| Written by Luiz Sérgio Solimeo | ||||
 We are witnessing a surge of popular outrage and even revulsion against an onslaught of ideologically liberal changes affecting the lives of millions of Americans. This outrage is fueled, among other things, by the following:• decisions of activist judges favoring homosexualist or private property-denying socialist agendas and showing complete disregard for public opinion; • junk science academics whose unwarranted and twisted findings are celebrated in the liberal media and establishment and are subsequently used to justify society-changing legislation and regulation; • out-of-touch, liberal politicians using legislation or the raw power of government to intervene more and more inappropriately in the lives of Americans, creating in the process a leviathan Socialist State; • ideologically-motivated media run amok, showering notoriety on leftist and opportunistic intellectuals, politicians, and entertainment celebrities willing to trumpet the “politically correct” line on a spectrum of controverted issues. Do Not Confuse “Liberal Establishment” with True Elites Undoubtedly, the individuals targeted by this furor can somehow be considered as elites. However, they do not represent true elites. Rather, they represent the latter’s corruption. They act contrary to the mission of all true elites which is based on service to the common good and the positive influencing of others, so as to foster goodness and virtue. There is therefore a danger of conflating the “liberal establishment” with true elites and, while attacking the evils of liberalism, to play inadvertently the game of the left by favoring social egalitarianism. In sum, if we do not make the necessary distinction, we will “throw the baby out with the bath water.” Thus, it is imperative to have a clear notion of what a true elite is so as not to confuse it with distortions or caricatures. Since society cannot live without a ruling class, the destruction of natural elites will cause them to be replaced with a new class of bureaucrats forming a nomenklatura, as happened in socialist countries. Elites, Excellence and Altruism The French word élite was incorporated into the English language in 1823 but has its remote origins in the Latin term eligere, “to choose.” It is employed to designate individuals or groups who stand out in a special way in a certain social setting or activity. Thus, elite is used to designate “a group of persons who by virtue of position or education exercise much power or influence;” and thus we speak of “the elite of the entertainment world” or “members of the ruling elite;” and “the intellectual elites of the country.”1 The philosophical Encyclopedie de L’Agora defines elite as “the best of the best.” Littré2 cites fleur [flower] as the first synonym of elite. “The elite of an army is the flower of the army. In the words of Tocqueville, an intellectual elite
Distinguishing Between True and Decadent Elites According to Prof. Plinio Corrêa de Oliveira, “countries which have an elite that is conscious of its responsibility are countries that rise in the firmament of history and brilliantly accomplish their mission. On the contrary, however, nations whose elites are unaware of their responsibility and mission are nations that inevitably fail and plunge into the great catastrophes of history.” The reason for this, the illustrious Brazilian thinker explains, is that if the “elite has the privileges it has” it must not live to enjoy these privileges but rather “to serve society entirely,” which supposes “that the elite be disposed to make the necessary sacrifices to accomplish its mission.” And, he continues, “The main responsibility or mission of an elite individual—whatever may be the area of his excellence—is to dedicate himself to the common good. This donation of self to the common good consists in having a clear concept of what the elite must do.” And that is why “if the elite renounces its responsibility to be the social class that sets the tone in society—a moralizing and Christian tone rather than a de-Christianizing and paganizing one—it ceases to be a true elite.”4 Combat Socialism, Not True Elites Given the confused state of notions in many minds today, we need to insist that a nation cannot exist, or at least it cannot develop normally, without true elites; because a nation progresses only with the impulse of the best, the most skilled, and the most virtuous.
