Links to Info on the Crusades

Dr. Madden, renowned historian of the Crusades interviewed on Youtube

Q and A with Dr. Madden on Myths of Crusades

Just War Theory

Catechism Section 2309
The strict conditions for legitimate defense by military force require rigorous consideration. The gravity of such a decision makes it subject to rigorous conditions of moral legitimacy. At one and the same time:
•- the damage inflicted by the aggressor on the nation or community of nations must be lasting, grave, and certain;
•- all other means of putting an end to it must have been shown to be impractical or ineffective;
•- there must be serious prospects of success;
•- the use of arms must not produce evils and disorders graver than the evil to be eliminated.
The power of modem means of destruction weighs very heavily in evaluating this condition.
•These are the traditional elements enumerated in what is called the "just war" doctrine.
•The evaluation of these conditions for moral legitimacy belongs to the prudential judgment of those who have responsibility for the common good.

Geneva Conventions Document: Law of Armed Conflict

Information on the Law of Armed Conflict

1912 Catholic Encyclopedia on War

Separation btw Church and State

Here's a speech from Archbishop Chaput of Denver addressing politics and religion.

Archbishop Chaput on Church and State

Natural Law

From apologist Jimmy Akin:
"One part of the eternal law is what theologians refer to as the natural law. In the sciences, the phrase natural law is often used to refer to those principles pertaining to non-living or non-intelligent things in the universe. This isn’t the case in theology. In theology, the term is used to refer to those moral precepts of the eternal law that a rational creature can discern without special revelation. For example, the fact that murder, theft, and lying are wrong can be discerned by human reason without special revelation and so the prohibitions against them constitute part of the natural law."

Jimmy gets into an interesting point about how Christians may sometimes feel that they should not be bound by some aspect of natural law that they see in the Old Law of the Mosaic Covenant. They may believe that as they are not under the Old Law as a Christian, that they should not be subject to this or that tenet - not realizing that some of the Old Law (like all of the 10 Commandments) are also part of the Eternal Law known as natural law - even if it was also spelled out in the Old Law.
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Immigration

Immigration has been a hot-button issue for the last couple decades, but it seems to me that often people seem to forget two points when discussing the topic.

1) All people are created in the image and likeness of God. This amazing and wondrous nature behind every man, woman, and child means that they must be treated with the dignity owed to them as God's children.

2) Civil governments have the right to make laws to order society, and provided these laws are not in contradiction with human dignity are to be followed by members of society.

Here is an interesting link to Jimmy Akin's blog on some overlooked aspects of immigration.

St. John Vianney For Lenten Reflection

CHAPTER 1: Catechism on Salvation
There are many Christians who do not even know why they are in the world. "Oh my God, why have You sent me into the world?" "To save your soul." "And why do You wish me to be saved?" "Because I love you." The good God has created us and sent us into the world because He loves us; He wishes to save us because He loves us.... To be saved, we must know, love and serve God. Oh, what a beautiful life! How good, how great a thing it is to know, to love and serve God! We have nothing else to do in this world. All that we do besides is lost time. We must act only for God, and put our works into His hands.... We should say, on awaking, "I desire to do everything today for You, O my God! I will submit to all that You shall send me, as coming from You. I offer myself as a sacrifice to You But, O God, I can do nothing without You. Do help me!"

St. John Chrysostom on Lust

The homily linked below was given by St. John Chrysostom on Matthew 5:21-58, but the section I find most interesting relates to these words of Christ: "But I say to you that every one who looks at a woman lustfully has already committed adultery in his heart. If your right eye causes you to sin, pluck it out and throw it away; it is better that you lose one of your members than that your whole body be thrown into hell. And if your right hand causes you to sin, cut it off and throw it away; it is better that you lose one of your members than that your whole body go into hell (Mt 5:28-30)." Chrysostom has a very strong message about lust and sets a high standard, and yet his interpretation of Christ's metaphoric solution (pluck out eye, cut off hand) is quite simple: if someone/something is causing you to sin, root it out of your life.

Sample:
Accordingly, He saith, "He that looketh upon a woman to lust after her hath already committed adultery with her:" that is, he who makes it his business to be curious about bright forms, and to hunt for elegant features, and to feast his soul with the sight, and to fasten his eyes on fair countenances. For He came to set free from all evil deeds not the body only, but the soul too before the body. Thus, because in the heart we receive the grace of the Spirit, He cleanses it out first.

"And how," one may say, "is it possible to be freed from desire?" I answer, first, if we were willing, even this might be deadened, and remain inactive. http://www.clerus.org/bibliaclerusonline/en/index.htm