To be Chestertonian means a particular mode of being Christian. Of course, to some Christians this very idea is offensive, even blasphemous. Chesterton himself, however, was not such a one. He believed in the witness and example of the Saints – that there was no contradiction between emulating them and following Christ. As he wrote of the great Saint whom he chose for his Confirmation patron, “St. Francis is the mirror of Christ rather as the moon is the mirror of the sun. The moon is much smaller than the sun, but it is also much nearer to us; and being less vivid it is more visible.” In this, he was merely recapitulating the logic employed by Saint Paul: “Be imitators of me, as I am of Christ.”

We needn’t always be comfortable in our perilous perch in the giddy chariot that is the Church. From time to time, we may be bewildered, experience whiplash or worse jolts, when those at the reins seem to take a turn too fast or fail in avoiding a pothole. The charism of infallibility pertains to the chariot, in the end, not to the driver: we are assured that the wheels won’t come off, that the Thing will never turn over into a ditch. We are not assured of a smooth ride. ​

The impetus behind the viral clip of Meloni’s speech, in the end, wasn’t Meloni herself, however impressive people may find her. What inspired the crowd that day, and what inspired the social media frenzy over her rousing remarks, was the content of the message. And the most remarkable thing about that is how unremarkable it really is. ​