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Dear Friends and Benefactors,
We
have just celebrated the Feast of Christ the King; an occasion to honor Our Lord
Jesus Christ, King of Kings, and also to renew our desire and will to restore
everything in Our Lord Jesus Christ.
The
dogma that Our Lord Jesus Christ is King, not only of individuals but also of
nations, is one of the principal dogmas denied in modern society and even in the
Catholic Church today. The new notion of Religious Liberty taught by Vatican II
is incompatible with the social Reign of Our Lord Jesus Christ.
Pope Pius IX in Quanta Cura reminds us that the Kingship of Our Lord
Jesus Christ must be understood to extend not only over individual men, but also
over nations, peoples and sovereigns. In other words, it is a political and
social Kingship as well as, of course, a spiritual one. This doctrine is
wonderfully expressed in the Vespers hymn of the Feast of Christ the King: “May
the rulers of the world publicly honor and extol Thee; May the laws
express Thine order and the arts reflect Thy beauty.” The social Kingship of
Christ over temporal society could not be better summarized!
The
rulers and heads of state, the laws themselves, those who teach them or judge
them, even the arts — all must be submitted to Jesus Christ, “Prince of the
ages, King of nations, and only Master of man’s soul and heart.”
The
apostasy of nations, an undeniable reality of today’s world, does not change
Catholic doctrine, and must not keep us from desiring and working toward the
restoration of the Kingship of Christ.
But
what to do? The apostasy is everywhere, liberal ideas permeate all cultures,
even within the Catholic Church, and the Masonic — anti-Christian — foundation
of our modern world is so obvious… It is easy to become discouraged — but we
should not!
The
first thing for us to do is to lead a Catholic life. This means a life of
prayer, asking God that His “will be done on earth as it is in Heaven,”
asking that all men, ourselves first, submit themselves to God’s will and His
Commandments, as do all the saints in Heaven; begging that the rights of God be
respected in their every aspect, by all men and all nations.
The
first step of Catholic Action for the Kingship of Our Lord Jesus Christ will
always be our own sanctification. This means leading a Catholic life in public
as well as in private; living not only our family life, but also our
professional life according to Catholic principles. It is a matter of being
witnesses to Jesus Christ in a world that denies His Divine rights, of giving
the example of a holy life in the midst of a sinful world, of being faithful to
our duties of state…
The
second necessary action for the restoration of the Kingship of Christ is our
intellectual formation. Today more than ever it is absolutely vital to study
Catholic principles and the Social doctrine of the Catholic Church as defined by
the popes. It is nearly impossible to remain faithful without understanding the
roots of the evil today, the causes of liberality in the world. This knowledge
and understanding must come before any action.
I
cannot but encourage you to read again and again They Have Uncrowned Him
(Angelus Press), a masterpiece written by Archbishop Marcel Lefebvre. It is an
antidote against the Liberal ideas that have been spread for centuries, written
for “the purpose of keeping and protecting the Catholic Faith from the plague
of Liberalism,” as the Archbishop explains in the book’s Preface. For the
Society of St. Pius X, this book has always been and continues to be, in these
matters of Social Doctrine, not only a way to know the teaching of the popes
especially from Leo XIII to Pius XII, but also a way of action, a direction
given to the priests and laity to follow.
Following this indispensable formation, remains the duty to look for and to do
any good possible to maintain what is still in place, or to restore what is
gone.
To
maintain and protect whatever good still exists in our society is a general duty
for every Catholic. We are obliged to do whatever is possible, according to our
own capabilities, to protect and support any remnants of truth, good, and even
beauty of this world — whatever can be salvaged!
An
example of this is the Catholic school; while we can still operate them, it is
our duty to keep them in existence. Another example is a negative one: it is our
duty to block as much as possible any laws that are opposed to Catholic
principles, laws permitting abortion, euthanasia, etc.
A
certain social presence, whenever possible, is another important means of
Catholic Action. Why do Catholics so often remain silent about what is going on
about them? The various professions should make an effort to build ties between
the Catholics in their particular field. Doctors and other health
professionals, for instance, should unite in order to defend the Catholic
principles involved in the medical field. Lawyers and other legal professionals
should work together on any possible action to defend the rights of God and of
the Catholic Church; businessmen should work together to assist in providing the
needs of the Church, and so forth.
To
conclude this letter, let me quote our dear founder Archbishop Lefebvre:
What are we to do in the face of this impious explosion of hatred for God and
contempt for all that is most sacred in the human person? First, we must
avenge the honor of God by leading a more intensely Christian life. Next, we
must make reparation for the sins of the godless by a life of penance.
Finally, we must strive with all our might to establish the Kingship of Our
Lord Jesus Christ in civil society and in family life…. Pastoral Letters of
Archbishop Marcel Lefebvre, p. 9 (Angelus Press)
With my prayers and blessing,
In the Immaculate Heart of Mary,
Fr. Arnaud Rostand |
