Practicing aseity makes man immediately realize he cannot progress alone, and thus needs help and support. He senses his intellectual and moral weakness. He will never obtain a complete knowledge of his sublime ideal by himself.
Indeed, he needs the support of another. For a man to put in motion that interior drive toward sanctification, he must place himself under the direction of another whom God has put in his path. By the light of Faith, he understands this not as a defeat or a humiliation at being overwhelmed by a stronger influence; on the contrary, as St. Paul says, this submission comes from a rationale obsequium (reasonable proposition).
By Faith, he knows that the Church is given to guide him. She protects his weakness. He finds the truth under the direction of the Church who, as a teacher of souls, helps him to choose the right path and through whose sacraments he finds life in order to attain his goals. Thus, he first turns for support not to his own aseity or personality, but to the Church whom he heeds in an act of submission. In this way, he practices true aseity. Therefore, submission is not the opposite of aseity, but a movement towards practicing it. Imagine a man climbing in the Alps. He climbs and climbs and at a certain point he realises he cannot continue without a guide, so he requests one. By not accepting the guide does he show weakness or strength? Only a fool or megalomaniac would say the man lacked character by subjecting himself to a guide. Only a fool would ask, “Couldn’t he climb that mountain by himself?” A sensible man sees that he cannot climb the mountain by himself and will need a guide to achieve it. Since he wants to climb it at any costs, he shows character by accepting a guide.
For the liberal mentality, such submission is a humiliation; but for the Christian it is quite the contrary. He accepts direction and guidance because he wants to reach a goal. Therefore, he uses all necessary means to reach that goal. While it may seem to be an apparent limitation in his action, it is actually something much higher: a true control of the will. Such an attitude enables us to see what a guide really is in these conditions.
Passengers boarding an ocean liner
This happens, for example, with a ship captain who has full jurisdiction over the ship. Imagine someone saying, “Are you going to travel to Europe by ship? Do you accept the jurisdiction of a captain of your own free will? Don’t you see that by doing this you show a lack of character and strength? Be independent here on shore, proclaiming your independence to the oceans and winds. Don’t subject your- self to the captain of the ship.”
Only a fool would do this. A wise man could laugh and say, “No, sir! I want to go to Europe. I know that I can only go by ship, which needs a captain. Therefore, long live the captain! By obeying him I have much more strength of will than you. You are weak, an imbecile, and full of complexes. You proclaim your independence to the beach. No one will listen to you, except the beach because it has no choice.”
The Christian Institution of the Family: A Dynamic Force to Regenerate Society, by Tradition, Family, Property Association. Pgs. 48-51.
