Dear Reader,

Utopia is a byword for the ideal state. It is the country in which the ideal laws find the ideal citizens: perfect socialism and democracy, where virtuous citizens with a disdain for gold live in peace and prosperity. And yet, some have secretly scratched their heads. Surely this was not written by Saint Thomas More! In Utopia, there is marriage for priests, divorce, euthanasia, gross immodesty and incitement to assassination—and all perfectly legal.

Yes, say the Catholic liberals, it was certainly written by Thomas More, precursor of Vatican II. He died for freedom of conscience and he left as his testament that the best state of affairs is not one where the entire world is Catholic, but one where religious freedom reigns.

Yes again, says the true Catholic, it was indeed written by Saint Thomas More, most lovable of Saints, the paradigm of husbands and the one glory of professional politicians. The whole point of his satire is this: given a country where human reason alone, unaided by revelation, ordered affairs, what would be the result? Socialism, permissive euthanasia, easier and easier divorce, assassination and totalitarianism.¹ Sound familiar?

If kings and presidents want their kingdoms to last, then Christ must be King!² King of minds with His Truth, King of hearts with His charity. Human reason, unaided by revelation, will find convincing and reasonable arguments for what is in fact evil. And, just as man without grace can do some good, but will get worse; so the nation without God, as the habits of Christendom and of charity grow cold and are forgotten, will be one where at length in place of charity, injustice will thrive “and in the absence of justice, what is sovereignty but organised brigandage?”³

The cause of the corruption of the State is the throwing off of the yoke of the Church.⁴ The remedy: bring “back human society to the discipline of the Church, the Church will then subject it to Christ, and Christ to God.”⁵ When that happens, we will see evil giving place to good, and hear, for our gladness, “a loud voice from heaven saying: Now is come salvation, and strength, and the kingdom of our God and the power of his Christ.”⁶

Fr. David Sherry

Notes:

¹ cf. E.E. Reynolds, St. Thomas More, London, 1953, p. 124.

² Cardinal Pie.

³ St. Augustine, City of God, 4, 4.

⁴ Leo XIII, Inscrutabili.

⁵ St. Pius X, E Supremi Apostolatus.

⁶ Apoc. 12:10.