A Reminder--Read the Declaration on Religious Freedom, Dignitatis Humanae

This morning at breakfast here in Surrey, a couple, two others, and I were discussing the problem of religious freedom in the States and the fact that Americans are much more sensitive to the Church being active in politics than here in England. This is at least the sixth time I have had this discussion with British Catholics in recent months. English history, especially the Recusant time (1590-1791), has left its mark on the psyche of many Catholics here, who still want their faith to be "private". In addition, there are less solidly Catholic families with a long tradition of Catholicism, which sadly makes the convert in the family either estranged or quieter than perhaps a family of Catholics, both practicing and fallen away, which is not afraid of disagreement. Whatever the historical, personal or psychological reasons, the average Catholic in Great Britain is not inclined to political activity from the basis of being Catholic. Many Catholics I have spoken with here in England over the past year express an envy of our bishops in the States and the strong Catholic conservative communities, such as the pro-life groups, etc.

Mirror of Justice has an excellent article on the religious liberty issue in America, which is worth reading. Here is the link. However, I was reminded by the author to look at the document of the Church, the Declaration on religious freedom, Dignitatis Humanae. I quote from it:


Since the common welfare of society consists in the entirety of those conditions of social life under which men enjoy the possibility of achieving their own perfection in a certain fullness of measure and also with some relative ease, it chiefly consists in the protection of the rights, and in the performance of the duties, of the human person.(4) Therefore the care of the right to religious freedom devolves upon the whole citizenry, upon social groups, upon government, and upon the Church and other religious communities, in virtue of the duty of all toward the common welfare, and in the manner proper to each.
The protection and promotion of the inviolable rights of man ranks among the essential duties of government.(5) Therefore government is to assume the safeguard of the religious freedom of all its citizens, in an effective manner, by just laws and by other appropriate means.
Government is also to help create conditions favorable to the fostering of religious life, in order that the people may be truly enabled to exercise their religious rights and to fulfill their religious duties, and also in order that society itself may profit by the moral qualities of justice and peace which have their origin in men's faithfulness to God and to His holy will. (6)
If, in view of peculiar circumstances obtaining among peoples, special civil recognition is given to one religious community in the constitutional order of society, it is at the same time imperative that the right of all citizens and religious communities to religious freedom should be recognized and made effective in practice.
Finally, government is to see to it that equality of citizens before the law, which is itself an element of the common good, is never violated, whether openly or covertly, for religious reasons. Nor is there to be discrimination among citizens.


Any Catholic who has not read this document should do so. Some may be surprised at the strong statements herein. We studied this in high school in a part of a class of "separation of church and state" and I can assure you we came away with the idea that it is the duty of any state to protect religion and religious freedom.


The argument from some that the Bishops' Statement on Religious Liberty (link) is partisan merely shows that there are some non-thinking critics who need to realize that it is, sadly, one party at this time, which is compelling all Catholics to take a stand to defend not only our own Church and Her Teachings, but Life itself. The Catholic Church has never taught a complete separation of church and state, seeing the need for the state to protect religious freedom. One must be careful not to error on either side, that is, a completely religious state, such as sharia law states, or a completely non-religious or even anti-religious state, which is where America is heading quickly.

The other part of this discussion would be the importance and indeed, superiority of the Western legal,  political, and governmental heritage. But, that is another post. We should always be proud to be in Judeo-Greco-Romano-Christian tradition; that is, the heritage of Western Civilization.
By the way, the SSPX has just come out against the Bishop's Statement. You can decide if the arguments there pertain to this discussion or are merely a knee-jerk reaction against anything which came out of Vatican II.

Having said that, I do uphold the teachings of Leo XIII in Testem Benevolentiae Nostrae, a snippet here given.

From the foregoing it is manifest, beloved son, that we are not able to give approval to those views which, in their collective sense, are called by some "Americanism." But if by this name are to be understood certain endowments of mind which belong to the American people, just as other characteristics belong to various other nations, and if, moreover, by it is designated your political condition and the laws and customs by which you are governed, there is no reason to take exception to the name. But if this is to be so understood that the doctrines which have been adverted to above are not only indicated, but exalted, there can be no manner of doubt that our venerable brethren, the bishops of America, would be the first to repudiate and condemn it as being most injurious to themselves and to their country. For it would give rise to the suspicion that there are among you some who conceive and would have the Church in America to be different from what it is in the rest of the world.

But the true church is one, as by unity of doctrine, so by unity of government, and she is catholic also. Since God has placed the center and foundation of unity in the chair of Blessed Peter, she is rightly called the Roman Church, for "where Peter is, there is the church." Wherefore, if anybody wishes to be considered a real Catholic, he ought to be able to say from his heart the selfsame words which Jerome addressed to Pope Damasus: "I, acknowledging no other leader than Christ, am bound in fellowship with Your Holiness; that is, with the chair of Peter. I know that the church was built upon him as its rock, and that whosoever gathereth not with you, scattereth."

The danger of the leaders of the Church is to give to much credence to the idea that the response to religious freedom would be any different in any country of the world, or indeed, that the response to the Church should be any different under the American Constitution than in any nation. The heresy of Americanism is based on a false premise that Rome did not understand or appreciate the "American Experience". As the Church is universal and created by God Himself, of course, this argument is not only fallacious, but extremely protestant.  The Church must be protected by the State, not merely tolerated as one more religion among many. Religious liberty does NOT mean that all religions are the same. We have the One, True, Holy, Catholic and Apostolic Church instituted by Christ Himself. No other religion claims that, or can.

