There are two sub texts here, of course. One is the sort of prayer given by Augustine of Hippo when he prayed "Oh Lord, save me from my desire - but just not quite yet", the prayer of the potential penitent who is not quite ready to give up their sin. The other is when the Church lurches over to the side of the World in things like "the new most important thing" which in our modern world is mostly social - in those cases, suddenly the Church is seen as a credible institution which has not so much "saved" society as having been enlightened by it.
But Chesterton had the right of it. The modern world curses the Church for not saving it- because it does not wish be saved, at least not in the way it needs to be.
Another excellent quote.
ReplyDeleteJohn, the more I have read Chesterton and read his quotes, the more I think he is one of the great unappreciated apologists of the 20th century. I am not sure if it is because he was much earlier in the century or simple because he does not strike one as the typical Catholic apologist.
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