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THE ATHANASIAN
A publication of Traditional Catholics of America t Editor: Fr. Francis E. Fenton, STL t Volume VII, No. 6 t September 1, 1986
THE NEW AGE MOVEMENT
AND THE CONCIUAR CHURCH
John Kenneth Weiskittel
T here is no end, it would seem, to the scandals of the
Conciliar "Catholic" Church. The latest excursion
made by the New Church down the alleys .of heresy is its
"The good news of the Gospel is that we are deified," Father
Matthew Fox, O.P., told his audience during a 1980 lecture
given at Milwaukee's St. Francis Seminary. Father Fox is
growing involvement with the so-called New Age Movement. much in demand around Conciliar circles these days. A pro-
fessor at Holy Names College in Oakland, California, the
Regular readers of The Athanasian will recall an earlier Dominican has been a guest speaker in the Detroit Arch-
article, "The 'New Age' Cultists," in the issue of December 1, diocese on at least two occasions, given an acupressure
1983. The New Age Movement is a worldwide conspiratorial seminar to the National Conference of Catholic Bishops,
networK of groups dedicated tot1ie es f1s men o a New written several books (some printed by his own Bear & Co.
Worm Orc er-a ne or -Cfiurch and Government. It publishers) and started an Institute for Creation-Centered
seeks -to accomplisnitsgoalsthrouglraolendmg of world Spirituality (ICCS) which offers a nine-month master's
religions into a hodgepodge "superchurch" and by having degree program at Chicago's Mundelein College. He is also,
national governments relinquish sovereignty in favor of a in the view of Mrs. Cumbey, "the most pronounced Catholic
world-governing body such as the United Nations. In this New Age and witchcraft/shamanism advocate I am currently
melting-pot religion the teachings and practices of Christian- – aware of"" { n this an other wnfings ivlrs. Cumbey fails to
ity are disfigured beyond recognition under the weight of d1stmgmsh between the Conciliar "Catholic" and the true
pagan beliefs. Catholic.)
Constance Cumbey, a Protestant attorney and author, has Father Fox has, at times, rejected the "New Age" label. Does
probably researched the New Age infiltration of Christian he merit it? You be the judge. In his writings (which include
churches more thoroughly than anyone. In her first book, On Becoming a Musical, Mystical Bear; Whee! Wee, We, All
The Hidden Dangers of the Rainbow (Huntington House, the Way Home … A Guide to Sensual, Prophetic Spirituality;
1983), she asserts: "If there has been a single Catholic pop~ Original Blessing; and Manifesto for a Global Civilization)
who permitted the ew gers' pans to take root w1thm the he provides us with a look at his thinking. Despite the some-
· ,Roman Catliolic hurch, 1t was Pope JohnXXftlWno1s times flippant titles, these books are of a serious nature and
spo en of reverentia11ybyNew-Agers and Catholic modern- are enormously popular with Conciliar Catholic, "main-
ists." An example of John XXIII's movement in this direction stream" Protestant and New Age readers. (One CCD teacher
is seen in a book by the Benedictine Dom Aelred Graham, in Detroit told Mrs. Cumbey that his use in classes of St.
Zen Catholicism (Harcourt, Brace & World, 1963). Accord- Augustine and St. Thomas Aquinas for 30 years was "a waste
ing to a New York Times item cited there, on November 18, of time. I wish I had been teaching Father Matthew Fox!")
1962, "the Pope received 28 Japanese Buddhist monks in a
special audlerice in his library. He to t e mon t at ot So, what "insights" does Father Fox have to impart? In his
Roman Catholicism and Buddhism work for peace, seek the Manifesto we are told that the "Kingdom/Queendom of God
betterment of man and honor God." And Robert Muller, the has begun," but "the bad news is that it has not fully begun
Conciliar Assistant Secretary-General of the UN and an open and is never fully incarnated-much less institutionalized-
New Ager, goes so far in his New Genesis (Doubleday, 1982) in any one form or expres~ion of spirituality. The Holy Spirit
as to write: "There is no doubt that Paul VI, together with will not be locked in to any one form of religious faith."
