When Saul of Tarsus set out on his journey to Damascus the whole of the known world lay in bondage. There was one state, and it was Rome. There was one master for it all, and he was Tiberius Caesar.

Everywhere there was civil order, for the arm of the Roman law was long. Everywhere there was stability, in government and in society, for the centurions saw that it was so. But everywhere there was something else, too. There was oppression — for those who were not the friends of Tiberius Caesar. There was the tax gatherer to take the grain from the fields and the flax from the spindle to feed the legions or to fill the hungry treasury from which divine Caesar gave largess to the people. There was the impressor to find recruits for the circuses. There were executioners to quiet those whom the Emperor proscribed. What was a man for but to serve Caesar?

There was the persecution of men who dared think differently, who heard strange voices or read strange manuscripts. There was enslavement of men whose tribes came not from Rome, disdain for those who did not have the familiar visage. And most of all, there was everywhere a contempt for human life. What, to the strong, was one man more or less in a crowded world?

Then, of a sudden, there was a light in the world, and a man from Galilee saying, Render unto Caesar the things which are Caesar’s and unto God the things that are God’s.

And the voice from Galilee, which would defy Caesar, offered a new Kingdom in which each man could walk upright and bow to none but his God. Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me. And he sent this gospel of the Kingdom of Man into the uttermost ends of the earth.

So the light came into the world and the men who lived in darkness were afraid, and they tried to lower a curtain so that man would still believe salvation lay with the leaders.

But it came to pass for a while in divers places that the truth did set man free, although the men of darkness were offended and they tried to put out the light. The voice said, Haste ye. Walk while you have the light, lest darkness come upon you, for he that walketh in darkness knoweth not whither he goeth.

Along the road to Damascus the light shone brightly. But afterward Paul of Tarsus, too, was sore afraid. He feared that other Caesars, other prophets, might one day persuade men that man was nothing save a servant unto them, that men might yield up their birthright from God for pottage and walk no more in freedom.

Then might it come to pass that darkness would settle again over the lands and there would be a burning of books and men would think only of what they should eat and what they should wear, and would give heed only to new Caesars and to false prophets. Then might it come to pass that men would not look upward to see even a winter’s star in the East, and once more, there would be no light at all in the darkness.

And so Paul, the apostle of the Son of Man, spoke to his brethren, the Galatians, the words he would have us remember afterward in each of the years of his Lord:

Stand fast therefore in the liberty wherewith Christ has made us free and be not entangled again with the yoke of bondage.

This editorial was written in 1949 by the late Vermont Royster and has been published annually in the Wall Street Journal since.

PATRIOT PERSPECTIVE
Christ’s Mass 2008: Our Guiding Light
By Mark Alexander
THE FOUNDATION
“Religion in a Family is at once its brightest Ornament and its best Security.” –Samuel Adams 

For my family, Christmas is much more than a day, a season or a collection of memories and rituals. Christmas is a lens through which we endeavor to view all things — the universe of our Creator and His purpose for us — every day.
 

However, it can be difficult at times to comprehend God’s plan for us — after all, how are we to discern our minuscule role in the enormity of His creation? In fact, in our home, we can become so distracted by the daily challenges, demands and routines that we sometimes neglect to seek His purpose for us.
 

On top of our efforts to maintain a strong marriage and manage our home, Ann and I are raising three children, ages 10, 13 and 15, who have three very distinct personalities, attend three different schools, and are off in three different directions most of their waking hours. (We have friends who have more children and greater challenges, and remain in awe of their ability to manage, and even thrive.)
 

Recently, my 15-year old son, a faithful and bright young Patriot, came to me with a heavy heart. He told me that sometimes he loses his bearing, feels disconnected from God, and that separation causes him distress.
 

I acknowledge to him that, similarly, there have been days in my life when I have felt detached from God, and in those times I also struggle with questions about meaning and purpose.
 

What I have learned (at considerable personal cost) about being disconnected from God is that this division is always the result of my looking to the world for purpose rather than our Creator. Inevitably, after some consternation, I awaken to the reality that our cultural compasses are perpetually disorienting.
 

Contemporary culture relentlessly encourages us, even seduces us, to irrevocably link our identity to its trappings — what we do, what we have, who we’re with, and the like. But all of these connections are temporal. In the end, if we take our bearings from the culture around us, we are destined to experience emptiness, which it then offers to fill with various distractions and forms of sedation.
 