Because of socialism’s egalitarian essence, it loathes the natural elites that rise thanks to the development and use of talents, free enterprise and the hereditary perpetuation of family values and merits. What outraged Americans ought to do when corrupted elites favor socialism is not to condemn all elites indiscriminately but to combat the former. In other words, they should target the specific elites that allowed themselves to become corrupted. Without this special care to distinguish between false and true elites, one ends up by inadvertently playing into the hands of the enemy we are trying to defeat: socialism. Outrage against the liberal establishment has sparked increased talk about America’s Founding Fathers. However, few remember to note, much less ponder on how they were members of the social, cultural, and political elite of their time. We live in dangerous times that require great clarity of vision and strength in action. Let us eschew all muddled, anti-elitist thinking and rhetoric and remain faithful to America’s principled and battle-seasoned anti-communist and anti-socialist past. Should we do this, the troubles we are going through may well become America’s “finest hour.” Footnotes1. Merriam-Webster.com, s.v. “Elite,” http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/elite; cf. Online Etymology Dictionary, s.v. “Elite,” http://www.etymonline.com/index.php?search=elite&searchmode=none. [back]2. Émile Maximilien Paul Littré (1801–1881) was a French lexicographer and philosopher, best known for his Dictionnaire de la langue française, commonly called “The Littré.” [back] 3. S.v. “Elite,” in Encyclopedie de L’Agora, at http://agora.qc.ca/mot.nsf/Dossiers/Elite [our translation]. [back] 4. Plinio Corrêa de Oliveira, “O importante papel das elites a serviço da sociedade,” [The Important Role of Elites at the Service of Society] May 6, 1968 speech in Buenos Aires, http://www.pliniocorreadeoliveira.info/DIS_680506_importanciadaselites.htm; Cf. Plinio Corrêa de Oliveira, Nobility and Analogous Traditional Elites, http://www.tfp.org/tfp-home/books/nobility-and-analogous-traditional-elites.html. [back] |
Friday, October 8, 2010
A Society Without Elites is a Socialist Society
Thursday, October 7, 2010
Our Lady’s Fool
In 17th century France, there was a young man who rejected the world and gave everything to the Blessed Mother. He was considered a fool by the worldly minded.
He was persecuted, maligned and physically attacked by heretics, hoodlums and libertines.
The worst persecution, however, came from lukewarm Catholics. Most tragically, he was often silenced by the Church hierarchy and clergy. Eventually, he was banned from every diocese in France, except two.
Finally, he was poisoned. He died in 1716, at the age of 43.
His name is Saint Louis de Montfort.
The Rosary was his favorite prayer, which he preached with special vigor and great fruit.
For example, around the turn of the eighteenth century in Rennes, France, a family named D’Orvilles presented him a problem.
Mr. D’Orvilles complained that his house adjoined the city square where much sin and immorality took place. He said young people would come there at odd hours, sin and make so much noise that they would distract those in his household during the Rosary.
He asked the saint, “What could be done about this?”
“Make a niche in the façade of the wall that overlooks the square,” replied Saint Louis de Montfort. “Put a statue of Our Lady there, and pray the Rosary in front of her.”
“In the public square?” replied Mr. D’Orvilles.
“In the public square right in front of the image of Our Lady,” instructed the saint.
The day following the completion of the niche, Mr. D’Orvilles, his family and all the servants from his household, prayed the Rosary in the public square. His wife lead the mysteries while he stood guard with a whip to keep the aggressions of young hoodlums at bay.
While praying, many carriages went through the public square, and some friends even called out to him inviting him and his wife to party. At first he was tempted to hide his Rosary beads in his hand, but he conquered himself and held the Rosary high so that all could see that he was at prayer.
A strange thing happened. After saying the Rosary daily for some time, the public square Rosary became a curious attraction.
“People came in crowds to pray, as if some great church ceremony were taking place, and soon, the disorders in the square ceased.”*
Much of what happened in Rennes, France, is happening in America today.
The response to the Public Square Rosary Rally has been excellent.
On October 16th, 5,800 Rosaries will be prayed in public because every city in the United States and in the world is in need of conversion.
Our Lady revealed at Fatima that God wishes to establish devotion to the Immaculate Heart of Mary as the solution for the world’s sins and impurity.
America Needs Fatima is inviting every Catholic to give public testimony to our divine faith by joining the Public Square Rosary on October 16th.
That’s the way to be part of the “Divine solution” that Our Lady gave us at Fatima.
This story of the D’Orvilles family is one of many examples where the power of the Rosary helped to transform public opinion.
America Needs Fatima is trying to use the power of the Rosary as Saint Louis recommended on a national scale. In every city and town in America.
On our Web site, you’ll find more details on the Public Square Rosary Rally on October 16, 2010.
Our Lady asked for prayer, penance and sacrifice for the conversion of sinners. The Rosary is the prayer. Standing in a public place is the penance and sacrifice.
