The following comes from an August 2 posting on First Things.
The bishop of Northampton will open the cause for the canonization of G. K. Chesterton, the head of the American Chesterton Society has announced, according to a tweet a friend forwarded. A story on this I have not been able to find on the web. But assuming it’s true:
Here’s what his Italian biographer Paolo Gulisano told Zenit a few years ago, explaining why Chesterton might be a saint:
Many people feel there is clear evidence of Chesterton’s sanctity: Testimonies about him speak of a person of great goodness and humility, a man without enemies, who proposed the faith without compromises but also without confrontation, a defender of Truth and Charity. . . .
Faith, hope and charity: These were Chesterton’s fundamental virtues. Moreover, he was innocent, simple, profoundly humble. Though having personally experienced sorrow, he was a chorister of Christian joy. Chesterton’s work is a type of medicine for the soul, or better, it can more precisely be defined as an antidote.
His English biographer William Oddie said this:
The obvious objection to this is that Chesterton was nothing like our idea of how a saint should look or behave. He was greatly given to the pleasures of the table; he was enormously, sometimes riotously funny . . . . The late Cardinal Emmet Carter described him on the 50th anniversary of his death as one of those “holy lay persons” who “have exercised a truly prophetic role within the Church and the world”, but he did not then believe that it would be possible to introduce a Cause for his ultimate canonisation, since he did “not think that we are sufficiently emancipated from certain concepts of sanctity” – though later he change his mind.
The distinguished historian J J Scarisbrick, however, thought that his sanctity was so clear that the opening of his Cause should indeed be seriously contemplated. “We all know,” he responded, “that he was an enormously good man as well as an enormous one. My point is that he was more than that. There was a special integrity and blamelessness about him, a special devotion to the good and to justice … Above all, there was that breathtaking, intuitive (almost angelic) possession of the Truth and awareness of the supernatural which only a truly holy person can enjoy. This was the gift of heroic intelligence and understanding – and of heroic prophecy. He was a giant, spiritually as well as physically. Has there ever been anyone quite like him in Catholic history?”
To read the original posting, click here.
We who have loved him over the years have always known he was saintly…this will just be an official proclamation of the fact. Even his opposition (I don’t believe he had an enemies) such as GB Shaw and H.G.Wells, loved him…a man for all seasons and a heart as big as love could make it. Dale Ahlquist must joyful indeed.
Ah, yes, the Apostle of Common Sense must be canonized.
I like the part that says, a saint without enemies.
I was reading Chesterton’s book about St. Thomas Aquinas one night and was laughing so much, I had to e-mail a friend and tell her some of the things in the book. I am sure Chesterton could relate to St. Thomas as they were both of large girth. He certainly brought him alive as a real person.
“The most dangerous criminal now is the entirely lawless modern philosopher. Compared to him, burglars and bigamists are essentially moral men.”
“I’ve searched all the parks in all the cities and found no statues of committees.”
“Psychoanalysis is confession without absolution.”
“Tolerance is the virtue of the man without convictions.” …..G.K.. Chesterton
Excellent quotes Catherine… : )
““The most dangerous criminal now is the entirely lawless modern philosopher. Compared to him, burglars and bigamists are essentially moral men.”” Interesting, in that this is what Alexander Solzhenitzen found in Gulag living … the murderers and thieves were always sentenced to two years, whereas the ideological convicts were sent there for eight years.
I just got this in my email from the Chesterton society if anyone is intersted.
chesterton.org/wp-content/uploads/2013/07/Prayer-Card.pdf
I printed it out and it’s very nice. (letters are a bit small…might need to enlarge them) Note I didn’t give the complete link.
I believe that once the cause for the canonization of G. K. Chesterton is opened, miracles will happen through his intercession in order that he be officially recognized as a saint. This person of joy and profound insights on truth will lead even more people to holiness.
LOVE Chesterton!
There’s nothing like a man with faith, good sense, and strong faith — coupled with a healthy sense of humor to avoid being morose!
Great news! I hope his intercessions are as entertaining as his prose.
Is our modern obsession with physical fitness such that in discussions of whether or not Chesterton, a clearly holy Catholic human being, is fit for sainthood, we are compelled to consider his personal worth in terms of his girth? Some of the fittest members of our society are behind bars, where they can perfect themselves bodily. Are these paragons of physical fitness actually saints, worthy of our time and attention as role models, or just your everyday busted sinners?
Saint Thomas Aquinas, one of the most respected saints in the history of the Catholic Church, is usually depicted as a man who would make Chesterton feel fit. Would we love Jesus less if artists depicted him as something other than slender and fit?
The worship of the flesh is unseemly in a Christian. Remember, folks – ashes to ashes, all fall down, eventually. Concern yourselves more with the mind, the heart, the soul and the worthiness of the mark you shall leave upon the world, not the lightness of your step thereon.
Maryanne, are you subtlely bringing forth an observation of the war between popcorn and beer vs chocolate and wine?
