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Dear Friends and Benefactors,
A few days ago we
celebrated the feast of Christ the King, a feast dear to our hearts since it is
a reminder that our Lord Jesus Christ must reign in our souls, families, and
parishes, at every level in civil society.
The recent Angelus Press
Conference in Kansas City reviewed the doctrinal background of the Church’s
teaching on the Social Kingship of our Lord and presented a few historical
examples of victories of Christendom in the temporal order. Since it is such an
important teaching of our Faith, but one that is much denied in the world in
which we live, I would like to encourage you to obtain a recording of these
conferences from Angelus Press. These are talks that every Catholic should
listen to today in order to form themselves and better understand the
consequences of this doctrine in everyday life.
Permit me in this letter
to echo the conclusions of this three-day conference: how can we today work for
the Social Reign of our Lord Jesus Christ? How can lay people help to restore
all things in Christ?
His Excellency Bishop
Tissier explained that there are two kinds of action for laymen according to the
teaching of the Popes. The first is the help that laymen can give to the priests
in their apostolate, collaborating in the work for souls under the direct
leadership of the priests. Organizations such as the Legion of Mary and the Holy
Name Society, teachers and catechists who assist the priest in the education and
formation of youth, camps and youth groups–all are examples of this form of
assistance. It is the priest’s responsibility to develop and lead these precious
apostolates, which count greatly on the generous involvement of lay Catholics.
His Excellency explained,
however, that there is Catholic Action properly defined, which is to work for
the reign of Christ in civil society. This work is the particular responsibility
of laymen, whose task it is to see that the principles of the Gospel are applied
in society. The priest should be looked to for guidance and support, but the
responsibility and therefore the initiative belong to the laity. This work is
not easy in today’s world, but it must be remembered that it belongs to a
Catholic’s duty of state, and especially to that of Catholic fathers of
families.
So what can you do for the
restoration of Christ the King today?
Your first duty is to form
yourselves. There is a special obligation to understand the teaching of the
Popes regarding this doctrine of Christ’s Social Kingship, and you must do
everything you can to come to a better understanding of it. Read books;
subscribe to The Angelus and other Catholic magazines and newspapers;
deepen your knowledge of the Faith and everything that pertains to it. The base
of your studies should be the encyclicals of the Popes and also the books of
Archbishop Lefebvre, which are very precise summaries and explanations of the
Popes’ teaching. Be careful of all theories which may distract you or lead you
away from this teaching, and look to the priests for guidance and help in
understanding; formation is their direct responsibility.
A second way of working
for the restoration of the Kingship of Christ is to protect and save the
Christian family. The Christian family is under attack from all sides today:
immorality and vulgarity attack us on the radio, in the grocery store, and on
the street. Our economic climate sometimes makes it necessary for the mother to
work outside the home. Young girls are de-feminized and young men are
emasculated. Blasphemy is rampant, especially at Christmas and Easter, where the
holiest feast days of the year are turned into the biggest buying seasons.
Facing these realities,
there are some things you can do which are obvious. First, protect your family:
whatever you do, ask yourselves if it helps your family or hurts it. Does the
television help or hurt? What about the Internet? The things you do for
recreation? What kind of music is listened to in your home? Remember, of course,
that it is neither sufficient nor helpful to simply forbid what is bad. You must
find Catholic alternatives in music, in recreation, and so on.
You must also work to
preserve the family in society. Many of the crimes harming the family are
against the natural law itself! The attack on marriage, the evil of
abortion, the increasing spread of euthanasia and drugs: all are things that
right reason itself abhors. In our pluralist and secular age, it is our duty as
Catholics to work courageously to defend the family as the very foundation of
society. We can do so not only by prayer, not only by respecting the natural law
in our lives, but by action, by lay Catholic Action. In union with already
existing organizations or by creating new ones it is possible to have a real
impact in opposing these crimes against the natural law. United with prayer and
guided by your priest, local protests, legal action, letters to law-makers,
public opposition in newspapers or magazines–all are examples of manifesting our
Faith, spreading seeds of a doctrine which does not belong to us for ourselves
alone. We are meant to be a “ferment” in a world, which, since it was created by
God, must recognize and confess the only Savior of mankind, our Lord Jesus
Christ.
What else can you do?
I encourage you, wherever
you can, to organize and form guilds or professional associations, groups
bringing together people within the same trade or profession. Whether you are a
lawyer, a teacher, a doctor, or a member of any other profession, you can find
mutual support and assistance by collaborating with those who work with you in
your field. Again, this is not a new idea. Archbishop Lefebvre mentions that
social revolutionaries have always attacked these kinds of organizations as
being critical to the Cause of Christ the King. The Saint Joseph’s Businessmen’s
Association and like organizations can help traditional Catholics network,
edify, strengthen, and educate one another. Other associations could be easily
founded throughout the country, collecting the strengths and concerns of
professionals in a particular field. The medical field in particular comes to
mind, since so many of you, as doctors, nurses, or medical personnel, struggle
every day in your job. Such associations could bring support to families,
students, and professionals by publications, conferences, and perhaps even group
medical insurance.
Similarly, it is not
impractical to consider running for office where possible. Parishioners
in places like St. Mary’s and Post Falls have run for various offices, city and
county commissioner, sheriff… and in many cases have won! This is the way
Christians have transformed the world throughout history. As St. Pius X said: “Christendom
does not have to be re-invented. It existed and must exist again.” This is
what it means to restore ALL things in Christ.
In conclusion, it is not
for me to give you specific marching orders, or to detail exactly what you
should do. All of you have different concrete circumstances, different talents,
and different means at your disposal. Nevertheless, I am eager to guide and help
those who are ready to start. The work is large! All of you, wherever you find
yourselves, can do something for our Lord in society. That He is meant to reign
over us as individuals no one really denies. But does He reign over our
families, our towns, and our country? And what can we do about it, seeing that
He does not?
In the coming years, I
would be glad to help and support initiatives around these main lines:
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The defense of the
Catholic families and youth movements
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The defense of the
natural law
-
The creation of guilds
and professional associations
-
Initiatives encouraging
local political action, especially running for public office
The Social Kingship of our
Lord was important to Archbishop Lefebvre. This was not out of mere personal
preference; it was an intrinsic part of his worldview, which he conveyed to his
priests and to the faithful in his writings.
I trust that we may all,
priests and lay people, play our proper role in this restoration. Adveniat
Regnum Tuum!
With my prayers and
blessing, in the Immaculate Heart of Mary.
Fr. Arnaud Rostand |