In addition, as stated by Pope Leo XIII, These dangers, viz., the confounding of license with liberty, the passion for discussing and pouring contempt upon any possible subject, the assumed right to hold whatever opinions one pleases upon any subject and to set them forth in print to the world, have so wrapped minds in darkness that there is now a greater need of the Church's teaching office than ever before, lest people become unmindful both of conscience and of duty.

This means, simply, that there is a hierarchy of ideas in reality, that the Teachings of the Church ARE NOT EQUAL BUT SUPERIOR to those of other faiths, and that the Church transcends any political or governmental system with regard to Truth. Sadly, I have not heard this from leaders in the Church recently, at least in discussions in the media, where the Church has great leverage as well as coverage.

Not all ideas are equal and not all words can be tolerated. American heretics want to hold that the Church does not have a privileged place in society and in law. She does.


Read both documents side by side--pray, and keep thinking outside of merely the Constitutional rights, but the rights of the Church qua Church.

Act of Oblation of The Little Flower

Today, for many people, is Mercy Sunday. I do not live near a church which will celebrate this. However, I found an old holy card, dated July 31, 1923 which includes an Act of Oblation composed by St. Therese of the Child Jesus, Doctor of the Church. The oblation is made to the Merciful Love of the Good God.

I share the prayer here. There is a Plenary Indulgence connected with this prayer "once a month on the ordinary conditions to those who have daily recited the Act, Given at Rome." Conditions are usually Confession once every two weeks, daily Mass if possible, or a Mass for the Plenary Indulgence, and prayers for the intentions of the Holy Father, usually three Our Fathers, three Hail Marys and three Glory Bes. One must check the local diocese and country, as conditions for indulgences vary, for example, from Europe to England to America in certain cases.

"That my life may be one act of perfect love, I offer myself as Victim of Holocaust to Thy Merciful Love, imploring Thee to consume me unceasingly, and to let the floodtide of infinite tenderness pent up in Thee, flow into my soul, that so I may become a martyr of Thy Love, O my God! May this martyrdom, after having prepared me to appear before Thee, break life's web at last, and my my soul take its flight, unhindered, to the eternal embrace of They Merciful Love. I desire, O my Beloved, at every heartbeat to renew this oblation an infinite number of times, till the shadows fade away and I can tell Thee my love eternally face to face..."


"That my life may be one Act of perfect Love".


Later this week, I shall continue my series on Perfection, and look more closely on the need for purification before seeing God's Face at death. Purgation is necessary either now, or later, in Purgatory. By giving ourselves over to God's Love now, we engage in that purification. God is Mercy and Love and this is the time of Mercy and Love. For those who have asked for a compilation of this series, I promise I shall get to it this week, when I have, hopefully, some time to do so. Thank you for the request.

Real Hope Is Only Found in Christ

Bishop Kieran Conry's Pastoral Letter for Low Sunday, found here in its entirety, is a message of hope for all.  A selection follows:

John also has Mary coming to the tomb. This is Mary Magdalene, and she finds the tomb empty and tells the others. In this account Peter is beaten in the race to the tomb, but when the two disciples find it empty they understand what the cloths lying there mean, and go back home. Mary stays outside the tomb weeping, and Jesus approaches her, but she doesn’t recognise him until he calls her by name. She goes back and tells them what she saw, and then that evening Jesus appears in their midst and speaks to them. His first words are, “Peace be with you.” In some ways this might be a simply reassurance for them, because John says the doors were closed “for fear of the Jews.” The disciples are now filled with joy, but again he says, “Peace be with you.” Curiously, it is also the greeting Jesus uses in Luke’s account when he appears to them all.

This greeting is more than just an attempt to calm or reassure a group of frightened people. It is a message that is profoundly associated with the events we have just celebrated. It is a reassurance for us in our anxieties and fears. It is a promise that, as the other John says in the second reading, we need not fear, “because anyone who has been begotten by God has already overcome the world.” It is a way of pointing us to the consequences of the death and resurrection of Christ, that our sins have been forgiven and that salvation has been won for us all. We have been brought back into that relationship with God that we lost in sin; God the Father has shown us just how much he loves us, by sending his only Son to die that we might live. Here is the cause of our peace. This is why at this time we can feel reassured, despite all our own secret anxieties and fears.

The Elephant in the Church....

In Notebook 2 from 1929-1933, Gramsci, using R. Michels and Max Weber, writes a long entry on the fact that bourgeois, socialist and Marxist parties have been formed around a charismatic leader. Gramsci also refers to Yves Guyot's idea of the religious orders taking their names and charisms from such men-Benedictines, Franciscans, Dominicans, etc. Gramsci even refers to the anarchists and the anarcho-syndicalists, still alive and well today in Italy as seen in the troubles last Autumn, as groups, oddly organizing sometimes around a person of charism, despite the fact that these groupings are anti-authoritarian.

He goes on the write that the "basis of these parties is faith and the authority of a single individual. (No one has ever seen any such party; certain expressions of interests are, at certain times, represented by certain more or less exceptional personalities. During certain periods of  'permanent anarchy', due to the static equilibrium of the conflicting forces, a mans represents 'order'....there always is a program...which is general precisely because its only aim is to repair the exterior political facade of a society which is not undergoing a real constitutional crisis, but only a crisis arising out of the inordinate number of malcontents who cannot be easily controlled because of their sheer numbers and because of the simultaneous, but mechanically simultaneous, display of discontent across a whole nation...."


