Page 7 - Michael Journal March 2020

The Spirituality of Louis Even

Louis Even, founder of MICHAEL Entrance of the headquarters of the Pilgrims
of St. Michael in Rougemont, Quebec Canada.
by Alain Pilote Louis Even founded an apostolate and
It is good to explore the depth of spirituality that institute for social justice.
enlivened Louis Even, founder of the Pilgrims of St.
Michael. Without his solid faith in God and an im-
mense love for his neighbour, Louis Even would to discuss monetary reform without any mention of
never have undertaken the work of educating the religion, and others would prefer that the magazine
population in order to free them from the tentacles of addressed matters of religion, without reference to
financial dictatorship. monetary reform.
Ends and Means Yet, we all possess both a body and a soul and are
on earth only a short time. While on earth we are pil-
Clifford Hugh Douglas, the Scottish engineer who grims moving toward a spiritual destiny, that is, to live
conceived the principles of Social Credit, reasoned in union with God in Heaven forever. Material goods
logically. He saw the problem — the chronic short- are indeed an end, but the ultimate end is God. The
age of purchasing power in the hands of consumers reason for the existence of all of creation is to glorify
— and developed a solution and remedy. Louis Even God.
similarly had a logical mind and ability to reason. He Besides, the term “social credit” means that one
immediately understood Douglas’ formulation and has confidence that one can live in society; that there
expressed the problem and remedy in simple com- can be mutual trust and a social order that permits
prehensible terms. not only the exchange of goods but also free circula-
Louis Even saw the differences between ends tion without fear of being attacked on the street or
and means and understood that money is not an end robbed by one’s neighbour. Without respect for the
but only a symbol: a means which allows one to ob- moral order — in other words, without religion — any
tain products. Similarly, employment is not an end, life in society would be impossible: disorder, revolu-
but a means to produce goods (and If goods can be tion, and anarchy would follow.
made with less human labour, so much the better!). However, even though our ultimate end is spirit-
Louis Even continued to apply logic to the most ual, we must remember we will be judged based on
fundamental questions, such as: “What is the goal love of our neighbour and on what we have done for
and purpose of life?” The answer is obvious for those our brothers and sisters on earth: “Depart from me,
with faith; it is stated in catechisms from the past: you cursed, into the eternal fire which is prepared for
Q. Why did God make you? the devil and his angels: for I was hungry, and you
did not give Me to eat; I was thirsty, and you gave
A. God made me to know Him, to love Him, and Me no drink; I was a stranger, and you took Me not
to serve Him in this world, and to be happy with Him in... Truly, I say to you, inasmuch as you did it not to
forever in the next. one of these least, you did it not to Me” (Matthew 25:
Some people would like the journal, MICHAEL, 31-40). u

www.michaeljournal.org MICHAEL January/February 2020 9