Dear St. Rita Parishioners,

            Pope Leo takes pains in the first chapter of Magnifica Humanitas to clarify the role of the Church in the world, so that the teaching he presents regarding Artificial Intelligence will be better received. Rather than imposing teachings “from above”, the Church “walks alongside humanity, recognizing the autonomy of earthly realities and the distinction between ecclesial and political communities” (MH 18). Because of the Church’s position alongside humanity, She has much to offer in the way of commentary and guidance, and She does hope to lead men of good will to the Truth. Indeed, as Aquinas says, “Well-disposed men are best led to virtue by willingly heeded admonitions rather than by coercion” (ST I-II, q. 95, a. 1, ad. 1). Thus, the Church desires to be involved in every aspect of human life and society, precisely to be able to offer pathways to the Truth.

            For us as regular, run-of-the-mill Catholics, this gives us great impetus to go forth and bring the gift of Truth that we have been given to all the places in which we find ourselves (cf. MH 25). We can only do this if we have a great confidence that what we have received is in fact the Truth, and that it comes from God. Such confidence is not arrogance (though it can become arrogance if we fall into the sin of pride). Such confidence is rather borne of the humility, gratitude, and joy at having found something that brings the fulfillment for which God has made me. In other words, you have received a great gift in the Truth of the Faith and in the Truth of revealed moral teaching. Do not be afraid to bring it to bear on the world around you!

            Such proclamation can take two forms. One is the admonition mentioned above to men of good will. People who want to know the Truth are open to receiving it. This sort of proclamation is best done by means of friendship. You have many friends, some closer and some not as close. But your particular relationship with each of them presents an opening for the Gospel, and your real, not feigned, interest in their lives gives them the knowledge that your admonitions come from a place of charity and genuine good will, not coercion or arrogance. 

            The other form the proclamation can (and must) take sometimes is a bit stronger than admonition. The second half of the quotation from Aquinas’ Summa above is this: “…but ill-disposed men are not led to virtue unless they are coerced.” From the modern perspective, coercion is tantamount to an intrinsically evil act and an unforgivable sin. Everyone wants to be free, and we are particularly sensitive to any kind of force to do things we don’t understand or currently agree with. This sensitivity is actually, however, a form of arrogance; we have been taught that we ourselves are the arbiters of Truth and that our will is inviolable. What the Church actually teaches is that conscience is inviolable, and that conscience must be well-formed. Otherwise, I am guilty of a “vincible ignorance”. I am culpable for sins committed in vincible ignorance, precisely because I should have known better. 

            To help people move beyond the modern resistance to all coercion, therefore, we can ask ourselves some questions. For example, “Am I coerced by the laws of nature?” The short answer is “Yes and No.” I certainly cannot, for example, ignore the Law of Gravity. If I do so, and jump off a building, I will die. However, am I angry at the universe because the Law of Gravity exists? Do I demand that God or the Universe stop coercing me with this law that, literally, keeps me down? Of course not! To remove the Law of Gravity would mean my destruction and would make human life impossible. The entire universe would stop functioning, since gravity even keeps our planet together. “But, Father, moral laws are different than the laws of science. People might feel differently in different places and at different times.” Actually, the same God gave the moral law as created the laws of science. Therefore, we are no more constrained by the moral law than we are by the laws of science. They help us to live freely and well in this world, without dying.

            Therefore, having constraints is not the same as being immorally coerced, and we must consider where in society coercion both is already practiced and is necessary. Aquinas’ commentary on coercion quoted above is in his treatise on law. Law is a type of coercion, and law in some form exists in every society. Human law is meant to reflect divine law and is necessary to coerce those of ill-will such that they do the good, which is good not only for society but also for the person so coerced. Doing evil harms first the evildoer, and it can confirm him in his ill-will, which is even more destructive for all involved. For this reason, parents do (and ought to) punish their children when necessary. Society has courts and judges and can force punishment likewise. Companies and businesses have policies and standards, the violation of which can result in firings or other such consequences. The Church Herself has tools like excommunication (which She publicly used on July 1 regarding SSPX), which is a coercive means for the good of the sinner and for their conversion. God Himself likewise reminds us that Hell exists and is the final destination of unrepentant sinners, and the fear of Hell can be an effective deterrent from sin.  

            Likewise, the Catholic lay faithful in their secular spheres of influence are able to set up structures and laws that have a coercive effect. The systems you set up must be in accord with the natural law – meaning, the way things are made. Pope Leo highlights this nature of things by speaking of the fact that “earthly realities possess their own proper character and order” (MH 20). The Church in Her Hierarchy but more often in her laity must recognize the “original goodness” (Ibid.) that God has placed in His creation, so that we can form laws and structures and systems that reflect that goodness, and likewise “preserve [it], cultivate [it], and bring [it] to fulfillment” (Ibid.). And so, while walking alongside humanity, the Church brings all of Her wisdom to bear on the realities of modern society. We must know when to propose and accompany. We must know when to be firm, and even how to put immovable (and thus coercive) structures in place and when to apply them. And while the Hierarchical Church does not have temporal, coercive authority over the secular sphere, She does constantly proclaim the Gospel of God, the salvation of the just, and the condemnation of the evildoer. Indeed, in charity, She must proclaim these things. Not to do so would be more consequential than ignoring the Law of Gravity. If you ignore the Law of Gravity, you fall to the ground and die. If you ignore the possibility of Hell, you very well might go there.

In Christ,

Fr. Christensen