This is what Europe saw in the rioting of the past Autumn and early Winter of 2012

Gramsci also refers to "doctrinaire" parties, such as "free market or protectionist parties or parties which proclaim rights of freedom and justice..."

Basing his discussion on Michels, Gramsci notes that Mussolini at the time falls into this category of charismatic leader of a party. We now can add Hitler, Mao, and many others to this discussion.

For the purposes of a Catholic political discussion, we must note that Gramsci is both right and wrong on two accounts, as he finds that communism is the only answer to what he sees as faulty political analyses of Michels and the need for a system which acknowledges class struggles-the fixation of the Marxist.

Firstly, because Gramsci eschews religion as a reality for social change and for social unity, he wants political organizations to take the place of a religious philosophy underlying all; for example, we as Catholics would start with a Natural Law philosophical position and move to an ethical or moral position of government based on Christian principles and the Christian definitions of State and individual (Maritain has an excellent book on this subject-The Person and the Common Good-which I read many years ago, but is still valid for discussion. 


That the Marxist only has a material and in Gramsci's case, a historical view of humankind, and the individual, the spiritual goals of men and women are only considered in terms of a vague morality. Here is Gramsci in Notebook 4- "Clearly, neither materialist nor idealist monism, neither matter nor spirit, but historical materialism, i.e. activity of people (history) .. i.e. applied to a determinate organised material (material force of production), to nature reshaped by people. Philosophy of act (praxis), but not of the pure act, on the contrary, of the impure, i.e. the real, act in the profane sense of the word.." .And, again.."In this way we also arrive at a fusion, a making into one, of 'philosophy and politics,' of thinking and acting, in other words we arrive at a philosophy of praxis." And in Notebook 8, "Where, in a philosophy of praxis, everything is praxis, the difference will not be between moments of absolute spirit, but between structure and superstructures; it will be a matter of establishing the dialectical position of political activity as differentiation in the superstructures." (some quotation marks are changed or missing from my transcription).


Man becomes the only meaning to his own destiny and the only goal of history, which he created. Unlike the Catholic, who sees the Incarnation of the God-Man, the Second Person of the Blessed Trinity, as the culminating event of human history, combined with the Resurrection from the Dead, as the changing event of all history, Gramsci cannot believe in the spiritual reasons for history-that is-the renewal of the world and the establishment of the Kingdom of God on earth. Man is the creator of his own destiny. And politics becomes the only force for change-that is, political action tied to the Marxist ideology. Some critics disagree with the Marxist ideological underlay to Gramsci's ideas of praxis and history, but these are intertwined and used interchangeably. I am not going to get into the discussions about whether Gramsci's ideas vary from traditional Marxism here. But, I want those in the Church to understand where the financial and social thinkers of Europe have imbibed these ideas and are creating or destroying, the new Europe accordingly.


Now, there is one "party" which has for all time a charismatic leader, who is not a political king but King of the Universe and that is Christ. Sadly, as the Marxist can only think and work in materialist terms, the spiritual nature of the Kingdom, that is, the changing of men's hearts to those of love and consideration for their neighbor, is not a reality.


Secondly, the problem with his analysis of other philosophers of politics or history is that he uses the same framework of class struggle, not believing at all in noblese oblige, or the requirement of the rich to help the poor while recognizing differences. I find it interesting that Gramsci is so optimistic, so hopeful as to political change based on an intellectual change, rather than a change in the spirit. He used the word spirit, but by that does not mean an eternal life in each individual but some sort of movement of man, not unlike those of the progressivists, whom he criticizes. This second error, of ignoring the eternal spirit, means that political struggle and cultural change is all important, is the only way for humans to live in peace. His ideas are utopianism in another disguise, and as such, fall into the heresy of wanting a perfect system on earth, which is not possible.


Once someone denies the spiritual and only works in the material, this utopianism is the only goal of all activity. Of course, I am looking only at the Notebooks and some of the Letters, hardly a complete philosophical system is created therein. But, the effect of such notes and references has been a cultural revolution in Europe and now in America, which needs addressing.


Modern secular humanism substitutes the same ethical framework. The Post-Moderns would find a home in Gramsci, perhaps even the late Christopher Hitchens, who had an ethical outlook without the framework of religious dogma. This type of atheism is popular in Europe and increasingly so in the States. But, what I find most disturbing, and what I am trying to address, are the Catholics who are "practical atheists" in that they believe the same premises as the secular humanists and Gramsci, but call themselves Catholics.


Now, the reason this discussion is so important for me is that too many discussions concerning socialism or communism center only on the economic structures and not the philosophical structures of atheism and secular humanism. Those in the Church need to engage a conversation at this level-of showing that the individual and his rights are at stake not merely because of economic structures, but because of the denial of the Incarnation as a force in history and in the world. This is not to fall into Liberation Theology, which sees Jesus only as a material Messiah, but to stress the recreating nature of Catholicism as a force in politics and cultural renewal from the spreading of the Gospel message. Unless the larger view is established in the minds of priests, bishops and cardinals, as well as the laity, the Church will lose many souls and nations to a more organized social restructuring. The Church can do the restructuring, but only with open eyes and a clear message of evangelization. This cannot be merely a softly, softly approach, but one of passion and conviction, which so many Catholics eschew.

