“The multitude ... feared, and glorified
God who had given such power to men.”
Some weeks ago I mentioned “cultural
Marxism” and the idea that Marxists have generally (but not completely)
abandoned the need for wide scale violence to spread their ideology—and have
given themselves over to the undermining of the institutions of society
through “political correctness” and unreasonable criticism. As Patrick
Buchannan wrote:
Rather than seize power first and
impose cultural revolution from above, [Antonio] Gramsci argued,
Marxists in the West must first change the culture; then power would
fall into their laps like ripened fruit. But to change the culture
would require a “long march through the institutions”-the
arts, cinema, theater, schools, colleges, seminaries,
newspapers, magazines, and the new electronic medium, radio. One by
one, each had to be captured and converted and politicized into an
agency of revolution. Then the people could be slowly educated to
understand and even welcome the revolution.
Gramsci urged his fellow Marxists
to form popular fronts with western intellectuals who shared their
contempt for Christianity and bourgeois culture and who shaped the
minds of the young.
It seems ever more clear with each
passing day, that one of the institutions through which the Marxists have
marched is Holy Mother Church. Today, Catholic bishops routinely support
redistribution of wealth, socialized medicine, illegal immigration, gun
confiscation, global government, a world monetary system, and every
left-wing scheme of the United Nations. Most will balk when a socialist
effort requires the violation of Catholic moral principles—like Obamacare
with its “abortion/contraception mandate”—but will turn a blind eye when
Catholic Relief Services funds organizations that perform such “services.”
“86% of Catholic Relief Services’ domestic grants in 2012 went to
pro-contraception groups.”
Most traditional Catholics will
shake their heads when hearing such things, but then will shrug their
shoulders when they ask themselves what they can do about it. A partial
answer is to be sure that none of your money goes to such things—be very
careful about how you respond to requests for contributions by allegedly
Catholic organizations.
I would suggest, too, that you are
already resisting the “long march” against Western civilization simply by
attending Holy Mass and worshipping in a traditional Catholic Church. You
see, a significant effort has been made against the Church by making it
appear silly, and by trivializing the importance of Jesus Christ who is
always at the center of authentic Catholic worship. The dancing bishops of
World Youth Day could not have convinced young people that the bishops were
“cool” (or whatever today’s adjective might be).
The distribution of Holy Communion from plastic drinking cups convinced no
one of the Kingship of Christ.
But the trivialization of Jesus
Christ goes on under circumstances that most would consider far more
normal. Today, I am going to pick on two things that are very simple—two
things of which most of us are somewhat guilty, and which we can correct
with very little effort.
Growing up before Vatican II, I can
remember girls and women attending Mass in well-made dresses, always modest,
wearing hats, and sometimes gloves. Boys and men wore suits and ties, even
in summer very few did away with their neck-ties. Now some might say that
these people were showing off—but they would be wrong! They dressed in this
way to show reverence for Jesus Christ—indeed, they dressed in the way that
all Americans dressed to show respect and reverence, and to indicate that
they believed that what they were doing was important.
But the, in the 1960s, the “long
march” came up the center aisle of the Church, and dresses and suits gave
way to bowling jackets worn over t-shirts with chinos or blue jeans, and of
course sneakers. The Holy Sacrifice of the Mass began to be attended in the
way one might go to play in the park.
Growing up before the “long march” I
remember when Catholic Churches were places of nearly absolute silence both
before and after Mass. Everyone respected everyone else’s right to engage
in peaceful meditation before the Holy Sacrifice and in quiet thanksgiving
following It. If you had something you just had to say, you
went outside to say it. Even note passing beyond the person next to you
seemed to be out of place. It took something of the magnitude of a fire to
spark a conversation before or after Holy Mass.
The central reason for this quiet
was the universal recognition that Jesus Christ, God, the Son of God was in
the tabernacle on the altar—and that Jesus Christ had the absolute right to
everyone’s attention. No one who understood this reality would want to
spend this time interfering with someone else’s prayers to discuss their
after-Mass dinner plans, or what they thought of yesterday’s football game.
What I am trying to say is that the
carefree attitude introduced into the Church, in the past fifty years or so,
has had the effect of trivializing the most important reality of Western
civilization—people come to church with a far diminished awe and respect for
Jesus Christ. And if they have little regard for Jesus Christ when in His
Real Presence, how much less regard will they have for Him in the everyday
workings of society? Why would we expect people to behave as Christians in
the far more difficult areas of life?
So I am going to ask all of you to
make a statement against cultural Marxism and in favor of Christ the King.
When you come for Sunday Mass, please dress in the way you would for lunch
at the Governor’s Mansion, or as you would for a job interview, or for
seeing someone else you consider to be of top importance—for no one is more
important than Jesus Christ, Whom you will meet face to face in Holy Mass.
And, make a statement, also, by
spending a few minutes before and after Holy Mass in silent prayer. At a
minimum, respect the right of others to enjoy the quiet. Even if you
absolutely must get that first cup of coffee, get it quietly,
and don’t begin the conversations before everyone in the church has finished
his prayers.
Thank you! God love you! And long
live Christ the King!