B_345_The-Rulers-of-Russia

messias, have been admitted as full citizens of the once Christian
States. 1
They have profited by their citizenship to eliminate the
influence of the Supernatural Messias, as is inevitable, for the
process of imposition of their natural national form means at
the same time the elimination of that supernatural life they reject
so obstinately.
Here it will be well, for the sake of clearness, to contrast the
Jewish idea of citizenship with the Catholic ideal. Owing to their
messianic aspirations, mat is, to their looking forward to a
messianic era to be achieved through the dominating influence of
their nation over the others, the members of the Jewish nation
retain their primary allegiance to their own nation, when becoming
citizens of other states and nations. As members of their own
"messianic" nation, they must strive for the domination of their
nation over others, as thus alone, they hold, justice and peace
can be achieved on earth. The Jew would fail in his duty to the
Messias to come if he did not subordinate the interests of other
nations to his own. The Catholic Church, the Mystical Body of
Christ, seeks to draw all nations into the unity of that Body so
that Christ may relive His Life to the full in the citizens of every
nation. But the Catholic Church, being supra-national and supernatural,
does not aim at the obliteration of national characteristics
and qualities by the imposition of a national form, but at their
harmonious development by the elimination of the defects due
to original sin. Our Lord Jesus Christ, in and through the
Catholic Church, aims at showing forth to the world the resplendent
qualities of the English, French, Irish, German, American,
etc., member of Christ. Catholic saints are all convinced that the
*A typical example of the influence of the French Revolution is to be
found in Article 44 of the new Irish Constitution. According to Section 1
of that article, the State recognises the special position of the Catholic
Church as the Church of the great majority of the citizens, and the State
also recognises the Church of Ireland, the Presbyterian Church in Ireland,
the Methodist Church in Ireland, the Religious Society of Friends in Ireland,
as well as the Jewish Congregations, etc In Section 2 of that article,
the free profession of religion is guaranteed to every citizen, subject to
public order and morality. But who is to decide what is truly moral?
Suppose one of the above-mentioned religious bodies wants divorce, will it
be rejected simply because the majority are against it or because the unity
and indissolubility of marriage are a symbol of the unity and indissolubility
of Christ's union with His Mystical Body? Divorce is immoral and an
insult to our Redeemer, even if a majority can be found to vote for it
72