Many years ago, the post office lost my copy of Enthusiasm by Ronald Knox, which would come in handy here as another critique of fanaticism, both spiritual and material, which we are dealing with in the socialists and communists of Europe. If someone wants to buy me another copy, I would appreciate it. The socialist and communist agendas must be examined in the light of Catholic heresies, held by a large majority of Catholics in Europe. Catholic Churchmen in America must stop playing footsy with any type of socialism and communism, which happens too often, even in seminaries.

Are we spreading the joy of Christ in the world? Are we evangelizing? Do we expect exciting things to happen because Christ is in our lives??

The priest who has been giving the sermons this week at St. Joseph's in Dorking is an excellent homilist. Father Terry Martin manages to give ideas in a short manner which one can mull over the entire day. Yesterday, Father exclaimed that when the Resurrected Jesus enters our lives, exciting things happen and we are never the same. True and simple. What exciting things one may wonder, but the life of joy and the life of the virtues would be exciting in this day and age of sadness, gloom and general lack of virtues. The point Father was making is to be open to Christ changing us, giving us grace, and inviting us to join in His Life.

This morning, the message was connected, but emphasized our duty to go out and change the world by our Christian commitment. The world needs us to bring Christ into a morass of paganism and depression. Father noted that the apostles and disciples were grieving at the loss and manner of the death of their Beloved Jesus when Mary Magdalen brought news that He was and is alive. What confusion this must have caused, noted Father, but the message of Life brought hope and joy to all, as it does to us. The command to preach to all nations, to carry the joy of the Resurrection out into the world, needs to be taught from the pulpit, as did good Father Terry this morning and all week.


Mark 16: 9 - 15 (thanks to ewtn website)

---

9 Now when he rose early on the first day of the week, he appeared first to Mary Magdalene, from whom he had cast out seven demons.10,She went and told those who had been with him, as they mourned and wept.11 But when they heard that he was alive and had been seen by her, they would not believe it.12 After this he appeared in another form to two of them, as they were walking into the country.13 And they went back and told the rest, but they did not believe them.14 Afterwards he appeared to the eleven themselves as they sat at table; and he upbraided them for their unbelief and hardness of heart, because they had not believed those who saw him after he had risen.15 And he said to them, "Go into all the world and preach the gospel to the whole creation.

Mayor Boris Johnson Crosses Christians on Homosexuality

I actually enjoy watching the London Mayor's Question Time, as he is very entertaining. However, I am not happy about this action, reported on LifeSite News. Here is the entire article.

London mayor sued for pulling ‘Ex-Gay and Proud’ adverts from London’s buses

Hilary White, Rome Correspondent

Fri Apr 13 11:17 EST

Faith

LONDON, April 13, 2012 (LifeSiteNews.com) – Boris Johnson, the Conservative Party mayor of London, is being sued by a Christian organization whose bus advertisements for overcoming same-sex attraction he ordered pulled.

Saying, “Not gay, ex-gay, post-gay, and proud! Get over it,” the nixed slogans were the work of the Core Issues Trust, a Christian organization that helps churches minister to those who want to overcome their temptations to homosexual behavior. The ads were also backed by the group Anglican Mainstream, a worldwide organization of Anglicans who seek to restore traditional Christianity to their communion. The ads were due to run for two weeks on London’s iconic red buses, starting from Monday. Now, however, the group is reported to be instructing lawyers to launch a suit.

The campaign was cleared by industry regulator the Advertising Standards Authority. It was intended to be an answer to a similar pro-homosexual ad campaign that said, “Some people are gay. Get over it,” sponsored by the homosexualist lobby group Stonewall.

Core Issues co-director Mike Davidson responded to Johnson’s action, saying, “I didn’t realise censorship was in place.”

“We went through the correct channels and we were encouraged by the bus company to go through their procedures. They okayed it and now it has been pulled.

“It is of deep concern that there can only be one point of view and that is the point of view of individuals who are determined to push through gay marriage and apparently believe that homosexuality cannot be altered in any possible way. That is not a universally held view.”

Johnson reacted after a chorus of rage from homosexualist campaigners, who argue that homosexuality can only ever be a natural life-long variant of human sexuality, the cornerstone of the homosexualist political schema. The far-left Guardian newspaper reports that the mayor, who is facing an election next month, contacted the paper to announce that he had banned the ads “within two hours of their contents becoming public,” to stave off a political backlash from the homosexualist lobby.

“London is one of the most tolerant cities in the world and intolerant of intolerance. It is clearly offensive to suggest that being gay is an illness that someone recovers from and I am not prepared to have that suggestion driven around London on our buses,” the Guardian quoted the mayor as saying.

The incident illustrates the growing reality that even to assert that there are some people afflicted with unwanted same-sex attraction who do not want to live the homosexual lifestyle, is now regarded as “anti-gay.”

Lesley Pilkington, a Christian psychotherapist, who is under investigation by the British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy for her therapy for homosexuals, told LifeSiteNews.com that she is not surprised that Johnson would get “cold feet,” over such an ad.

“On the one hand, it’s shocking, such a lack of freedom of speech, but on the other, I’m not too surprised,” she said.

“Boris Johnson is very concerned to get re-elected, and there is such a lot of intimidation on the part of gay activists. You just don’t say the kind of things this bus campaign is saying if you want to get reelected as mayor.”

“I think people don’t understand just how political it is in the UK,” she said. “Anything to do with the gay activists’ agenda, particularly with the marriage campaign, is political dynamite.”

The climate right now, she said, is immensely hostile to anyone who opposes the homosexualist political agenda. She recounted the story of a Christian Conservative Party MP, David Burrowes, who received death threats after he signed a petition to retain the current legal definition of marriage.

