By Plinio Corrêa de Oliveira
You can imagine: in the deserts of the ancient times, the deserts of Arabia, Egypt, etc., before the fall of the Roman Empire of the West, two or three hundred years after Jesus Christ, the anchorites would go to the desert to flee the temptations of Roman and Greek cities, which were very corrupt.
The Torment of Saint Anthony by Michelangelo
The anchorite would come to a cave and settle there. And they had horrific temptations. They would fight and defeat them in a brilliant manner, they would maintain their chastity, etc. They are saints, and sometimes great saints.
Now, how is this different from a knight? How is this different from the spirit of chivalry? These great saints of the past would fight for purity, for example, but they could fight for some other good thing, such as for example, a dogma. They would fight thinking how beautiful and noble purity is, how true such and such dogma is, etc. So, out of love for the dogma they would bear the burden of combat. This is very beautiful and very well.
Philippe de Villiers de l’Isle Adam takes possession of the island of Malta, 26 October 1530 by René Théodore Berthon.
The knight has a slightly different thing. He does not “bear” the burden of combat. The knight finds combat beautiful as such! And he rejoices to be fighting because when the fight is for the Church, when the fight is in defense of the good, it is intrinsically holy and good. So one should rejoice in fighting, and have courage.
(Excerpt from a Palavrinha of Monday, September 18, 1989.)
(Nobility.org translation.)
