Distributism, the State...

... and a long awaited for announcement!

... and a long awaited for opportunity!

Anarchism is a fools errand. It is all too unfortunate, then, that there happen to be so many fools running errands. One may understand (albeit with a smirk) how the unbeliever or Protestant could believe in a stateless society. But I find it rather strange when running across distributists who would envision a stateless society, or even the "night watchman" notion reminiscent to the likes of Utopians who apparently can't distinguish between liberty and license. How a distributist, advocating a political economy that best reflects the entirety of Catholic Social Teaching, can advocate such notion of the central government is truly remarkable. So remarkable, in fact, that I believe it to be an impossibility, or at least a most horrific inconsistency.

As I stated earlier, the anti-State mentality may very well fit into the non-Christian or even Protestant scheme of things. In fact, it would be quite natural for them to maintain such a position concerning the State. I say as much because it would be in no way inconsistent with their concepts of autonomy, be it radical individualism or ecclesiological relativism. 

Take the Protestant. He maintains both the notion of radical individualism (we see this most clearly in regards to hermeneutics) and ecclesiological autonomy. Left to himself and contractual religious bodies that have no hermeneutical authority or ecclesiastical jurisdiction over him without his consent, he is an island of sorts. The religious assembly he chooses to attend holds very little sway over his faith and practice, unless he willingly gives is assent. Otherwise, to the religious assembly next door we go! One sect's heresy is another sect's orthodoxy, and the origin of ecclesial (as well as civil) authority comes from the individual's personal consent. 

In much the same way, Distributists who ignore the Church's teaching concerning the origin of civil authority and proper role and functions of the State are playing pick-and-choose with the Magisterium. These folks have assumed the kind of autonomy that causes them to believe that they have the right to overlook or under-emphasize portions of Catholic Social Teaching that either bumps heads with Chesterbelloc and Co. or goes beyond select portions of encyclicals that cover details already dealt with, explicitly or implicitly, in Rerum Novarum. I mean, it is a given that distributists have a special love for the Magna Carta of Catholic Social Teaching. But what about Diuturnum, Graves de Communi Re, Immortale Dei, or even Sapientiae Christianae? Well, unfortunately, these are tough sells. 

Why not stick with Diuturnum, as this was the encyclical first mentioned in the above list. Not so ironically it deals with the origin of civil power. Pope Leo XIII lays out here a number of functions the state is responsible for, or at least has a hand in. Among these are public safety (1); to reign, to rule, and to decree justice (9); to govern the wills of individuals so as to make one will out of many and to impel them rightly and orderly to the common good (11); and to study the welfare of the people (26). To say that this description of the state, as taken from bits and pieces of Diuturnum, is a far cry from the kind of stateless society advocated by certain distributists would be as daring as declaring that Thomas Woods doesn't believe the Church has jurisdiction or competence in the realm of economics.

One could very well delve into other encyclicals which lay out still more functions and responsibilities of the state, but the list is rather extensive. This is especially true once we get to Blessed Pope John XXIII. A cursory glance of Mater et Magistra or Pacem in Terris would leave the reader curious as to whether the Church has more in common with culturally conservative, populist democrats than their culturally conservative republican counterparts. 

When push comes to shove, distributist are not bound in time to the writings of the early distributists or confined to the text of Rerum Novarum. It is their duty, as faithful Catholics wishing to embrace and live out the entirety of Catholic Social Teaching, to toss aside such anti-Catholic concepts as a stateless society or "night watchman" state, refusing to run errands for the fools any longer.

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Learning from the Land: In the School of Saint Benedict

[Note: Please consider making a donation to Clear Creek Monastery. The Rule of St. Benedict is and should be an example to distributists across the world. The Benedictine monks at Clear Creek tirelessly work to "...build something beautiful for God" centering their lives in Ora et Labora (Prayer and Work).]

by Br. Philip Anderson, Prior
February 2009

Dear Friend,

As we enter the Lenten season — leaving behind the splendors of Christmas and looking forward now to that other pole of the liturgical year which is Easter — we discover that the greater simplicity and sobriety of this time of year lends itself well to a meditation on man’s proper place in the universe as caretaker of creation.

For many years now ecology has aroused much interest, not only in regard to the immediate practical decisions that must be made by governments and businesses, but also as a topic of discussion in the broader cultural context. Our contemporaries seem to experience an ever-increasing alienation from nature and a need to somehow “re-connect” with the earth, while scientists continue to point to signs that the ecological balance of the natural world is being seriously compromised by the excesses of our technology.

The Church too has participated in the discussion. The Holy Father recently alluded to these questions in an address to the members of the Roman Curia (December 22, 2008):

Since faith in the Creator is an essential part of the Christian creed, the Church cannot and must not limit herself to passing on to the faithful the message of salvation alone. She has a responsibility towards creation, and must also publicly assert this responsibility. In so doing, she must not only defend earth, water and air as gifts of creation belonging to all. She must also protect man from self—destruction.

