In a post about Pope Francis’ homily on the Cross, I claimed him for the Passionists. Now, I claim Rick Santorum, as well, after listening to his speech at CPAC which was a testimony about suffering, redemption, poverty, compassion, and authentic God-given liberty. The video is “must see tv.” I intend to give a lengthy overview along with background on the spiritual issues involved here. This is all my personal opinion based on what I have learned about Rick Santorum over many months, and the speech he gave at CPAC.

As much as I would like for it to be otherwise, Rick was not at his best speech-giving level at CPAC. This is understandable since, as he noted, he has just suffered the loss of a family member and he is clearly still in a state of grief. He probably sounded angry to some, but those who believe he is angry in passionate speeches err in that judgment of him. Rick is very passionate about his faith and about liberty, and it often comes out in his speeches. Being in a state of grief surely adds to the passion.

Throughout his presidential campaign, Rick’s passion often came off sounding angry to those who do not share the same understanding of liberty that we do, even among those who identify as “conservative.” He has said, in regard to a presidential debate, that his wife Karen had reminded him to “chill” when he was overly passionate. To “chill” when you are experiencing passion is to be patient. “Patience” and “Passion” are related etymologically, for good reason. In my judgment of his character, from watching him over many months, Rick has passion (love for liberty), he understands “The Passion” (redemptive suffering), he clings to “The Passion” (love for Jesus)…..and he is seeking to progress in his own passion (his own individual cross) by learning patience (with Karen’s help. Thanks, Karen. We love you for it.) In this, he is a true Passionist in my book. Talk about Opus Dei all you want to. I’m claiming him for the Passionists. So there.

What Rick offered at CPAC about suffering and compassion was met with scant applause which likely came mostly from Patriot Voices members in attendance. (That would include my pal Josh May. Josh would like for me to mention that he is Polish in descent and that he is Rick Santorum’s biggest fan. You’re welcome, Josh.) Rick spoke from the viewpoint of a deeply faithful Catholic who cares about BOTH human dignity AND liberty, not Either/Or. This is what the battle for the soul of the GOP is about. Are we going to stand for the values of Ayn Rand, who believed selfishness is the solution for everything? Or are we going to stand for the values of the American Founders, who believed the duty of government was to uphold our God-given rights?

“I swear, by my life and my love of it, that I will never live for the sake of another man, nor ask another man to live for mine.” — Ayn Rand.

“No one has greater love than this, to lay down one’s life for one’s friends.” — Jesus Christ.

Our rights are inherently tied up in our dignity as human beings, and the Catholic view of dignity is a view that thrives in America as it was founded. Indeed, the Catholic Church, through her view of dignity and in having the liberty to operate unfettered by the stranglehold of civil regulations, has historically helped to make America that shining city on a hill that Ronald Reagan spoke of.

Because CPAC was dominated by libertarians, whose views on suffering and compassion for others are more along the lines of Ayn Rand’s views, Rick’s message about suffering was the most courageous part of his speech. St. Gemma, a Passionist saint, once said, “How wrong are those who say that suffering is a misfortune.” Though Rick never mentioned St. Gemma, that message was a core part of his speech. Suffering is a reality of life, and it has meaning and value in that, through it, comes redemption. Through suffering comes the love of God. Rick spoke of this in the context of the sufferings of his own family and of the passion endured by those who fought to free America from tyranny, whether that tyranny be through kings or through the mob rule of “fraternity” as was the case in the French Revolution. His speaking in the terms that he did — that suffering has value and that God is our King — were sure to be rejected by the heavily libertarian audience. No, they didn’t throw vegetables at him, but the lack of enthusiasm shows the challenge for the Republican Party.The message of the Cross is not well received in America, even at a “conservative” event like CPAC, but all Catholics believe that it is the Cross that will save America. Nothing else can. Government cannot save us. Only God can, and it is only through the Cross — sacrificing in our local communities to help each other — that we can be saved from the tyranny of big government.

