Happy Anniversary!

Feast of St. Peter of Alcantara

Today -- October 19, A.D. 2013 -- marks the 544th wedding anniversary of Queen Isabella of Castile and King Ferdinand of Aragon, the beginning of a marriage which would last thirty-five years (upon Isabella's death).  The "Catholic Monarchs," as they were later styled by Pope Alexander VI, may serve as an example of national leadership par excellence for their woeful 21st century successors.

Three facts Catholics should know about Ferdinand and Isabella:
-closely cooperated with the Church so as to govern their temporal sphere of influence in harmony with the spiritual
-financed the voyage of Christopher Colombus to the "new world" in 1492
-also in 1492, expelled the Jews from their territories (see here: http://www.sephardicstudies.org/decree.html; note, however, only the translation of the expulsion edict is recommended reading from that site)

Compare the Catholic Monarchs with the current king of Spain, Juan Carlos I, whose own accomplishments include:
-actively transitioning Spain from hierarchical rule to democracy/figurehead monarchy
-signing the 1978 Constitution of Spain which guarantees [the insanity of] religious liberty as a protected "right"
-signing into law legislation guaranteeing abortion as a "right"


Catholic kings and queens serve their subjects best by serving God first.  Whatever personal failings historians may attribute to Ferdinand and Isabella, their actions as King of Aragon and Queen of Castile reflect a desire to serve their subjects by rendering to God services which aid and complement His Church.  For the entirety of his reign, Juan Carlos has tried to serve his subjects by rendering service first to the whims of a minority population rightly marginalized by Generalissimo Franco -- the liberals.

Where the Catholic Monarchs held our Lord so highly, the restored king has set Mammon.

Happy anniversary, indeed.