Together we can repeat history for the sake of America and help accelerate “The Triumph of My Immaculate Heart!” for the greater glory of Our Lady.
Let’s be Our Lady’s fools too.
Thank you, and may God bless you!
* Adapted from Eddie Doherty, Wisdom’s Fool (Bay Shore, N.Y., Montfort Publications, 1993), 214.
Tuesday, October 5, 2010
STOP Planned Parenthood at Boston College: Sign the Protest
Boston College Law School – a Catholic Jesuit institution – currently lists the Planned Parenthood League of Massachusetts on its web site under "pro bono organizations." Founded in 1863 by the Society of Jesus, Boston College has 14,623 students.
TFP Student Action is doing something about it! To protest, sign the petition below.
For the full story, click here.
Monday, October 4, 2010
When Saints Formed Children
"God make me to know, love, and serve Him in this world in order lo be happy with Him in the next." Thus does the child correctly answer the catechism question of why God made him.
In consonance with this basic notion, Catholic education has traditionally meant fashioning the child's whole personality for the practice of virtue. It thus produced children with consciences, in marked contrast to the troubled and problem children so prevalent today.
Modern schools have, for the most part, lost sight of - or utterly ignore - the true finality of education. Let us look back, then, to a time when saints formed children, leading them along the path of virtue.
Following are some selected passages from the educational guidelines laid down by Saint John Bosco last century. These forgotten truths are every bit as timely now as then.
On music: "Any educational center without music is a body without a soul. Music educates, soothes, and elevates; it is a most efficacious means for instilling discipline and contributing to morality."
On love for beauty: "The teacher must also help his charges perfect their sentiments for beauty. This is a natural sentiment, but it must be developed and perfected. A11 children have a capacity to appreciate the beauties of nature, art, and religion.
In consonance with this basic notion, Catholic education has traditionally meant fashioning the child's whole personality for the practice of virtue. It thus produced children with consciences, in marked contrast to the troubled and problem children so prevalent today.
Modern schools have, for the most part, lost sight of - or utterly ignore - the true finality of education. Let us look back, then, to a time when saints formed children, leading them along the path of virtue.
Following are some selected passages from the educational guidelines laid down by Saint John Bosco last century. These forgotten truths are every bit as timely now as then.
On music: "Any educational center without music is a body without a soul. Music educates, soothes, and elevates; it is a most efficacious means for instilling discipline and contributing to morality."
On love for beauty: "The teacher must also help his charges perfect their sentiments for beauty. This is a natural sentiment, but it must be developed and perfected. A11 children have a capacity to appreciate the beauties of nature, art, and religion.
 |
| Our Lord teaching children. |
"I recall that when I was a boy my mother taught mc to look up and gaze at the sky and to observe the marvels of the countryside. During the serene and starlit nights, she look me outside and showed me the heavens and said to me, 'It is God Who created the world and put so many beautiful stars above. If the firmament is so beautiful, how will paradise be?' And when spring came around, with its wealth of flowers across the countryside, she would exclaim: 'How many beautiful things the Lord has made for us!' And when the clouds gathered, and the skies darkened and the thunder roared: 'How powerful the Lord is! Who can resist Him? Therefore, let us not commit sins.' And in winter, when all was covered with snow and ice, and we would gather together around the fire, she, even amidst our poverty, would say: 'How grateful we should be to the Lord Who has provided us with all that is necessary! God is truly our Father: Our Father, Who art in heaven...'"
On intellectual formation: "To cultivate only the intellect, abandoning all the other human faculties, is to deform man.
"Intellectual education encompasses a series of norms, of practical measures and appropriate resources to provide the juvenile intelligence with the knowledge of letters and sciences indispensable and helpful for life. But the school should not presume to take the place of the family, and much less the Church. School must teach in relation to life."
On moral formation: "All, or nearly all, educators sec the development of the intellect as their principal responsibility to the child.
However, this displays a lack of prudence, for they do not understand—or else easily lose sight of—human nature and the reciprocal dependency of our faculties. They direct all their efforts to the development of the cognitive faculties and sentiments, which they erroneously and tragically confound with the faculty of love. In so doing, they completely disregard the sovereign faculty, the will, which is the only source of true and pure love, and of which the sensibility is but a type of outward appearance.