Pilkington said that the traditional reserve of British political debate is a thing of the past on these issues, and there is growing tolerance for overtly anti-Christian rhetoric. And it is having the desired effect; Christians, she said, are responding by remaining silent: “There’s just such a lot of fear.”

Mrs. Pilkington related the story of a conversation with a Catholic bishop, Philip Tartaglia of Paisley, Scotland, who gave the keynote address at a conference in Oxford on religious freedom.

The bishop had asked Mrs. Pilkington why there is such a lot of political power behind the homosexualist political movement. She replied that, while it is “good to have an intellectual discussion” on the impact of equalities and hate crimes legislation and related issues, “at the end of the day what it’s about is intimidation and bullying and fear” by homosexuals to silence opposition.

“People are afraid, so they agree rather than face opposition that is aggressive. So people who have the information, those who know about the dangers of the homosexual life, don’t speak out.

“The bishop totally agreed with me, saying that he was glad that I as a psychotherapist could say that, but he couldn’t. People would expect him to say what I said but he couldn’t say it.

“My question is why can’t he say it? Why should that silence him, people saying ‘you would say that,’ when in fact he doesn’t.”

Too many Church leaders do not think, or do not think as Catholics

It is interesting when reading Marx, Gramsci and other communists, that the Church is referred to as the greatest conservative force in the world for values which form the social structures.

How did the Church in the West move away from this heritage of conservatism? The latest crisis in the Church in Austria, in which a Catholic Cardinal moved away from the conservative position on morals as taught by the Church, demonstrates how far the leadership, that is cardinals and bishops, have left this conservatism for a supposed pastoral yet blatantly relativistic stand concerning many issues. Cardinal  Christoph Schönborn, the cardinal archbishop of Vienna has publicly created a scandal concerning the gay lifestyle of so-called Catholic gays. 


That the writers who despised the conservative Church of the 1920s-1930s saw the Church as a power which could conserve society and appeal to the spiritual rather than material life of people demonstrates that some Church leaders have fallen from a great height of virtue and the teaching of virtue to the acceptance of a sinful status-quo.


I repeat that Church leadership needs to be intellectually keen, skillful, and clear in the market place. Seminary training is not preparing the next generation of priests to deal with a godless world, a world of atheism and communism. Too many of the courses are based on a particular professor's private interests instead of a Catholic world-view. Our priests, bishops and cardinals need to learn to think like Catholics and in too many cases, this perspective is missing or, at best, naive.


When Gramsci writes that history is pushed, even created by an intellectual group, outside of the class system, he is correct in so far that the flux of history moves with political and revolutionary ideals, although not entirely so. That the leaders of the Church seem not to understand what Gramsci and other revolutionaries know, even the Saul Alinksy group of grass-roots activism, is that people want and need a system of thinking, a political philosophy which is great than themselves in order to work for an ideal.


The Catholic Church has The Ideal, the real deal in Christ's Redemptive Action on the Cross and the historical reality of the Resurrection. And yet, what we laity are witnessing is a horrendous lack of Catholic philosophical teaching which allows people to understand why dogmas and doctrines are held by the Church. Those in the media spot the soft-underside of the anti-intellectualism in the Church, which I know from experience, is still the educational basis for priestly formation in America. Thankfully, this anti-intellectualism is not as widespread in Europe, but last week we witnessed an example of a cardinal betraying the teaching of the Church because of false intellectualism. Schonborn did not respond like a Catholic, but like a politician in his decision. To be politically correct is NOT to be the conservative Catholic one needs in leadership at this point in history.


Gramsci and others like him saw the rise of Thomism and Scholasticism in response to the Marxist intellectualism which has taken over the thinkers, economic and social, of Europe today, and soon, America, as something to address.  Those who were following the trends in the Church saw Maritain and his like as addressing the universal, philosophical questions of politics and social issues, so missing from today's Catholic hierarchy, outside the Pope.


Where are the modern Fathers of the Church? Where are the Augustines, Aquinas-es, Mores and Bellarmines? Missing. I venture that the low level of graduate seminary training in the States, which is basically anti-intellectual, because it is very Protestantized, has ruined, or prevented the establishment of an intelligent clergy capable of defending, and more so, spreading the Gospel in a world of pagan philosophy and communism.


Unless we argue for the Faith at this level, the Church will be farther marginalized. The pastoral approach to the Faith does not work in a world of intellectuals who continue to challenge the lack of leadership in the Church. Maritain and Gilson had to address the tyrannies of Europe, communism and socialism, and apply Neo-Thomism to those great irreligious movements, recognizing that those who believed in such held their beliefs as religious people and considered themselves "martyrs" for the cause. Even today, many Gramsci scholars continue to "canonize" him as a saint of the material order. 


The Neo-Thomists were criticized for their involvement in political questions. But, this is what the Church needs now. If a cardinal, bishop, or priest are not conservative, they are not Catholic. Catholicism gives us a world-view which is all encompassing. Those who step outside this world view are heretics at worst and intellectually lazy at best. Gramsci saw communism as the ideology which would create a new world structure which was all encompassing through consensus. He saw that this ideology was all inclusive, that is, informing all levels of finance, culture, education, family life. He called Marxism the means to an "integral, practical civilization". The Truth is that this is what Catholicism provides. Unless our churchmen really believe this and compartmentalize the Faith as they have been doing, bad seminary training will continue and the Church is daily weakened from within. 