Politicians naturally want to appeal to their audience, and Rick is no exception to that, but he has always been less focused on agreeing with as many people as possible than he is about explaining that America is a place where people can hold strong convictions and still live in peace with fellow Americans who strongly disagree. He touched on this point in his speech, and it’s among the most important points of all. It is precisely because people should be allowed to hold strong convictions in a free society which is tolerant of opposing viewpoints that the Founders based our Constitution on Natural Law instead of on democracy (mob rule) or monarchy. Because Rick believes in that vision of free people with strong and diverse convictions, he is comfortable speaking about his convictions openly, including Catholic belief on suffering. It’s clear that he remains hopeful that the conservative movement is still about liberty and about the vision of the Founders for religious liberty or else he wouldn’t have spoken about redemptive suffering. The lack of tomatoes and glitter bombs proves they were tolerant, but it takes more than tolerance to win a presidential election. It takes a movement willing to embrace the vision and to be willing to suffer, yes suffer, to help that vision to become reality.

Since I have known Rick Santorum, I have known that he understands redemptive suffering — joy in the Cross — and that he is deeply compassionate toward people like me, a single mom of four under the poverty line. The problem is that if you give speeches on the necessity of suffering so that redemption may come from it, in today’s political environment you are not going to be received well. No one in politics wants to be told that they have to suffer in order for things to get better. Because of that political reality, Rick explained that the left is always promising “stuff” to people for votes. Conservatives will never promise “stuff” — through government programs — to the poor for votes. What they have to promise is love, through sacrifice, through charity. They have to know that in suffering comes redemption. Through work comes a paycheck and through charity comes authentic love for the poor.

If conservatives can’t preach that suffering is necessary in order for redemption to come, and that they themselves are willing to be examples to sacrifice voluntarily (through charity) to bring that redemption, the Democrats will continue to win elections, because the Democrats promise “free stuff” taken forcibly from wealthy people. Give, or the Democrats will take it from you and dole it out for votes.

“Ask yourself whether the dream of heaven and greatness should be waiting for us in our graves – or whether it should be ours here and now and on this earth.” — Ayn Rand.

“Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust consume and where thieves break in and steal; but store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust consumes and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.” — Jesus Christ.

One in five Americans is Catholic. Statistically, if a presidential candidate does not get more than half of the Catholic vote in America, he loses the election. Failure to express compassion for the most vulnerable in society is why Republicans keep losing elections. In order for a Catholic to be a conservative, it is important that the conservative movement become a movement that we can relate to in the context of our Faith. Whenever a Republican expresses the selfish individualism of Ayn Rand that denies any responsibility to love your neighbor, especially if he is poor, Catholics become Democrats, or vote write-ins and third parties.

Personally, I believe that conservatives are right to reject the brand of “compassionate conservatism” that was supported by George W. Bush, and more superficially by Rick Santorum and myself, in the past. The intentions were very good, for government to join with faith-based charities to alleviate the sufferings of the poor. The intention was to ensure that charity was our focus in dealing with the poor, not government bureaucracy. Unfortunately, these initiatives have often been co-opted by activists who are more political than religious. In effect, as a country, the faith-based initiatives idea has resulted in politicized religion. Resentments from conservatives over this failure have resulted, unfortunately, in demonization of the poor and demonization of religion, but it is demonization of the poor and religion that is destroying us, as a country. When the poor and religion are demonized, the ranks of class warfare leftists grows as people lose faith in religious institutions and the poor turn to government for help. It is the lack of authentic love (charity) in society that has led to the growth of Marxism and socialist government. Rick pointed out that inevitable reaction to resentment in his speech.

Daily Beast reports that the star of CPAC was Rand Paul, a self-professed “fan” of Ayn Rand who believed deeply that suffering for others is a fundamental wrong. Ayn Rand’s main influence on Rand Paul seems to be in the area of his insistence that capitalism fixes every problem. An example is his claim that the Civil Rights Act was unnecessary and wrong because the “free market” would have eventually ensured that people would not discriminate against blacks, if only it had been given enough time. Whereas the Cross (sacrifice) is at the heart of Catholicism, selfishness (where the “almighty” dollar rules) is at the heart of the pure capitalism of Ayn Rand espoused by Rand Paul. Of course, selfishness is not what Jesus teaches us. Jesus teaches us to sacrifice (suffering love) for others.

I am not so delusional to think that I can get away with saying all this without someone disagreeing with me, but there it is. Love the Cross and restore America or deny the Cross for wealth and power in a godless country that will be destroyed by resentment and selfishness. It’s your choice.

Thanks, Rick, for being such a Passionist.

-JXP

St. Gemma, pray for us.