Not so, replies Christian
theology; right is peace--that is, the interior order of a nation,
founded upon justice. And justice itself is absolute only because it
formulates the essential relation of man with God and of man with man.
Moreover, war for the sake of war is a crime. War is justifiable only if
it is the necessary means for securing peace. St. Augustine has said:
"Peace must not be a preparation for war. And war is not to be made
except for the attainment of peace." In the light of this teaching,
which is repeated by St. Thomas Aquinas, patriotism is seen in its
religious character.
Family interests, class interests, party interests, and the material
good of the individual take their place, in the scale of values, below
the ideal of patriotism, for that ideal is right, which is absolute.
Furthermore, that ideal is the public recognition of right in national
matters and of national honor. Now, there is no absolute except God. God
alone, by His sanctity and His sovereignty, dominates all human
interests and human wills. And to affirm the absolute necessity of the
subordination of all things to right, to justice, and to truth, is
implicitly to affirm God.
When, therefore, humble soldiers whose heroism we praise answer us with
characteristic simplicity, "We only did our duty," or "We were bound in
honor," they express the religious character of their patriotism.
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