I actually had some Catholics say to me two weeks ago, "Isn't communism dead in Europe?" I could not believe the naivete of this question. We are desperate need of Catholic intellectuals who are also priests, bishops, and cardinals. We need, as Catholics, to stop being stupid.

Check out Dr. Sanity--the genius of bloggers

People with this malignantly narcissistic defect completely reject the needs of the individual and enslave him or her to the service of their IDEAL. Eventually, the enslavement--whether religious or secular--snuffs out human ambition, confidence, energy, self-esteem, and life. These mindlessly malignant "do-gooders" do far more harm than good and their ideologies can lead to genocidal practices and unbelievable atrocities on a grand scale, all in the name of an IDEAL or GOD.

At least the selfish narcissist is limited in the chaos and havoc he wreaks. But, the "really destructive maniacs of this world" are the ones who do it for your own good.

The Night Sky in Chavagnes

When one is in the south of England, one cannot see the number of stars that one can see in the countryside, especially the countryside around Chavagnes. During two nights, I saw the Space Station twice, and a number of deep sky objects not normally seen in more built-up areas.

As it is raining today, and the area needs rain, I most likely will not be sky gazing. Here is a bit on the April sky. Remember the Lyrids, the great meteor shower of the Spring, coming up towards the end of the month on the 22nd. See my post below as well. There was another numinous moment for me last week, seeing Mars and hearing the Nightingale at the same time. From Keat's Ode...

Thou wast not born for death, immortal Bird! 
    No hungry generations tread thee down; 
The voice I hear this passing night was heard 
    In ancient days by emperor and clown: 
Perhaps the self-same song that found a path 
    Through the sad heart of Ruth, when, sick for home, 
        She stood in tears amid the alien corn; 
                The same that oft-times hath 
    Charm'd magic casements, opening on the foam 
        Of perilous seas, in faery lands forlorn.

The Catholic Church Cannot Be on the Defensive--Never!

I have been listening to leading Churchmen, such as Cardinal Pell and Cardinal Dolan and I think the inadequacies of some of their statements, as good as these men are, reflect a lack of understanding of the place of the Church in the world today. This may sound like a simple statement, but let me quote Gramsci on this point, in his reference to Catholic Action in Notebook 1 of 1929-1930

C.A. (Catholic Action) marks the beginning of a new epoch in the history of the Catholic religion: it ceases to be a totalitarian world view and becomes only one part and must have a party. The various religious orders represent the reaction of the Church (community of the faith or clerical community), from the bottom or from the top,against the disintegration of the world view (heresies, schism, etc.).: C.A. represents the reaction of the apostasy of entire masses, that is, the reaction against the abandonment of the religious world view by the masses. It is no longer the Church that defines the terrain and the means of struggles, it must accept the terrain imposed upon it from the outside, and use arms stolen from the arsenal of its adversaries (the organization of the masses). The church is on the defensive; I other words, it has lost the autonomy of movement and initiative, it is no longer an ideological world power but only a subaltern force.

Now, obviously, the man underestimates the power of the Church as he can only see it in terms of facism and totalitarian power, and not in a spiritual light. However, his point must be seriously understood by those in power in the Church in America, and in Europe, who cannot understand the type of ideological view expressed here. What I mean is that Gramsci clearly understands the falling away of the people and that the political power of the Church is weakened because of that apostasy.

This is more clear in Europe than in the States. So-called Catholics are more socialist than Catholic and even more communist than Catholic in their world view, defining all, even the individual, in terms of economic struggle and materialism. This is a loss of the Catholic world view. Catholics no longer think like Catholics and Gramsci can claim that the Church has lost Her ability to create Europe and even the States into a spiritual realm, wherein God is King. Now, the fact that Cardinals respond to questions on television in debates or in interviews and do not refer to this larger issue of the lack of power over creating the “terrain” is highly significant. Once the Church is merely one more institution among many, once the Church only appeals to a certain group of people, such as the poor and not the rich, once the Church is on the defensive, She has lost ground.

The thing which Gramsci does not understand is that one does not and cannot define the Church purely as a material hierarchy, without reference to the City of God. We do not see the Church as on the defensive, that is, merely responding to crises, but on the offensive, in the New Evangelism and in the command of Christ to preach, teach and convert all nations.

However, in some situations, the Cardinals respond as if the Church is on the defensive by either pandering to one political party or another, or by ignoring the universality of the Gospel message. Americanism as a heresy has taken its toll on the attitudes, albeit unknown even by those who hold these attitudes, of many priests and bishops. In other words, Gramsci's prediction that the Church has to use the arsenal of its adversaries, that is, the appeal to the masses, sadly seems the case in much of the discussions about religious freedom in the States. The social justice issues become little gods instead of part of the larger teaching based on the Catholic definition of the individual, and not on socialism.

The Church in the States and, indeed, in Europe, including England, must not be on the defensive, but on the offensive. This is not hard, if one truly believes in the Gospel and in the City of God, the Kingdom of God. Either we believe or we do not. Too many so-called Catholics are socialists or Marxists, and therefore, not Catholics.

Now, Gramsci may not have been thinking is such deep terms, as he denies the spiritual reality of the Church and sees the world in material terms. Much socialism and communism is short-sighted, that is, without the long view of history, although Gramsci tries.

The Catholic Church, as the institution created by Christ, God-Man Himself, has the long view, to put it succinctly. The Church brings eternity down to earth, through Her teachings and Her sacramental life.

