Catholic Thought discussion

Chapter 5 Summary: The Flag of the World.

Chesterton discusses a very current-news-timely subject, not only suicide and its evil but how it is tied to the one who ends his own life with his desire to wipe out the world, innocent victims included. The mass suicides prove Chesterton’s main point about suicide that the victim/perpetrator suicide wants to kill all men and wipe out the world. The suicide is not to be confused with a martyr (how current!). A suicide is a destroyer “spiritually he destroys the universe”. (p. 111) and Chesterton is “furiously” against it. Christianity came into the world "first to preach simplicity and restraint”. (p. 113) not some kind of enlightenment that was taught by patrician Romans who went to the Coliseum and modern Lords who privatized common land that belonged to the people. (This was still continuing in Chesterton’s time.) Christianity came into this world firstly in order to assert with violence that a man had not only to look inwards but to look outwards, to behold with astonishment and enthusiasm”. (p. 115)

“God had written, not so much a poem, but rather a play, a play he had planned as perfect, but which had necessarily been left to human actors and stage-managers, who had since made a great mess of it.” (p. 118)

Chesterton delves beyond the labels of optimism, pessimism, and searches for what matters, the essence, not blind love but binding love, like woman’s love for her husband, or son “a strange and strong loyalty” (p. 107) That is the kind of allegiance he feels for the world.

This is one thread that I read in the chapter though I sense other related ones bubbling to the surface.

I was pleasantly surprised that another reading group here “Classics of the Western Canon” where I participated a bit is reading Chesterton’s “Father Brown Stories”. One of the group members pointed out a recent article on Chesterton in “The Atlantic”. I liked it. It's a lot of fun:


http://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/a...

Galicius wrote: "Chesterton discusses a very current-news-timely subject, not only suicide and its evil but how it is tied to the one who ends his own life with his desire to wipe out the world, innocent victims in..."

Thanks for your post Galicius. It's really helping me to understand Chesterton's viewpoint a lot better.

It's just me but I have a harder time understanding Chesterton's point. Are there any other books by him that might make it easier for me to understand? Much thanks and gratitude for any help.