What does the great monastic tradition issuing from Saint Benedict have to say about this essential relationship with creation?

In fact, for men and women living in Saint Benedict’s day, the question would have had little meaning. The vast majority of human beings lived in rural areas then, and for them life was intimately and necessarily connected to the rhythm of nature. The day’s activities were programmed according to the hours of sunlight. The year was punctuated by the various seasons in which planting, harvesting and every important task found its appointed time. In such a world, excepting the case of a few very rich people in large cities, it was scarcely possible to become disconnected from the rhythm of creation.

Nonetheless there is much in the wisdom of Saint Benedict that speaks to our present needs in terms of returning to a wiser way of life, a life closer to the land.

One of the pillars of the Rule is evangelical poverty. There would be neither an economic crisis in the world today, nor an ecological threat, were it not for the evil done by greed. Monastic poverty means being content with the simple things that sustain human existence in its inherent goodness. This poverty allows man to live in harmony with field and forest, without feeling the need to brutally strip the earth of her resources in order to realize an immediate gain. Although the economic reality in America has become increasingly complex in our day, it is still possible to recapture this joyous sort of poverty. We are not speaking of the tragic misery of the desperately poor, but of an attitude rooted in the Christian faith. E.F. Schumacher's Small Is Beautiful: Economies As If People Mattered (first published in 1973) offers insights that seem more timely than ever. Another important work, Flee To The Fields: The Founding Papers of the Catholic Land Movement, with a preface by Hilaire Belloc, charts a way forward in terms of an explicitly Catholic perspective.

Of course, the great corollary of evangelical and monastic poverty is work, especially manual work. Ora et Labora ("Pray and Work"') is often given as the Benedictine motto. The very early monks found that this work with one’s hands was something necessary in order to be able to pray well. Sometimes they would burn all the baskets they had woven during the year — having no need to sell them in order to make money — and start all over again, simply because this activity was good for body and mind! Saint Paul worked with his hands, even though he was entitled to live from his preaching of the Gospel. Manual work is an excellent way to put us back in touch with the wonder and beauty of creation, despite the fact that since the Fall man must toil by "the sweat of his brow" amid thorns and thistles (Gen. 3:18-19).

At Clear Creek we exercise many forms of manual labor, including carpentry, forging and much building, not to mention those domestic activities such as cooking and the making of clothing and shoes. In terms of our direct relationship to the land, the most notable activity would probably be that involving our forest, composed mainly of various types of oak trees. For several years now, thanks to a grant from the Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education Program, we have been working to improve our land by clearing unhealthy trees from the forest, thereby letting in more sunlight. This allows certain grasses to grow, which in turn offer new pasture for our rugged-hair sheep. We intend to bring in goats as well to clear unwanted weeds and brush from the under wood. We also have planted many trees, especially pines. Monks learn many a lesson from the land.

It would all be to no avail, however, without something more. The French author and statesman, Andre Malraux, famously said, "The twenty-first century will either be spiritual or it will not be". Even if a nuclear conflagration is somehow avoided — and the threat has by no means disappeared — it will take something more than a form of "global awareness" to preserve the world’s natural resources. This is where the other half of Saint Benedict’s motto, Ora ("Pray”), enters the picture.

Among the animals of the forest only one is capable of ruining everything, the one who walks upright, the same one whom God established shepherd of all creation in the beginning. It is the spiritual struggle between good and evil being waged in his heart that causes man, either to care for creation, or to destroy it. This is what Pope Benedict XVI meant when he said in his discourse to the Roman Curia last December, "What is needed is something like a human ecology, correctly understood". It is through prayer that we realize this human ecology, transcending the limited resources of the natural environment.

Between the somewhat romantic musings of city folk, who dream of moving to the country to start a new life, and the harsh reality of having to earn one’s daily bread from the earth that has become rebellious to sinful man, there is certainly a wide margin, which is also a serious challenge. But do we really have a choice?

The well—known Catholic author and educator, John Senior, was once giving a talk to a small group of adults about this very idea of escaping from the excesses of a civilization worn thin with technology. While he was saying something to the effect that "real swimming" is done in the ocean or lakes — or more modestly in the "old swimmin’ hole" — an old-timer who was among the listeners brought forth the objection that "we used to lose a few in the ‘swimmin’ hole…'". Looking the man squarely in the eye, Senior replied, "Yes, but we are losing all of them in the swimming pool."

Monastic life does not hold the key to unlock all of the world’s problems, but a serious reading of the Rule of Saint Benedict can be an inspiration, not only for monks, but also for those living outside the monastery walls. This is especially true due to its precious sense of balance, organizing things around the poles of prayer and work. It is our hope that Our Lady of Clear Creek Monastery, by living from the Rule, can help many to recapture the joy of a human existence rooted in faith – and the non-so-common realism of common sense.

May Our Lady of the Annunciation obtain for you an abundance of heavenly blessings.

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Announcements, Announcements, Announcements!