Christ is present now. That is what is missing in both Gramsci's criticism and those views of the churchmen who do not refer to the Revelation and Tradition of the Church in their presentations. The Church is independent of any national or political ideology. The Church needs to re-create cultural and national identity by Her definitions, as given by God, and not men.

Where Can We Get Strength for the New Evangelization? Infused Love Part One....

St. John of the Cross makes an interesting point that it is only after the Dark Night of the Soul that a Catholic moves from meditation to infused contemplation. Father Gabriel, whose book I have been quoting on this blog, states that St. John is clear concerning the strength and courage one gets when one has experienced the "secret, peaceful and loving inflowing of God." One point is important here--that of Garrigou-Lagrange's emphasis and that of Father Gabriel as well--that any person who has a life of recollection is called to this life of infused grace and knowledge of God. However, as all the saints warn us, activity interrupts and ruins this life of the Spirit. Agitation, stress, being concerned about many things as Martha was, instead of sitting at the feet of Jesus and loving Him, stop the natural flow which comes and brings us into this life of infused contemplation. Sometimes we cannot help events which cause us stress. But a good spiritual adviser, which is like finding cold water in a desert these days, can help.

Another huge problem for the modern pilgrim are the temptations to New Age heresies and Eastern Religions, which take us away from the Truth of the Interior Life, although seeming to do the opposite.

The true signs of this level of infused contemplation may astound some. These are a simple faith and a focus on loving God.

The infusion of Divine Light comes when the soul is ready and open. I warn some who think this type of union with God can occur outside of prayer. The answer is no. Work and study do not take the place of prayer and people who say, "My prayer is my work" are just plain wrong. Time must be set aside. Energy and listening for God must be a focus. The moments when infused prayer becomes infused love cannot be missed. St. John laments those who miss the opportunity because of bad advice.

Simplicity demands discipline and guidance. Would that we all had a good and experienced director.

Prayer for Seminarians and Those Discerning a Vocation; Also, Pray for Those Older Men Who May Be Called

from Papa Stronsay website

Please pray for seminarians everywhere. Also, pray for those men who feel or even discern they have a vocation, are older, and may not know what to do. I know several single, prayerful older men who thought of the priesthood years ago but never pursued the vocation. Pray for them.  Pray for women to see the beauty of the traditional orders.

Prayer of Blessed John Paul II for Vocations to the Priesthood and Nuns, for All Dioceses and Orders

Lord Jesus, as You once called the first disciples to make them fishers of men, let your sweet invitation continue to resound: Come follow Me!

Give young men and women the grace of responding quickly to your voice. Support our bishops, priests and consecrated people in their apostolic labor.

Grant perseverance to our seminarians and to all those who are carrying out the ideal of a life totally consecrated to your service.

Awaken in our community a missionary eagerness. Lord, SEND WORKERS TO YOUR HARVEST and do not allow humanity to be lost for the lack of pastors, missionaries and people dedicated to the cause of the Gospel.

Mary, Mother of the Church, the model of every vocation, help us to say “yes” to the Lord who calls us to cooperate in the divine plan of salvation.

Amen

The Church is in dire need of workers for the harvest. Pray ye therefore the Lord of the harvest, that he send forth labourers into his harvest. Matthew 9:38

No Jewish "Braveheart"?

Yet another controversy involving Mel Gibson has stalled or possibly stopped the filming of his Maccabees movie. Read this article here. You can figure out the politics of the cinema world.

If Ascot can have a dress code, why not Catholic churches?

I attended a wedding earlier this year in Ireland. The bridesmaids wore strapless dresses and no jackets. The bride, not a "small girl", wore a dress with straps, but the front was so low, I was embarrassed.

Nothing was said. There was no dress code for this parish.

Some of the female guests wore dresses only suitable for the club. Too tight, too low...

Famous English person....

On Easter Sunday, one Eucharistic Minister wore tight blue jeans. Another wore baggy blue jeans. On Easter Sunday morning!  Why do  parishes not have dress codes? I realize, and I have written about this before, that priests are shy about explaining to women that they are immodest or at least, dressing improperly for Mass or a sacrament.

If Ascot can have a dress code, why cannot Catholic churches? Here is the new Ascot dress code in brief.

What happened to the idea of being beautiful and not ugly? Why is ugly so popular? Why do women think they have to be sexy to be attractive? Notice in the dress code below that shorts are not allowed. A man wore shorts yesterday to Mass. I am amazed at this. Most women this morning at Mass were wearing very tight pants. Some only had tights on, stuck in boots, with shorts or a mini-skirt over the tights at Easter Mass.

Two young ladies were showing their midriffs. And, this is in England, in the countryside, not in New York!

I wear a hat to every Mass and I always wear dresses or skirts.

This is not hard to do and is not any more expensive and probably less expensive than buying jeans.