John XXIII and John Paul II, will be remembered as the three Having dispensed with "misconceptions" regarding the na-
great Popes of Peace, pioneers of a momentous transcen- ture of God, the Incarnation and the Church, ~ther Fox
dence of the Catholic Church into the New Age." It is, after also writes, "the resum tion that ori inal sin is a vajid start-
all, but a short step from "single community" to "OHe .ing point for spiritual living must be let go of. .. " Why? Be-
World." cause "(g)lobal interdependence requires a g o al ecumeni-
-cal awakening," and talk of such 'ootua:telh:urrcepts1 as
Bears, Starhawks And Other New Age Beasts _original sin could damage "meaningful" dialogue and colla-
boration. It is quite certain that Miriam Starhawk would idolatry.
never have agreed to teach at Conciliar Catholic Holy Names
College if she thought he believed in such a "guilt trip." A scathing self-indictment, is it not? How can an alleged
Catholic priest, writing in large part to other twentieth-
And who, pray tell, is Miriam Starhawk? She is, writes century Christians, speak of turning from the "Gods of the
Constance Cumbey in A Planned Deception (Pointe past," particularly when he is involved with pagans such as
Publishers, 1985), merely "one of the world's most politi- Miriam Starhawk? It doesn't take much reading between the
cally active and important witches." (emphasis added). Mrs. lines to see that Father Fox is referring to traditional
Cumbey reveals some highly damning evidence. In the Fall Christianity.
1983 issue of Circle Network News (a self-described "non-
profit international Pagan-Craft resource center") an article Father Fox's Bear & Co. catalog has been sent out in New
related Holy Names College apostasy, but in glowing terms. Age mailings and his firm is called a major New Age center
It describes Father Fox as "an open-minded and open- by David Spangler, a leader in several "Aquarian" groups
hearted Dominican Priest" whose ICCS "is primarily and a former contributing editor to the New Age Journal.
devoted to transforming Christianity from a sin-and- This is the same man who teaches that "Christ is the same
redemption focus to one that sees God manifest in force as Lucifer" (New Agers publicly pretend that Lucifer is
Creation." The. comments of Miriam Starhawk, who is also distinct from Satan) and that a "Luciferian initiation" will be
proud of the witchcraft services she's participated in at required as "an initiation into the New Age." Spangler's
Unitarian churches, are most telling of the mentality at Holy occult colleague Benjamin Creame, writes Mrs. Cumbey,
Names College and are reproduced in full: "has declared that 'revitalized' Christian churches as well as
Teaching ritual and the history of Goddess religion to Masonic lodges will be used for purposes of giving these
priests, ministers, nuns, and educators was a new 'mass planetary initiations"' and hints at punishment to
experience but deeply rewarding. I found the students those who refuse. In Original Blessing Father Fox describes
very open to new ideas, hungry for new forms of ritual Spangler and Marilyn Ferguson (author of the Book of the
and very creative. We jumped the cauldron, danced Month Club bestseller, The Aquarian Conspiracy) as "New
the spiral, and discovered new ways to heal and Age Mystics." In just exactly what Father Fox believes isn't
support each other. I am very glad to discover such a clear-but it isn't Catholicsm.
strong movement within Christian churches that is
sympathetic to the Pagan Spirit and willing to learn Conciliar- New Age "Networking"
from the teachings of the Old Religon. (Emphasis Networking is an expression common to "peace," feminist,
added by Mrs. Cumbey; "Goddess religion," "the Old "human rights" and New Age groups. It refers to different
Religion" are, of course, euphemisms for witchcraft, organizations working together for the same goal and pro-
but is "the Pagan Spirit" Satan?) bably comes from computer jargon or TV networks sending
the same program to stations around the country. Conciliar
Other pagans and occultists who have spoken on once- involvement in the New Age Movement is no passing fancy
Catholic campuses include Church of Satan founder Anton but rather a growing commitment.
LaVey, Lucumi (voodoo) priestess Luisah Teish, Native
American ritualist Ed Seveilla and Hindu guru Sri Chinmoy, Three of "Pope" John Paul H's favorite people are Mother
who leads the UN's bimonthly meditation program. Teresa, Dom Helder Camara and Robert Muller. All have
the "one-religion-is-as-good-as-another" mentality and have
Father Fox's ties to the New Age don't stop here. In Whee! been guest speakers (as has Brother David Steindl-Rast) at
Wee, We, All the Way Home (Bear & Co.,1981), he says the Movement's Temple of Understanding.