Dear friends and readers of The Distributist Review,

Allow us first to announce that fellow distributist and author Thomas Storck will be interviewed tomorrow on Paleo Radio by fellow TDR contributor, Jeremiah Bannister. The interview will be conducted tomorrow at 6pm EST and may be heard by connecting to www.wocrfm.com.

For our readers in the Ohio area, Sebastian's Church, Akron, will be hosting a performance of "Old Thunder: An Afternoon with Hilaire Belloc", a one-man show featuring Kevin O'Brien, founder of Theater of the Word, on Sunday, March 15th at 1 p.m. in Zwisler Hall. The program is free and open to the public; a free-will offering will be taken. Come and meet Catholic historian and poet Hilaire Belloc, who lived in England from 1870-1953. "Old Thunder" provides a stirring presentation, which includes Belloc's prophetic take on modern society and culture. [St. Sebastian's Church, Zwisler Hall, 476 Mull Avenue Akron, OH]

We wish to remind everyone to please register if you have not already done so for the upcoming conference, "Catholicism and Economics," hosted and sponsored by the Nassau Community College Center for Catholic Studes. The school has received a lot of registrants from the distributist camp, so please make sure to register and support our efforts.

Many surprises are in store for readers of the Review and The ChesterBelloc Mandate in the upcoming months. Of course, as things materialize, we will make the appropriate announcements, but it may suffice to give our readers a hint. "Bye-bye Google"

For now, we bring you the first in a series of pamphlets, brochures, and other printable distributist materials, which will be used for the event mentioned. We begin with John Médaille's "An Introduction to Distributism." We welcome our readers to print, copy, distribute, or simply place the following on their websites.

Servire Deo regnare est!
Richard Aleman

An Introduction to Distributism

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The Liturgical Nature of Distributism

When discussing distributism with a friend of mine, it led to a rather interesting discussion concerning liturgy. He was curious as to whether I saw a connection between liturgy and political science. The answer, at least for me, was quite simple. Yes! Liturgy is at the heart of it all, and for a number of reasons. 

As a safeguard of tradition, liturgy preserves those elements of life deemed to be of permanent value. These elements, while increasing in number over time, serve to expand our understanding of both the scope and breadth of its majesty and wisdom. It forms within the minds of men the concept of mystery, of awe, and of wonder. Liturgy teaches the faithful the value of nature, of the arts, and of the senses. Furthermore, it develops within us a sense of place and of purpose. There is hierarchy, their is the individualism of private meditations, and there is the communal dynamic of postures, common prayers, and the Eucharist. Most importantly, it is Christocentric. It places the Trinitarian God and his Church at the center of our individual, family, and social lives. 

This list, while far from exhaustive, is all well and good, but it hasn't explained why you contend that liturgy is at the heart of distributism. 

Distributism not only embraces each of these characteristics connected with liturgy, it is formed by them. It is formed by those things, both old and new, which are of permanent value. As Penty would say:

"Distributists work for a return to the past. But they do not wish to revive every in the past, for bad things as well as good things existed in the past.; nor yet to they reject everything that is new; they see to revive the things which are eternal in the past, the things of permanent value."

This philosophy, unlike the myriad of others, embraces the mysteries of life, the awe of the liturgical nature of days and seasons, as well as the wonder that accompanies the realization that he has placed man here for the purpose of dominion and reconciling all things in King Christ. Distributism embraces nature and its limitations as both inevitable and good. It wishes to preserve the beauty of the arts and crafts, imploring men and women to utilize their gifts and talents for the common good of both those present and those yet to come. The senses are relished amongst distributists, emphasizing on traditional architecture, dance, and song. Distributism places society in an organic context, finding that golden mean between atomism and collectivism. Each person has a gift and talent, and they were strategically placed by God in various communities to better both themselves and their neighbor. It gives men a sense of social placement, to honor both those under them and over them, and to treat their neighbors with charity, striving to ensure that their families and communities have a political economy that benefits both the individual and the common good. Lastly, distributism places King Christ and his Church at the center of social life. This is something that used to be reflected in the parish system and the construction of houses and businesses around the local church. While this may be diminished, or to have disappeared from our visual landscape, it remains vibrant in the hearts and minds of the distributist.

Repeating what I said in the beginning, liturgy is at the heart of distributism. Its incarnationalism results in a view of life that sees mankind as it really is and the destiny of mankind how it ought to be. This is not Utopian. This is accepting mystery, embracing limitations, making use of our God-given gifts and talents, and striving to bring all things under the dominion of King Christ. 

This is liturgical. This is distributism. And while helping Catholics and liturgical Protestants to see this correlation between our worship and our views of the political economy wouldn't fully resolve the difficulties that accompany attempting to persuade one of the wisdom, prudence, and justice of distributism, it would certainly set the ball in motion towards a place where people may be willing to abandon their inconsistencies for a more harmonious understanding of who we are, what we are destined to do, and the best means by which social reconstruction under King Christ may be accomplished.

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