Qui fideliter cuncta faciebant.
A little while, and the wicked will be no more; though you look for them, they will not be found.But the meek will inherit the land and enjoy peace and prosperity Psalm 37:10-11 Many claim that capitalism has saved us from frequent famines and the “back-breaking” labor of peasant farming. “For example, Rutger Bregman tells … Continue reading Were Premodern Peasants Starving and Overworked?
The following easy excerpt is from Chapter Six: "The Use of Energy” of Wendell Berry’s famous book “The Unsettling of America” (1977), an essential critique of the cultural and agricultural damage caused by the technocratic domination of farming and food production. Though it seems impossible to distinguish between the living and the mechanical aspects of … Continue reading Wendell Berry on the “Cheerful Prophets” of Modernity
This Easy Essay is not yet published. For an excellent essay on the topic, see "Adam Without Scarcity" by Marc Barnes. Featured Picture: "L'Abondance" by Noël Coypel
Yet it is quite true in one sense that monasteries are devoted to Communism and that monks are all Communists. Their economic and ethical life is an exception to a general civilization of feudalism or family life. Yet their privileged position was regarded as rather a prop of social order. They give to certain communal … Continue reading What are the Commons?
The great landlords destroyed deliberately and of set purpose and to their own advantage the common rights over common land. The small plutocracy with which they were knit up, and with whose mercantile elements they were now fused, directed everything to its own ends. That strong central government which should protect the community against the … Continue reading The Enclosure of the Commons
Summary: Due to "unruly growth", many cities have become inefficient, polluted, ugly, and congested (§ 44). Where nature does exist in these cities, it is often inaccessible to the poor (§ 45). Ecology must "incorporate the history, culture and architecture of each place" to create a "habitable city" (§ 143). In mega-cities, overcrowding spawns violence … Continue reading Laudato Si’: Cities Must Have an Integral Ecology
The following is an excerpt from a homily “On the Earthquake” by Saint John Chrysostom, translated by Bryson Sewell. It likely refers to an earthquake which hit Constantinople, where Chrysostom was Bishop, in 398 A.D. The entire sermon can be found here. Chrysostom is a Doctor of the Church known for his preaching and his … Continue reading Saint John Chrysostom, Sermon after an Earthquake
The following is an excerpt of the sermon titled “God threatens to chastise in order to deliver us from chastisement” by Saint Alphonsus Liguori. This is the first sermon of a series which discusses divine chastisement. You can find the full set of sermons here. Liguori was a Bishop in Italy during the 18th century. … Continue reading Saint Alphonsus Liguori, Sermon on Divine Chastisement
Note: The following is an excerpt of the homily "In Times of Famine and Drought" by Saint Basil the Great. You can read the complete sermon here. We strongly encourage you to purchase the collection of St. Basil's homilies titled On Social Justice from SVS Press (link). Basil was a 4th century Bishop of Caesarea. … Continue reading St. Basil on Famine: ‘The multitude of our sins has changed the seasons’
The following prayer was offered by Pope Francis at the conclusion of his apostolic exhortation, "Querida Amazonia". The Holy Father warns us that "the equilibrium of our planet also depends on the health of the Amazon region... The cry of the Amazon region reaches everyone" (§ 48). Friends of Tradistae are asked to join this … Continue reading Prayer to Our Lady of the Amazon