Chocolate and wine are healthy in moderation, Skai, as they contain anti oxidants (anti cancer ingredients), but beer will just get us a big stomach. I have to watch it since I am somewhat short and small, so if I overdo it, I will end up looking like a tree stump. Ha! Ha!
Which reminds me of one of my favorite Chesterton quotations; “Let us thank God for beer and wine by not drinking too much of them.”
My motto is, the more calories you consume the more you are called to expend.
Girth is cause to believe the person engages in the mortal sin of gluttony. I’m not saying all overweight people are gluttons, far from it. But it is the same kind of evidence of sin as two men being married. Circumstantial evidence. Yet in one case, we consider a person eligible for Sainthood. In the other, we are ready to throw them out of the Church and into the street, or worse.
We all love the Chesterton quote,“Angels can fly because they take themselves lightly.” and I would say that no one took himself more lightly than he. So spiritually he was lighter than air …he not fat, him just fluffy.
YFC hogwash!
YFC — You seem to misunderstand gluttony. It is not just over-eating. It can be over-enjoying food or being wasteful of food or eating too elaborately when simple fare would suffice. And it involves more than food; it can be any sort of extravagance. It could easily be argued that the entire Western World, especially the US, is guilty of cultural gluttony. Don’t know enough about Chesterton’s life to know how he lived otherwise, but inferring gluttony from girth is quite a moral stretch. Thomas Aquinas was also said to be quite fat. Should we de-saint him because of that? Also, why you would inject homosexuality into this conversation is beyond my understanding.
Wm.:
I agree with most of your points. However, taking in more calories than our bodies need causes greater girth. Eating more calories than one needs is one definition of gluttony. Therefore, greater girth implies the sin of gluttony. It does not prove it, but it is evidence thereof. I agree with you when you say that you don’t know how Chesterton actually lived, as I don’t either. And I would go further than that….that even if he objectively sinned, I cannot know his state of grace, especially at the moment of his death. Concluding that a person lived and died without being in a state of grace because we have evidence of sin would just as wrong for Chesterton as it would be for any other overly large person, or for any person for whom we have evidence of sin. Regardless of what that evidence is or what the sin is.
You are right, YFC, that we can never be sure of the state of a person’s soul when they die, but if the person has lived a particularly evil life without showing signs of remorse — such as Hitler did or such as someone who knows abortion is wrong, etc. and still pushes it without showing remorse — we can certainly think that they might not have been saved. That is why the Church has never actually declared any specific person in hell but has declared specific persons to be in heaven. There is purgatory for some to pay also. The Fatima Prayer says, “‘ Lead all souls to heaven, especially those in most need of Thy mercy.” Of course, the one needing mercy must co operate with God’s grace, and to think one can be saved at the end when one continues to sin seriously is called the sin of presumption. We can never presume that God will save us if we continue to engage in serious sin.
69. What three things are necessary to make a sin mortal?
From the Baltimore Catechism:
“To make a sin mortal these three things are needed:
the thought, desire, word, action, or omission must be seriously wrong or considered seriously wrong;
the sinner, must be mindful of the serious wrong;
the sinner must fully consent to it.”
Me not anonymous, me just not sign in.
YFC: Why do you feel compelled to reduce every issue to one centered on homosexuality?
I was thinking the same thing myself, Anton. He tried to bait everyone on another article and now on this one. It is best just to ignore him.
I meant when he brings up inappropriate subjects.
Anton, where do you see the homosexual allusion? Sorry, but I don’t see any homosexuality here. Actually, I did read in Crisis magazine recently that Chesterton’s weight has been rather a ‘block’ to his sainthood in re to the gluttony part, but I think it was in Joseph Pearce’s bio of Chesterton that he didn’t eat all that much but did have health issues that finally killed him. I like what Raymon Aroyo said recently…’They better have a smoking section in heaven’. Chesterton loved his cigars. haha
I think the best way to honor this utterly loving and humorous man is to keep a sense of humor and a love and respect for one another. God bless and keep you all.
PS In Sigrid Unset’s Nobel prize winning bio of Catherine of Sienna, she had to endure much criticism because she ate too little! Chesterton loved all of God’s gifts immensely (the Sacrements, his wife, all children, food, beer et al) , and is a wonderful testimony to living in God’s Will but truly living it abundantly, which is a lesson to us all.
Dana, I think Anton was referring to YFC’s post on Aug. 8 at 11:42 A.M. That is why I posted and agreed with Anton’s post right after his. YFC keeps bringing up homosexuality when we are trying to have a discussion about other non-related things.
Thanks Anne. I confess I don’t have time to read all the posts. I try to keep to just a few. I should be doing chores right now as it is! ;o)
Wow, Anton…I reread YFC’s post. I missed that entirely! Sorry! You’re right as usual. God bless.
One does not canonize a man for such reasons, but it would be a nice rebuke to our food and health fascists to have a chubby saint who liked his sausages, beer and cigars. It might remind them that “The Kingdom of God does not consist of food and drink”.
