Religion
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Identify
Identity is divided on the one hand into a base that is within us without us being able to derive any particular merit from it, our nature and the education (culture) that we have received, and a constitutive movement of life that discovers elements that are not listed by our nature or our education, but which must Continue reading
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To be and to Have
What belongs to us matters less than what we are, and we are wrong to believe, under the wing of envy, that what belongs to us can define what we are. Continue reading
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Blanc de Saint Bonnet on contemporary France
In 1851, Blanc de Saint Bonnet said: When men lose sight of moral necessities, God brings forth the light of necessities of another order. If faith is no longer received by the ear, it will be taught to us by hunger. Christianity will constitute modern society or will see it shattered. Continue reading
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Hannah Arendt on social science functionalism
I don't believe that atheism is a substitute for or can fulfill the same function as religion, any more than I believe that violence can become a substitute for authority. But if we follow the exhortations of conservatives, who, at this moment, have a pretty good chance of being heard, I am all for Continue reading
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Pius X at the beatification of Joan of Arc
On December 13, 1908, at the beatification of Joan of Arc, Pius X spoke these words which remain in the memory: "you will tell the French to make their treasure of the testaments of Saint-Rémy, of Charlemagne and of Saint-Louis which are summed up in these words so often repeated by the heroine of Orléans: long live Christ who Continue reading
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Turn idea into feeling
Max Jacob to a student: Meditation is not about having ideas, on the contrary! It is about having one, transforming it into a feeling, into a conviction. A meditation is good when it results in a YES, pronounced by the whole body, a cry from the heart: joy or Continue reading
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The permanent conversion
Contrary to what is often said or believed, tradition requires constant conversion. Tradition is not a sinecure, a life spent at the spa! Tradition requires constant effort. And even the most important effort: not to forget. There is no tradition unless it is living, and living Continue reading
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Based on the values
Authority has lost its nobility along with humility. Authority has become a synonym for implacable order, thoughtless force, and tyranny. What an inversion of values! Whereas, according to Antigone, authority prevented tyranny! The modern era has this impression of authority because it has been trampled underfoot by Continue reading
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Antigone, rebellious and intimate (3/7. Destiny)
Part 3: Destiny Man descends from the tree. Man, like the tree, is defined by his roots as well as by his fruits. Man, like the tree, depends on external and internal elements to reach maturity. Man resembles this trunk sculpted by trials leaning on its roots and bearing fruits more or less Continue reading
Antigone , counter-revolution , ethics , history , intimacy , forgiveness , religion , revolution , totalitarianism , vulgarity -
News from Ernest Hello about fear and its perfections
Fear in general, then, has perfections that evil does not. Perhaps the crucifixion was felt in a more terrible way in the Garden of Olives than on the cross. For on the cross, it was felt in reality. In the Garden of Olives, it was felt in spirit. Continue reading
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Antigone, rebellious and intimate (2/7. The funeral)
Part 2: The Funeral — "My dearest Ismene. I came this morning to tell you that I took care of everything. I used the same funeral directors for our two brothers. I couldn't choose, and since our brothers didn't leave any last wishes, I took matters into my own hands to Continue reading
Antigone , counter-revolution , ethics , history , intimacy , death , forgiveness , priest , religion , revolution -
Antigone, rebellious and intimate (1/7. The family)
Part 1: The Family From the first reading of Antigone, an ambiguity sets in in the reader's mind. Does Antigone embody action or reaction? What moves Antigone? Reaction never exists by itself, whereas action needs no one; it legitimizes itself in the act. Action always inaugurates something. Unlike what is often Continue reading
Antigone , Charles Maurras , counter-revolution , ethics , history , intimacy , forgiveness , priest , religion , revolution -
Charlie's Fate
"The enemy limits you, therefore gives you your shape and founds you." This phrase from Saint-Exupéry expresses our condition quite well at the end of this first week of 2015. The enemy forces me to evolve according to his codes, within a space that he has circumscribed. I am first a prisoner. He chooses the terrain and forces me to Continue reading
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Two thousand and fourteen years ago...
Christmas can be summed up in four letters: fiat. Before being an industrial symbol, it is the word, Mary's acceptance of the angel. This acceptance precedes all reflection. It is docility and trust in the epiphany. Four little letters like a breath but also like a feverish expectation. Thy will be done! And may all our Continue reading