations and businesses...and the isolation of the individual in a world dominated by BIG business and BIG government. It is my view that "small is beautiful" (title of a great book) and BIG is BAD!
A case in point: the tragic story of Martin Luther King. A brilliant, courageous, heroic and historic leader of the Civil Rights Movement he was, in his private life, unfaithful to his wife, enslaved to sexual addictions and predatory upon women. With one arm he decisively defeated systemic racism even as he (privately) surrendered to the masculine infidelity that keeps so many women and children in poverty. The Me-Too Movement rightly defends women from predatory men but does not go far enough; it does not advocate chastity and fidelity; it engages sexual freedom, contraception, and abortion. It dare not question the legacy of King. But until the Afro-American community and our broader society honestly acknowledge the dark side of this past there will be violence, inequality and poverty across our society, among all races and ethnicities. This is not, obviously, something that can be spoken openly: it would be viciously cancelled.
My own work with Magnificat Home has benefited from the fact that our women know I am happily married. They know my wife (your grandmother) and frequently ask for her. Our marriage, and family, make me safe and trustworthy, that I am a "big brother" to them and sometimes a father figure. If I were divorced, dating or in an unhappy, unstable marriage would I be trustworthy?
Perform a thought experiment with me. In regard to my work: which of the following four sins would be the worst? First, I am a thief, stealing money from Magnificat Home and the residents. Second, I am an angry man, losing my temper, threatening the women and even pushing or slapping them. Third, I am a lazy drunk, often not showing up for work or coming in hungover, inattentive and incompetent. And lastly, I am a sexual predator, seducing the vulnerable women and violating them. Which is worst?
My view is that the last is by far the worst! It is a more profound, intimate violation. It defiles my own marriage and family. It destroys my own identity, mission, and my body as a temple of the Holy Spirit.
So we see again that purity of heart and fidelity to your vocation is the bedrock foundation of social justice and all works of mercy.
You may wonder to yourself: What can I do about the devastation in the Ukraine? World hunger? Gun violence in schools and cities? Global warming? And all the systems of injustice and violence?
You might answer: Not much! Maybe nothing? But that would not be true!
What you can do is: Collaborate with the mission, identity and destiny planned for you by God! Draw close to Him in an intimacy of trust and surrender. Deepen and intensify your prayer life. Cherish and protect your own purity and that of those you love. If you are attracted to someone physically and romantically, pray for him or her. Pray for your future spouse or your vocation. Receive gratefully all the blessings...faith, family, intelligence, health, friendships, etc...from God and prepare to share them generously. Rejoice and be grateful in all things!
In this dark and vicious world, you are destined and invited to slowly, patiently become a radiant source of light, warmth, comfort, peace and justice! God bless you!
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