I told my son that through my life’s trials, I have learned we must look up before we look out — that we must look to God in order to understand His purpose for us in the world. Indeed, if we define our purpose in cultural terms, or worse, if we try to understand Him through the world’s lens, we are destined to remain astray.
 

“But how do we know God is there?” he asked.
 

The New Testament’s epistle to the Hebrews (11:1) notes, “Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see.”
However, I would offer that in those times when we sense our Creator’s absence, that sense is itself a strong affirmation of His presence. God has built into us a desire to know and to be in unity with Him. When we are not (and have not filled that void with cultural fodder), the emptiness we feel is ample confirmation of His presence.
 

My son and I talked further about a good metaphor for God’s presence on even the bleakest of days.
We both enjoy flying — it’s in our genes. My son is training for his first solo, and this time of year there is a lot of inclement weather. However, even in the worst weather with virtually no visibility at ground level, a few minutes after takeoff you climb out above the cloud cover into clear skies and endless visibility. This emergence into the blue from dense rough weather is awe-inspiring.
 

Sometimes in winter, our Tennessee mountaintop is shrouded in clouds that settle in for days and sometimes weeks. This absence of sun and blue sky can take its toll on the spirit. But it is a source of comfort to remember that above the clouds, the sun and stars always shine bright. Eventually the weather will break and light from the heavens will avail itself again.
 

Likewise, God is always there, even if temporarily obscured from our vision.
 

We talked about explorers who crossed vast oceans in tiny vessels, setting their course by the North Star.
When we make God our North Star, we are guided precisely along the path He has prepared for us, even though we do not know where it leads. However, as was the case with those early mariners, when we lose sight of our North Star, we must hold steady our direction until we find His guiding light again, correct our course and carry on.
 

However, light overtakes darkness only if we open our eyes.
“We look for light, but all is darkness; for brightness, but we walk in deep shadows. Like the blind we grope along the wall, feeling our way like men without eyes. At midday we stumble as if it were twilight; among the strong, we are like the dead.” (Isaiah 59:9-10)
 

And when we do open the eyes of our heart, “The people walking in darkness have seen a great light; on those living in the land of the shadow of death a light has dawned.” (Isaiah 9:2)
 

Indeed, “Light is shed upon the righteous and joy on the upright in heart.” (Psalm 97:11)
 

It is no small irony that a Christmas star guided the wise men from the East to the Christ Child in Jerusalem: “After they had heard [Herod], they went on their way, and the star they had seen in the east went ahead of them until it stopped over the place where the child was. When they saw the star, they were overjoyed.” (Matthew 2:9-10)
 

The birth of Jesus was the fulfillment of the prophecies of ages, and foretold in His time: “The true light that gives light to every man was coming into the world.” (John 1:9)
 

Jesus described himself in terms of light: “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.” (John 8:12)
 

And to those who follow him, he instructed: “You are the light of the world. A city on a hill cannot be hidden. Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven.” (Matthew 5:14-16)
 

But I told my son that even on the brightest of days with my eyes wide open, there is so much about God that remains a mystery to me. These unknowns cause me no trepidation — long ago I discovered that I couldn’t hope to fully comprehend our Creator, whose wisdom is infinite.
 

My conversation with my son about knowing God and understanding His purpose for us will continue throughout our lives together, and I am grateful for his permission to share this slice of it with you, because I think it speaks to the heart of a universal desire to know our Creator.
In the midst of all the daily activities in our home, we make a point to have supper together as a family. When returning thanks for God’s provision, we always pray for “grateful hearts and joyful spirits,” that we would be grateful in heart to our Provider, and joyful in spirit as a reflection of that gratitude.
 

This prayer, I believe, draws upon the essence of Christmas, upon the essence of God’s gift to us.
 

In those moments when we feel apart from God and seem to have lost our way, if we ask ourselves, “Who or what am I serving?” that question will inevitably lead to some master in the culture around us, and it calls on us to once again open our eyes and see the One True Light.
 

As always, on behalf of our staff and National Advisory Committee, I am humbled to stand with you among the ranks of our Patriot countrymen. We wish peace and God’s blessing upon you and your family.
Merry Christmas!
Veritas vos Liberabit

Mark Alexander

One December a few years back, I was in Santa Claus, Indiana, and went to the Post Office - a popular destination thanks to its seasonal postmark.

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For to us a child is born
To us a son is given;
and the government shall be upon His shoulder,
and his name shall be called
Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God,
Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. 

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