"What is the obligation of the Christian teacher? According to the spirit of Jesus Christ and the practice of His moral law, the mother, the father or the teacher, must avoid giving a vitiated education to the children Providence has entrusted to them; their immediate end must be to direct the child along the path of sanctity, whose guideposts are renunciation and generosity. To communicate the spirit of sacrifice, the teacher must direct his charges, above all, to cultivate their reason and will without neglecting any of the other faculties."
On social formation: "Games are also social elements that should not be belittled. For this reason, we give them much importance. Games leach the child to control himself and not to injure or bother his companions; to develop social sensibility; to increase habits of courtesy, affability, and manners; to stimulate the exercise of justice and loyalty, indispensable conditions not only for games but for all forms of social activity."
On religious education: "Education must develop in youth a passion for good and a hatred of evil. The teacher is duty-bound lo understand that this is an effect of correspondence or lack of conformity to the will of God.
"One of the defects or vices of modern pedagogy is the reduction of religion to pure sentiment. For this reason, it does not want to speak to children about, or even name, the eternal truths: death, judgment, and, much less, hell."
From Biografia y Escritos de San Juan Bosco, Madrid: B.A.C., 1955.
On intellectual formation: "To cultivate only the intellect, abandoning all the other human faculties, is to deform man.
"Intellectual education encompasses a series of norms, of practical measures and appropriate resources to provide the juvenile intelligence with the knowledge of letters and sciences indispensable and helpful for life. But the school should not presume to take the place of the family, and much less the Church. School must teach in relation to life."
On moral formation: "All, or nearly all, educators sec the development of the intellect as their principal responsibility to the child.
However, this displays a lack of prudence, for they do not understand—or else easily lose sight of—human nature and the reciprocal dependency of our faculties. They direct all their efforts to the development of the cognitive faculties and sentiments, which they erroneously and tragically confound with the faculty of love. In so doing, they completely disregard the sovereign faculty, the will, which is the only source of true and pure love, and of which the sensibility is but a type of outward appearance.
"What is the obligation of the Christian teacher? According to the spirit of Jesus Christ and the practice of His moral law, the mother, the father or the teacher, must avoid giving a vitiated education to the children Providence has entrusted to them; their immediate end must be to direct the child along the path of sanctity, whose guideposts are renunciation and generosity. To communicate the spirit of sacrifice, the teacher must direct his charges, above all, to cultivate their reason and will without neglecting any of the other faculties."
On social formation: "Games are also social elements that should not be belittled. For this reason, we give them much importance. Games leach the child to control himself and not to injure or bother his companions; to develop social sensibility; to increase habits of courtesy, affability, and manners; to stimulate the exercise of justice and loyalty, indispensable conditions not only for games but for all forms of social activity."
On religious education: "Education must develop in youth a passion for good and a hatred of evil. The teacher is duty-bound lo understand that this is an effect of correspondence or lack of conformity to the will of God.
"One of the defects or vices of modern pedagogy is the reduction of religion to pure sentiment. For this reason, it does not want to speak to children about, or even name, the eternal truths: death, judgment, and, much less, hell."
From Biografia y Escritos de San Juan Bosco, Madrid: B.A.C., 1955.
Friday, October 1, 2010
Polish Bishops' Conference Refuses to Consecrate Poland to Christ the King
Warsaw (kath.net/KAP) Poland's bishops are against the campaign of a popular movement that wants to consecrate Poland to Christ the King. Their motto is: Christ, King of Poland. This plan should be given up, said the president of the Polish Bishops' Conference, Archbishop Jozef Michalik, this Wednesday at the close of the autumn meeting of bishops in Warsaw. The Kingdom of Christ is "not of this world."In the concluding explanation the Bishops warn against the idea that the enthronement of Christ as the King of Poland, "will solve all problems." In place of this they propose, the deepening faith in Christ as the "King of the Universe." Michalik recognized the good intentions of the movement.
More than 1,000 people recently demonstrated in Warsaw for a proclamation of Christ the King of Poland. They came with National flags and pictures of the Crowned Christ.
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