Surprised by joy
We are going through a phase of unknown duration where Catholics in Malta are abandoning the Church in increasing numbers. The transmission of what was once the overwhelmingly predominant Catholic faith of our forefathers seems to have stalled.
No doubt, the reasons for such a dramatic development are complex and varied.
As we grow into adulthood, we all have to make up our mind about our core beliefs. However, one cannot sit on the fence. Even indifference, claiming to be an agnostic, being unable to decide whether God exists, is still taking a stand. Yet despite this depressing scenario, faith shines through. Providentially, we hear about conversion stories of prominent people who, in their own unique manner, find and embrace the faith that has been neglected and abandoned by so many.
It is a fact that despite the unique different life experiences of those who were challenged to discover the faith, the reading of G. K. Chesterton’s writings had a crucial influence on many Catholic converts. Sadly, his writings were neglected for decades even by Catholic educational establishments.
The revival of interest in Chesterton is mainly due to people like the Canadian Fr Ian Boyd, the American Catholic convert Dale Ahlquist, the Norwegian Geir Hasnes and to the English centenarian Aidan Mackey. Mackey made it his life’s mission to track down the voluminous writings, scattered journalism and obscure publications of Chesterton. Mackey firmly believes that Chesterton was one of the deepest and most lucid thinkers that England has ever produced.
The impact of Chesterton’s writing is best expressed by C. S. Lewis, one of the most outstanding Christian apologists of the last century. In his autobiography Surprised by Joy, Lewis writes: “In reading Chesterton… I did not know what I was letting myself in for. A young man who wishes to remain a sound atheist cannot be too careful of his reading.”
Another and more recent convert was the writer Joseph Pearce, who was a racist and intensely anti-Catholic. When referring to his conversion, Pearce writes: “Chesterton is the most singular and important influence in my conversion… thanks to Chesterton I was obviously led to cultivate an interest in religion that later resulted in my reading so many more books written by other people.”
E. F. Schumacher, the legendary economist who wrote the landmark book Small is Beautiful, also acknowledged his debt to the inspiration of Chesterton’s thought and the social philosophy of Distributism. In fact, both Pearce and Schumacher were captivated by Chesterton’s promotion of Catholic social doctrine that upholds the belief that the family is the cornerstone of society and that the economy should as much as possible be grounded in widespread, small, family-run businesses. Such an economic model guarantees economic and political freedom.
It is therefore refreshing to get to know the history of the spiritual journeys of so many outstanding people of greatly diverse backgrounds who owe their conversion to the writings of Chesterton.
Faith is a gift and a blessing that is not only strengthened by prayer, but also by the nourishment of rational and inspiring literature.
I hope that Chesterton’s works will once again become embedded in our Church schools and that those at the forefront of evangelisation will seek out his insightful wisdom.
KLAUSVB@GMAIL.COM