“Some say that some early Christians were pacifists. I do not believe it, but if they were, they are the only early Christians who ought to have been eaten by lions. For it that case, Christianity would be mere anarchy.”
Some were pacifists, Tom, because they did not want to fight in the pagan Roman military.
Specifically: to take the oath (sacramentum) to the gods of Rome and participate in the ceremonies honoring the genius of the Emperor. Fighting was not the issue per se.
That’s correct, Tom.
Chesterton is more than just a great Author and Catholic Apologist, but also a pioneer in the process of humorously applying “Un-Common Sense” to the madness of the world (Gaels included)- inspiring many followers to eventual wind up hoist upon various PC Petards of their own.
He inspires and motivates others to apply his style of cynical humorous reasoning to the world… Resulting of course in the standard Gaystapo Retribution for Thought Crime, as a reminder that ‘tolerance’ trumps reason in an Age of Abomination.
Chesterton also exemplifies a certain ‘divide’ in the Church between the eternally somber and pious singers of dirges and the like, for whom laughter often rings of impiety…
And agreeing that: “The comedy of man survives the tragedy of man.”
His Melding Reverential Belief with Human gaiety and humor, doing justice to both – makes his witness all the more real.
The question of how to live a happy life, and Worship God with Reverence, is not new to Chesterton – who opined:
“The Christian ideal has not been tried and found wanting; it has been found difficult and left untried.”
Yet for all his great intellect, he had the knack of humility that self depreciating humor can often bring forth in a way that avoids appearing as a plea for pity.
“The whole modern world has divided itself into Conservatives and Progressives. The business of Progressives is to go on making mistakes. The business of the Conservatives is to prevent the mistakes from being corrected.”
St. Thomas More, King Henry VIII had a good sense of humor also. Not as hilariously so as Chesterton but a good sense, nevertheless.
Oops! I meant to write “King Henry VIII’s Lord Chancellor”. I do not know how I let that mistake get by.
Phew. You really threw me for a minute, Anne. lol It truly is a national characteristic, Anne…the English have superb wit and humor. How I wish their culture were not being utterly destroyed by outside forces and like us, a total disintegration of their traditions and identity because that stiff upper lip and humor through adversity will not be there when the next ‘great war’ comes calling. My gran came from England and what a keen sense of humor she had. My dad said his memories of all his English relatives were of merry family gatherings and roaring laughter.
I vote for him as the Patron Saint of Commone Sense and the first Lay Doctor of the Church (St. Catherine of Siena was a third order Dominican I believe so I am not counting her as laity). I mean, come on, common sense is either a very rare gift or one rarely used. And how many people have learned more about wisdom and sanctity from reading his writings than from reading the other thirty some official doctors of the Church ? (I daresay a lot).
If you are looking for chubby saints who managed to be much loved despite being a tad expansive, let us remember Saint Thomas Aquinas, and let us not forget Saint Nicholas!
People can be overweight because they eat the wrong things, perhaps not due to their own design. Many men eat their wive’s cooking without complaining about the gravies and buttery bisquits she may be serving in a misguided effort to please him, and many children are essentially the victims of their mother’s home cooking or fast food focus as well, as they do not plan or execute the family’s food choices at all as a rule.
Lack of exercise to balance somewhat normal food intake can lead to a weight problem, and people who sit all day at work and then sit commuting home are prone to becoming overweight, which is not the result of the sin of gluttony. A lot of older people gain weight when they and their metabolisms slow down at about the same time, and for us to sit in judgment of them seems unkind, unwise, and lacking in either information or compassion.
I think the sin of gluttony is more likely to be leveled at the likes of the founder of the Anglican church, Henry VIII. How anyone could choose that faith when there is another very similar religion founded by Jesus Christ himself has always confounded me.
Maryanne Leonard, I have been slim and trim most of my life, even after having my children and well into my years, but now I am fighting the “battle of the bulge” from operations I have had and medication I have had to take. I have to keep up the exercise and watch what I eat far more now.
I had an aunt by marriage who would insist you eat when one went to her house, even if you politely turned down any food she would offer. She would make you a plate anyway, and give you something, or she would be insulted.
Also, many a mother or father has gotten larger from eating the leftovers from their children’s plates because they did not want to waste food when others were starving. (Kind of ironic!) I have learned to give the children small portions and give them more later if it is not enough for them. That way I do not have to eat leftovers, unless I have not eaten already. It is also all right to dump small portions of foods if it is necessary instead of eating it out of guilt. There was a relative of mine by marriage who used to pile her children’s plates full, and then have to throw away a good portion of it — very wasteful.
Gloria Purvis Scott just produced an excellent podcast episode where she interviews Dawn Eden Goldstein about the problematic nature of Chesterton’s anti-Semitic writings: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-gloria-purvis-podcast/id1566614456?i=1000533849491