ROYAL ENCLOSURE DRESS CODE

• Dresses and skirts should be of modest length defined as falling just above the knee or longer
• Dresses and tops should have straps of one inch or greater
• Jackets and pashminas may be worn but dresses and tops underneath should still comply with the Royal Enclosure dress code
• Trouser suits are welcome. They should be of full length and of matching material and colour
• Hats should be worn; a headpiece which has a base of 4 inches (10cm) or more in diameter is acceptable as an alternative to a hat
• Strapless, off the shoulder, halter neck, spaghetti straps and dresses with a strap of less than one inch (2.5cm) are not permitted
• Midriffs must be covered
• Fascinators are no longer permitted in the Royal Enclosure; neither are headpieces which do not have a base covering a sufficient area of the head (4 inches / 10cm)
• 
  

  GRANDSTAND DRESS CODE

  • A hat, headpiece or fascinator should be worn at all times
    
  • Strapless or sheer strap dresses and tops are not permitted
    
  • Trousers must be full length and worn with a top that adheres to the guidelines above (i.e. strapless or sheer strap tops are not permitted)
    
  • Jackets and pashminas may be worn but dresses and tops underneath should still comply with the Grandstand Admission dress code
    
  • Midriffs must be covered
    
  • Shorts are not permitted

  
  

Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/article-2128292/No-cravats-fascinators-miniskirts-Ascot-sends-racegoers-strict-new-dress-code-complete-style-guide.html#ixzz1rl0DyuTk

Bring back the femininity of the 1950s

We have lost the idea of the feminine and modesty is not taught. Please, priests, help us with this. Women need to teach modesty and womanly dress to their girls. And, some of those ladies who are the most immodest now are the over-forties. Give it up, girls.....Look your age.

For Easter Wednesday, a Poem of St. John of the Cross

Poem of St. John of Cross--The Soul that Suffers with Longing to See God I live, but not in myself, and I have such hope that I die because I do not die. 1. I no longer live within myself and I cannot live without God, for having neither him nor myself what will life be? It will be a thousand deaths, longing for my true life and dying because I do not die. 2. This life that I live is no life at all, and so I die continually until I live with you; hear me, my God: I do not desire this life, I am dying because I do not die. 3. When I am away from you what life can I have except to endure the bitterest death known? I pity myself, for I go on and on living, dying because I do not die. 4. A fish that leaves the water has this relief: the dying it endures ends at last in death. What death can equal my pitiable life? For the longer I live, the more drawn out is my dying. 5. When I try to find relief seeing you in the Sacrament, I find this greater sorrow: I cannot enjoy you wholly. All things are affliction since I do not see you as I desire, and I die because I do not die. 6. And if I rejoice, Lord, in the hope of seeing you, yet seeing I can lose you doubles my sorrow. Living in such fear and hoping as I hope, I die because I do not die. 7. Lift me from this death, my God, and give me life; do not hold me bound with these bonds so strong; see how I long to see you; my wretchedness is so complete that I die because I do not die. 8. I will cry out for death and mourn my living while I am held here for my sins. O my God, when will it be that I can truly say: now I live because I do not die? The Works of St. John of the Cross Copyright ICS Publications. Permission is hereby granted for any non-commercial use, if this copyright notice is included.

Santorum Ends Campaign; this blog supported him and publishes his letter from his office

Thank you. For your support, for your encouragement, and for your prayers for our family, especially Bella. You may have heard that we were able to bring her home from the hospital last night.

She has pneumonia, but like her Dad, she's a fighter. It's in the blood.

Today I announced that I am suspending my campaign for the President of the United States. This has been one of the hardest decisions Karen and I have ever had to face together. And it has been hard in large measure because of you. I know that my candidacy has offered you a way to fight for your convictions, and I do not want to let you down.

Since I first ran for Congress in a Democrat-majority district in Pittsburgh, I have fought for struggling families. I have fought for the unborn. I have fought for those losing hope in the American Dream.

And during this Presidential race we have fought hard. Together. You have been with me every step of the way. Every volunteer, donor, friend and family has given sacrificially of their time and their treasure. We are humbled and thankful.

We literally started this campaign in our kitchen with family and a few friends. The way that you make decisions. We believe America is the land of opportunity, and decided to do what we can to protect the hope that our forefathers sacrificed to give us a future for our children. A future of freedom secured through our sacrifices today.

Over 160,000 of you contributed to the campaign. Like you have for your children, we have sacrificed almost everything we have to ensure that this hope and dream is not lost with another four years under Barack Obama. Our average donation has been only $73.10. Few races in history have so many people give so modestly to preserve liberty.

We have been outspent in most states 5-1 or even 10-1. And we still won, or we've come incredibly close. Iowa and the three-state sweep. An over 20-point win in Louisiana. Only a few votes short of victory in Michigan and Ohio. We have made history. There has been no other Presidential comeback race like ours.

Our good friends in Texas have been working non-stop to make sure that they have a say in the choice of our nominee, but without the state changing its delegate allocation to winner-take-all, I do not see a path forward that does not risk our shared objective of defeating Barack Obama in November. I want to thank them for their valiant efforts.

I am planning to do everything in my power to bring a change about in the White House. But our campaign has debt, and I cannot be free to focus on helping defeat him with this burden. I am asking you to consider one more contribution of $25, $50 or even $73.10.

From the start of this race I have offered a unique voice in the debate. One that the party and the country needs to hear. I have been your voice. I have been positive. I have been willing to stand for issues that some believe are controversial and would prefer to sweep under the rug.

We have carried the torch. High. Together we have fought for the principles that this country was founded on; that made this country great. Without fighting for them, this country cannot continue to be great.

And we have fought fair. I am proud of the race we have run. We talked issues. We avoided character attacks. We have run almost entirely positive ads.

I want to continue to be your voice. Please CLICK HERE to contribute $25, $50 or even $73.10. We have had miraculous days of almost $1 million from supporters like you that allowed us to be competitive and win key states. We need you to step up again.

When I ran for the Senate in 1994 and defeated a sitting incumbent Senator, I asked the people of Pennsylvania to Join the Fight. They did.

I know you will. God bless you, and please keep us in your prayers. And know that we keep you in ours.

Working hard for America,

Rick Santorum