After the original sin, we find ourselves in a fallen world which is the battlefield between the spiritual forces of darkness and those of light. Their war is one of cosmic magnitude, and Christians are inevitably caught in the midst of this clash. Following faithfully the teachings of Saint Paul, the Roman Catechism (1566), published after the conclusion of the Council of Trent (1545–1563), explains why the Church on earth is called “militant:”
“It is called militant, because it wages eternal war with those implacable enemies, the world, the flesh and the devil.”[i]
Subsequently, speaking about the Sacrament of Confirmation, the same catechism shows that the one who receives it “begins to be a perfect soldier in Christ.” It is worth noting that such details are missing from the Catechism published during the pontificate of Pope John Paul II. As I mentioned at the beginning of this article, the heroic, combative spirit is forgotten or perhaps even ignored by the masters of compromise with the worldly spirit. Instead, in the classical, i.e. apostolic Tradition, the Christian has always been considered a soldier of the Savior Christ. The meditations of Saint Ignatius of Loyola, for example, only detailed this aspect, proposing for reflection the magnitude of the unseen warfare spoken of by the Holy Apostle Paul.
As an extension of this teaching, we have several masterpieces of world literature created by Catholic writers, which describe through unforgettable characters the heroism of Christian inspiration. Such is the historical trilogy by the Polish author Henryk Sienkiewicz (1846–1916), which includes the novels With Fire and Sword (1884), The Deluge (1886), and Pan Wołodyjowski (1887), as well as the epic The Lord of the Rings (1954–1955) by J.R.R. Tolkien (1892–1973).
Presented to the general public in 2003, Master and Commander impeccably illustrates the quality of a warrior. Far from being a superman, the hero of screenwriter Peter Weir is shown to be a soldier – Commander Jack Aubrey, memorably portrayed by Russell Crowe – who places the ethics of military leadership in battle above his own feelings and aspirations.
What the Church has continuously transmitted, and what the saints and Christian military leaders have always understood, is that life on this earth is, until the last breath, a struggle. If on the earthly front this is intermittent, the unseen war waged by the spirits of darkness against the baptized is unceasing. Therefore, the canonization of any saint, carried out rigorously, presupposes, first and foremost, the heroic practice of Christian virtues. In other words, the Church investigates whether the person proposed for canonization fought to the end, whether he was a “perfect soldier in Christ.”
To deepen the meaning of such values, we must remember what manliness means. Specifically, manliness is a notion synonymous with virtue. It entails all those qualities that a soldier in combat possesses: courage, capacity for sacrifice, discipline, ascetic resistance to effort and prolonged stress. In the early Christian tradition, even about those women who reached the heights of sanctity, it was said that they “fought with manliness.” Of course, not in a literal military sense, but in a spiritual sense.
However, the notion of manliness can be best observed by looking at professional soldiers, those who are ready to go to battle to defend their family, country, and last but not least, the Church. Maybe it’s good to remember here that all the male members of the European royal and aristocratic houses were, by tradition, military leaders. Their virtues shine even today, centuries away. Without these, neither the victory at Lepanto (1571) nor the defense of Vienna by King John III Sobieski (1683) would have been possible.
Great military leaders like Winston Churchill understood perfectly, albeit predominantly in a physical, literal sense (without referring to the “unseen war” spoken of by Saint Paul), the value of manliness and military heroism. To connect with the ethos of this spirit, it is sometimes worth reading a few memorable speeches by the British leader during the Second World War:
“You ask what is our policy. I will say, it is to wage war with all our might, with all the strength that God can give us, to wage war against a monstrous tyranny never surpassed in the dark, lamentable catalogue of human crime.”
We could add many other powerful words of Churchill’s that can be considered in various contexts. But the most important lesson is emphasized by him in the following fragment:
“This is the lesson: never give in, never give in, never, never, never, never—in nothing, great or small, large or petty—never give in except to convictions of honour and good sense. Never yield to force; never yield to the apparently overwhelming might of the enemy.”[ii]
Reading such words, you realize that, in a world where the quality of a warrior no longer depends on the classical virtues of wielding a sword and shield, but rather on the knowledge of increasingly advanced military equipment, especially digital weapons, it is increasingly difficult to conceive what a true hero would look like. If, however, you persist in imagining it, an unexpected help can be offered by one of the most beautiful films made over twenty years ago: Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World.[iii]
If this was the situation in 1805, now, in 2024, we may wonder if there are still such heroes who would make Saint Ignatius of Loyola rejoice with joy.
Presented to the general public in 2003, the film impeccably illustrates the quality of a warrior. Far from being a superman, the hero of screenwriter Peter Weir is shown to be a soldier – Commander Jack Aubrey, memorably portrayed by Russell Crowe – who places the ethics of military leadership in battle above his own feelings and aspirations.
Set in the context of the maritime war between the infamous Napoleon’s ships and the English ones, the screenplay presents the extraordinary pursuit launched by Captain Aubrey’s ship, HMS Surprise, after it is nearly destroyed by Acheron, a large-scale maritime war machine. Despite the adversary’s obvious superiority, the commander never once gives up on his life’s sole purpose: to face the enemy. At any cost, at any risk.
Crossing oceans, enduring violently crushing storms, using all possible tricks, HMS Surprise manages to live up to its name. It will produce a surprise of considerable proportions to the enemy, disguising itself under the humble appearance of a defenseless whaler. Using the lesson he understands thanks to the intelligence of his ship’s doctor, Dr. Stephen Maturin – portrayed by Paul Bettany – who is a passionate student of different species that use camouflage to defend themselves from enemies, Commander Aubrey achieves an epochal victory that leads to the capture of the enemy ship.
However, beyond the details of the screenplay, the battle scenes are truly unforgettable, executed with unmatched skill. Reminiscent of Winston Churchill’s attitude in confronting the Nazi army, Russell Crowe conveys his character’s insatiable appetite to confront a heroic destiny in battle. From the gray peace and quiet, often foggy, of a ship wandering above the ocean depths, we are suddenly thrust into the harsh but grand realities of fair combat, face to face, between the two ships and their crews. With full dignity, without any concessions, the commanders uphold the values of courage and heroism in the service of their own cause, ready to pay with their lives the price of military glory.
If this was the situation in 1805, now, in 2024, we may wonder if there are still such heroes who would make Saint Ignatius of Loyola rejoice with joy. In any case, until we find the answer to this crucial question, which God surely knows, we can take pleasure in watching a movie, Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World, capable of reminding us of higher meanings and dimensions of life, as well as the teaching of the Roman Catechism which tells us that every Christian is called to be “a perfect soldier in Christ.”
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[i] Catechism of the Council of Trent for Parish Priests, Issued by order of Pope Pius V, Translated into English with notes by John A. McHugh, O.P. and Charles J. Callan, O.P., p. 99.
[ii] All the quotes were taken from here: https://winstonchurchill.org/resources/quotes/famous-quotations-and-stories/ [Accessed: 29 February 2024]
[iii] The screenplay of the film is based on three novels by a well-known English author of historical fiction, Patrick O'Brian (1914–2000), who wrote no less than twenty-one titles in the series featuring the heroes of our movie. The three titles that inspired the film are: Master and Commander, H.M.S. Surprise, and Desolation Island.
