I’ve not read his Father Brown books (other than"The Man who was called Thursday" I think). But our family has recently enjoyed the TV “Father Brown” series based on the same books. I’m not recalling who the “Mourner of Marne” is, but I really like the redemptive themes of the episodes, and Father Brown’s seeking both justice and redemption for wayward souls who are only considered by the police as fodder for incarceration.
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The Man Who Was Thursday is not a Father Brown book.
My bad then … I’m getting my Chesterton books mixed up. Thanks for the correction.
It’s a good one, though, or at least quite interesting.
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I obviously must not be remembering that particular story too well. I had to look it up to remind myself of the plot, and now I’m fairly sure what I’m remembering is having seen it in screen form, -less sure that I’ve actually read it. Mainly what I remember is being confused, but that doesn’t take much in my case if a plot gets convoluted. I should give it another try, though knowing how much more I can glean on subsequent readings.
@glipsnort, thanks. I read that book with my wife and remember getting very interested in it till (spoiler alert) we learned that not one of the secret group was “bad guy.” I really don’t get it–except maybe he’s saying that at base, we’re all orthodox?
@Mervin_Bitikofer, The Chief Mourner of Marne tells the story, as well as I can summarize it, of a man in a hermit-like existence of mourning who had killed his brother in a duel, twenty years before. The world thinks that it’s the Church keeping James there in perpetual spiritual penance and is indignant for overblowing a tragedy of a short time of anger. However, it turns out that in reality, he has hidden himself because he is actually Maurice, the younger brother who not only tricked his brother into coming up close by acting wounded, but shot him at point blank range and buried the body. Maurice publicly confesses to the evil deed at the end of the story. Public outrage commences, and they call for vengeance
Father Brown’s responses follow:
“There is a limit to human charity,” said Lady Outram, trembling all over.
“There is,” said Father Brown dryly; “and that is the real difference between human charity and Christian charity. You must forgive me if I was not altogether crushed by your contempt for my uncharitableness to-day; or by the lectures you read me about pardon for every sinner. For it seems to me that you only pardon the sins that you don’t really think sinful. You only forgive criminals when they commit what you don’t regard as crimes, but rather as conventions. So you tolerate a conventional duel, just as you tolerate a conventional divorce. You forgive because there isn’t anything to be forgiven.”
“But, hang it all,” cried Mallow, “you don’t expect us to be able to pardon a vile thing like this?”
“No,” said the priest; “but we have to be able to pardon it.”
He stood up abruptly and looked round at them.
“We have to touch such men, not with a bargepole, but with a benediction,” he said. “We have to say the word that will save them from hell. We alone are left to deliver them from despair when your human charity deserts them. Go on your own primrose path pardoning all your favourite vices and being generous to your fashionable crimes; and leave us in the darkness, vampires of the night, to console those who really need consolation; who do things really indefensible, things that neither the world nor they themselves can defend; and none but a priest will pardon. Leave us with the men who commit the mean and revolting and real crimes; mean as St. Peter when the cock crew, and yet the dawn came.”
“The dawn,” repeated Mallow doubtfully. “You mean hope—for him?”
“Yes,” replied the other. “Let me ask you one question. You are great ladies and men of honour and secure of yourselves; you would never, you can tell yourselves, stoop to such squalid reason as that. But tell me this. If any of you had so stooped, which of you, years afterwards, when you were old and rich and safe, would have been driven by conscience or confessor to tell such a story of yourself? You say you could not commit so base a crime. Could you confess so base a crime?”
What strikes me here is that as a mob, we do tend to forgive silly things and not forgive real trespasses. In contrast, God’s justice and charity are at once the only way of true forgiveness and freedom.
Thank you for posting on this. I found an article in Christianity Today about a church that Rachael Denhollander, the activist against sexual abuse, feels has done well. I wonder if it will help. It is so sad what trauma we see.
A Kentucky Church’s Secret to Handling Abuse Allegations: Humility | Christianity Today
Calvin supported having him beheaded over having him be burned. The Genevan city council (not including Calvin) had him burned at the stake.
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Yeah, this critique often gets rolled out against Calvin. Calvinophiles often like to paint him innocent of blame as if it all happens under his nose without his knowledge. On the other hand, anti-Calvinists sometimes make out as if he carried the torch to the pyre rubbing his hands with glee whilst laughing maniacally.
There is no denying that he had a great influence which he used poorly on this occasion and that the whole affair is certainly a (big) black mark on his record. However, the truth of the situation is complicated. Much of it is bound up in the religious and political structures and systems of the time.
We all like to think that if we were there we would act differently, the reality is if we were there we would have been shaped by the same culture and politics and so probably would have done the same anyway.
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Including the fact that Servetus was heretical and obnoxious enough that he probably would have gotten executed pretty much anywhere, if he didn’t flee the city soon. Not quite as much of “I, the great genius, have my [bizarre and unintelligible] great system of how reality and philosophy work, and anyone who disagrees with me is ignorant and backwards.” as Bruno did, but enough to be unpleasant to be around.
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