Chivalry Now

O merciful God, fill our hearts, we pray Thee, with the graces of Thy Holy Spirit, with love, joy, peace, long-suffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, temperance. Teach us to love those who hate us, to pray for those who despitefully use us, that we may be the children of Thee our Father, who makest Thy sun to shine on the evil and on the good, and sendest rain on the just and on the unjust. In adversity grant us grace to be patient; in prosperity keep us humble; may we guard the door of our lips; may we lightly esteem the pleasures of this world, and thirst after heavenly things; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

Saint Anselm

Recent events remind us to live more meaningfully for God and for the good of others. Take the NDP leadership convention in Canada, for instance. Aside from being farcical to the Nth degree, the convention revealed people obsessed with gaining and wielding power, showing little regard for decency or the common good, and ultimately steering themselves toward ruin. Even though devoted collectivists may boast about their altruism, their behavior often shows a streak of self-indulgence that ends up hurting both society and the people closest to them.

Mindful of God's gift of salvation in Christ, faithful Catholics are ennobled by the grace of God. We cooperate with God by disposing ourselves to His will through pious and charitable practices. We seek to grow in holiness and remain in communion with Jesus and His Church. We rely on the Holy Ghost to guide us, to inform us, to conform our lives to the Holy Gospel. The rules of chivalry are simply a guide for Christians to live out the Holy Gospel with integrity and courage.

The Code of Chivalry was a collection of moral and social rules that medieval knights were expected to live by, highlighting values such as honor, loyalty, and courage. Chivalry developed in the 11th and 12th centuries as a set of rules for knights, shaping how they acted both in battle and in everyday life. Centered on values like honor, loyalty, bravery, and courtesy, it defined the knightly way of life and left a lasting mark on European society.

Léon Gautier summarized the ancient code of chivalry into what he called the Ten Commandments of Chivalry, which include the following principles (edited and expanded by GN):

1. Believe the teachings of the Church and observe its directions; love God, love one's neighbour as oneself; forgive one's enemies; keep the commandments of Christ. (St John 13:34-35 A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another; even as I have loved you, that you also love one another. By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.)
2. Defend the Church and its teachings. (2 Thessalonians 2:15 So then, brethren, stand firm and hold to the traditions which you were taught by us, either by word of mouth or by letter.)
3. Humility: respect all weaknesses; protect the weak (Proverbs 31:8-9 Speak out for those who cannot speak, for the rights of all the destitute. Speak out, judge righteously, defend the rights of the poor and needy.)
4. Love your country and serve it faithfully (St Matthew 22:21 Render therefore to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s, and to God the things that are God’s; Titus 3:1 Remind the people to be subject to rulers and authorities, to be obedient, to be ready to do whatever is good.)
5. Do not recoil before your enemy; face them bravely in battle. (St John 15:13 Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends.)
6. Make war against evil without cessation and without mercy. (Ephesians 6:12 For we are not contending against flesh and blood, but against the principalities, against the powers, against the world rulers of this present darkness, against the spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places.)
7. Perform your duties unless they contradict the laws of God (Psalm 119:1 Blessed are those whose ways are blameless, who walk according to the law of the Lord.)
8. Never lie and remain faithful to your pledged word. (St Mark 10:19 You know the commandments: ‘Do not kill, Do not commit adultery, Do not steal, Do not bear false witness, Do not defraud, Honor your father and mother).
9. Courtesy: be generous and give largesse to everyone; conduct yourself with decorum and respectability. (1 Peter 1:22 Having purified your souls by your obedience to the truth for a sincere love of the brethren, love one another earnestly from the heart.)
10. Champion the Right and the Good against Injustice and Evil (St Matthew 23:23 Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for you tithe mint and dill and cummin, and have neglected the weightier matters of the law, justice and mercy and faith; these you ought to have done, without neglecting the others.)

Sources

Medievalists.net

The American TFP

Meditations in aid of the freedom to embody God's Law of Love

When we are betrayed, it is important to seek understanding from God and to pray for a forgiving heart, a heart free of malice and contempt for the offender. That is possible with Jesus. We can live freely when in communion with God, free of the binding influences of a disoriented heart. This does not mean we surrender to bad behaviour. We can reject behaviours that defy goodwill and pray for those who are in most need of God's mercy.

Meditation: Jesus forgives his persecutors from the Cross: St Luke 23:34

True friendship is priceless. Too often, like love, friendship is understood as a means to acquire material and physical benefits.

Friendship does not condone sin. The Ten Principles of Chivalrous Living remind us that people have weaknesses, and we are not to exploit those weaknesses. We must wage war against evil and sin; we must pray for wisdom to live as God intends.

Meditation: Jesus call us his friends: St John 15:15

Beacons of hope. It is all too easy to surrender to despair or become enamoured in conspiracies that provide distractions but are most often occasions for subtle sins that work their way into our understanding and that rot away resilience and render us susceptible to worse deviations from charity.

Hope anchors us in love and mercy. God grows hope in the soul that practices His mercy toward others.

Meditation: Romans 15:13-16

Let us conclude with encouragements from a few spiritual warriors.

Saint Teresa of Avila

Let nothing disturb you,

Let nothing frighten you,

All things are passing away.

God never changes.

Patience obtains all things.

Whoever has God lacks nothing;

God alone suffices.

Saint Ignatius Loyola

 

He who carries God in his heart bears Heaven with him wherever he goes.

Saint Anthony of Egypt

A time is coming when men will go mad, and when they see someone who is not mad, they will attack him saying, "You are mad, you are not like us."

and lastly, Saint Joan of Arc:

All battles are first won or lost, in the mind.

and...

It is better to be alone with God. His friendship will not fail me, nor His counsel, nor His love. In His strength, I will dare and dare and dare until I die.