I'm not even Catholic (my roots are in the American Restoration Movement), but I have preached sermons to my congregation in years past about how a lack of a doctrine of subsidiarity in government leads directly to government nanny-state-ism, and then into outright tyranny.
Dr. J. Budziszewski's ("bood-ja-shev-ski") fantastic book, "The Revenge of Conscience: Politics and the Fall of Man" takes Aquinas' work on these and other aspects of just government and breaks them down, so that even I can understand them. It's a brisk read, and he explains every term he uses in simple language.
HIGHLY recommended.
Funny story: the old edition cover of this book had a painting of Adam and Eve, naked, being driven out of the Garden. My wife told me that the ladies of the church were horrified when I showed them the book from the pulpit, and then she put a white sticky label over their "naughty bits". The sticker is still there, years later :-)
-— HIGHLY recommended.——
Thank you. He’s supposed to be one of the best living teachers of natural law. His writing is often featured in “First Things.”
I would have enjoyed your sermon. I’ve never heard a homily regarding the principle of subsidiarity.
St. Thomas is tough going, but always profitable. He helps me to understand how disorganized my own thought is...