19 5, July, 2020 catholicweekly.com.au COMMENT and Daniel Webster, the Second Generation of American Giants (Doubleday). I finished the book with a new respect for Clay (arguably the greatest American never to become president); a renewed respect forWebster; and the feeling that Calhoun, for all his brilliance, did the Republic no enduring service except by il- lustrating what happens when abstract ideology runs amuck. Like the old greymare, the Pulitzer Prize ain’t what she used to be. But the Pulitzer committee got it right when it gave DavidW. Blight its 2019 History award for Frederick Douglass: Prophet of Freedom (Simon and Schuster). Dou- glass was one of the great- est Americans of his time or any time. His firmbelief in the promise of the United States as a land founded on the convic- tion that all are created equal, sorely tried at times, remains an inspiring antidote to the false story of America that’s un- derwriting a lot of cheap-grace political posturing in the face of injustices today. David Pryce-Jones is fre- quently described as one of A line in the sand, even with kids Books for a time of quarantine T hese past fewmonths, I expect many have found themselves re- sorting to the page and the lamp more often; may that literary trend continue long after our public health circumstances change. Since plague time began, I’ve found the following books reassur- ing, challenging, illuminating, and in some cases just plain fun: which is to say, apt read- ing in, and for, this troubled moment. There’s nothing like a quar- antine and sheltering at home to rekindle that resolution to read the Bible regularly. Now comes The Word on Fire Bi- ble: The Gospels (Word on Fire Catholic Ministries). The four- fold story of Jesus is lavishly illustrated and the text is com- plemented by commentaries ancient andmodern, which clarify the puzzling andmake the familiar come alive anew. If there were one mentor I’d recommend to a young per- son seeking wisdom, it would likely be Leon Kass. The new- est collection of his essays, Leading a Worthy Life: Find- ing Meaning in Modern Times (Encounter Books), is chock- full of the insights that follow when a master teacher com- bines biblical literacy, deep learning in the humanities, and a trained scientist’s grasp of science that is unmarred by an uncritical reverence for scientific achievement. If several hundred Leon Kasses had been teaching in elite American colleges and universities the past 50 years, those institutions wouldn’t have become the playpens of cancel culture they are today – and there would be much less nonsense spouted in public. That nonsense is also the sorry result of a profound igno- rance of American history. One remedy for that – and one way to get today into perspective – is H.W. Brands’ story of the four decades between theWar of 1812 and the aftermath of the Compromise of 1850: Heirs of the Founders: The Epic Rival- ry of Henry Clay, John Calhoun, the last of that splendid breed, the “man of letters.” And while I hope his tribe increases and flourishes, I’m also grateful that he’s shared decades of lit- erary memories in Signatures: Literary Encounters of a Life- time (Encounter Books). David’s mini-sketches of 90 authors whose signed vol- umes he owns sparkle with wit and insight from cover to cover. Perhaps my favourite thrust from the Pryce-Jones rapier puts touché to the leftie British historian A.J.P. Taylor, “a typical intellectual of the 1930s [who] made sure to en- joy the privileges he was crit- icising.” At a moment when the United States seems to have lost the capacity to produce leaders of intelligence, cour- age, and the capacity to work with others for the common good, it’s important to re- member that we were once such a nation, and within liv- ing memory. Two good reminders are Eric Larrabee’s Command- er in Chief: Franklin Delano Roosevelt, His Lieutenants, andTheir War (Naval Insti- tute Press) and Walter Bor- neman’s The Admirals: Nim- itz, Halsey, Leahy, and King – The Five-Star Admirals Who Won the War at Sea (Back Bay Books). Admiral Raymond Spru- ance, who won “the war at sea” far more than me- dia-darling Bull Halsey, gets unhappily short shrift from these authors; still, both vol- umes offer well-drawn, con- cise portraits of a host of lead- ers with the human qualities we could use in 2020. Finally, two books by two great theologians with im- portant things to say about hope, the most urgently needed of theological virtues today: Pope Benedict XVI, The Yes of Jesus Christ (Crossroad) and Hans Urs von Balthasar, Dare We Hope “That All Men Be Saved”? (Ignatius Press). The latter is typically mis- understood and the former typically ignored. Both repay a close, careful reading. George Weigel is the Distin- guished Senior Fellow and William E. Simon Chair in Catholic Studies att he Eth- ics and Public Policy Centre in Washington I know a lot of other peo- ple’s children, and I’ve been very blessed to see lots of young families grow to adulthood. I’ve seen firsthand the joys, but also the trials, of marriage and child raising. A few weeks ago, the Quig- leys – a US-based family who I’ve never met – made a star- tling Facebook post, where the Quigley parents an- nounced that they were leav- ing the Catholic Church. They listed the reasons why, and there was noth- ing very surprising. They’d been told that the abuse cri- sis was all just a plot against the Church, but they could no longer believe this. They saw their fellow Catholics fight- ing constantly on Facebook with each other about politi- cal issues. They also failed to see any signs of real spiritual growth and development in their fellow Catholics. Leaving aside the fact that no one can generally see another person’s spiritual growth or lack thereof, there was one minor point on the list that grabbed me. Two of their adult children had be- come atheists. Everyone knows - or is - a Catholic family who have lost children, sometimes all of them, to atheism, agnosti- cism, or just indifference. We know the pain and bewilder- ment this brings, sometimes for decades. I’m intimately acquainted with the dangers of making a relationship into an idol so that you hide everything and pretend that all is well – un- til it isn’t. But I realised that there was another sort of pos- sible idolatry in a family, in- volving your children. Many Catholic parents pray fervent- ly for their lapsed and wan- dering children, and mean- while hold fast to their own beliefs. But others feel forced to choose between the two. In their eagerness to keep their children close, some parents end up watering down or de- nying essential elements of the Catholic faith. This is especially a temp- tation when the adult child is cohabiting, or is same sex at- tracted and sexually active, or is divorced and now remar- ried civilly. It’s too easy to find weak priests who will explain away these situations to the parents. The parents desperately grasp these untruths, hoping that they can square the circle and keep both their faith and their children with no awk- ward conversations. And yet Jesus Himself told us - more than once - that this isn’t pos- sible. When you choose to fol- low your children out of the Church, no one wins. When you choose to believe lies just so you can keep your kids close to you, no one wins. You can keep the lines of com- munication open with your lapsed children if you can – but not at the expense of sac- rificing your own soul. When you choose to keep your Catholic faith and pray for your children, everyone wins. When you choose to be- lieve the truth even when it’s painful, everyone wins. When you choose to keep Jesus and His Church in the picture, graces can flow where you least expect them. It’s a sign of true faith – and also of true love. And God is never outdone in generosity. Dr Philippa Martyr is a Perth-based historian, lecturer and researcher. She can be contacted at: Philip-
[email protected] True love canmean having to speak the truth to children and being prepared to stand by our words 1300 554 552 www.girafferemovals.com.au •
[email protected] One of Sydney’s most trusted removalists 50 YEARS OF REMOVAL Fast. Safe. Efficient. Country • Interstate • Long or Short Term Storage For over 50 years the Keoghan family have run an honest, professional removals business. We service homes, units, offices, parishes, schools, colleges and government departments. Philippa Martyr George Weigel Columnist A prent’s best hope: talk to Jesus and seek good, sound parenting and spiritual advice - and don’t compromise on essentials. The cover of DareWe Hope “That All Men Be Saved”? by Hans Urs von Balthasar. IMAGE: IGNATIUS PRESS