that Moses was infuriated with the Israelites for worshiping
the golden calf, not because they were idolaters who dis- For some it would be almost sacrilegious to question any-
obeyed God but because they worshiped according to "the thing about Nobel Prize winner, Mother Teresa. This Rou-
religion of the previous age, the Age of the Bull. They manian nun's selfless work amongst India's outcasts is in-
refused to face the new spiritual consciousness that Moses deed admirable but her approach is something less than
ushered in, that of the Age of the Ram." According to this Catholic. It has always been the practice in truly Catholic
astrological theology, the biblical transition is comparable hospitals for nursing sisters to work and pray for the conver-
"to today's Age of Pisces yielding to the Age of Aquarius." sion of ill non-Catholics to the One True Faith. Not so for
The Age of Aquarius is synonymous with New Age, and Mother Teresa-she doesn't even define conversion as one
Father Fox, playing the part of a New Age Moses, warns his would expect a real nun to do. Listen to her own words, re-
readers: corded by Desmond Doig in his biography, Mother Teresa:
So we, too, on the verge of breaking into a new spiri- Her People and Her Work (Wm. Collins Sons, 1976):
tual age, need to beware of the Gods of the past. They What we are all trying to do by our work, by serving
will continued to haunt us and attract us by nostalgia the people, is to come closer to God. If in coming face
and other temptations … We have a clear lesson from to face with God we accept Him in our lives, then we
the Israelites: to look back piningly is to commit are converting. We become a better Hindu, a better
THE ATHANASIAN 2 SEPTEMBER 1, 1986
Muslim, a better Catholic, a better whatever we us a clearer picture of his New Age commitment when he
are … If we accept Him fully in our lives, then that is states:
conversion. What approach would I use? For me, natu- I rely a great deal on Teilhard. (Elsewhere he speaks
rally, it would be a Catholic one, for you it may be of being "totally and absolutely" devoted to Teilhard,
Hindu, for someone else, Buddhist, according to one's who is considered a "prophet" by New Agers.-JKW)
conscience. What God is in your mind you must ac- We have the same utopia, we are going in the same
cept. (emphasis added; are we in a Shriners hospital direction. Like him I believe humanity is moving
here or what?) towards a higher level of consciousness. In every
race, every religion, every human group there are
When asked for specifics she was more than happy to oblige: minorities that are very different from one another,
We live that they may die, so that they may go home but have as a common denominator the same hunger
according to what is written in the book, be it ac- and thirst for a world that is freer, more just, more
cording to Hindu, or Muslim, or Buddhist, or .Catholic, brotherly: and when I see the vitality of these groups,
or Protestant, or any other belief … We give them I have enormous confidence in the future.
whatever they ask according to their faith. Some ask
for Ganges water, some for Holy Water, for a word or Far outstripping Mother Teresa and Dom Helder in New
for a prayer … Age accomplishments, however, is UN Assistant Secretary-
General Robert Muller. He has used his highly visible and
Mother Teresa, who has also spoken at New Age gatherings, influential post to advance the Movement's goals at every
finds Hindu women coming to her "who want our way of turn. Muller can hardly be said to be naive concerning the
life .. . They want the life of a Missionary. But they wish to activities of the United Nations-he has been associated
retain their faith, their own belief in God." And does she with that body since 1948.
urge them to take instructions to become Christians? No.
She seems ready to assimilate them into her order as is. In The Muller opus, New Genesis: Shaping a Global Spiri-
her words: "Now I don't know how this works … I am trying tuality (Doubleday, 1982), is a veritable New Age textbook,
to think of a way." If Mother Teresa has fallen victim to the so full it is of the major premises of the conspiracy. Here we
New Age, then isn't anyone in the Conciliar Church fair read "the philosopher of the United Nations and its pro-
game? phet of hope" telling us that, if anyone asks him which is
the best religion, he'll reply: "You are born into a religion
Dom Helder Camara, retired archbishop of Recife, Brazil, is and it will give you full satisfaction. Be interested in all
a more easily believed New Age activist and a link between religions, in what they have in common, but there is no
the Movement and liberation theology. Son of a Freemason, compelling reason to switch." He tells us that, along with
he has always been well received in the New Rome. Paul VI Teilhard, the late Secretary-General U Thant-a Bud-
affectionately called him "my communist bishop." John Paul dhist- was "one who inspired me, someone I could imitate
II openly embraced him in Brazil, while exclaiming "my like a father. '' Equally high is his praise for the other great
brother." Eastern religion: "Hindus call our earth Brahma, or God,
for they rightly see no difference between our earth and the
In the book, Dom Helder Camara: The Conversations of a divine … " (emphasis added) What the world needs is a con-
Bishop (Collins, 1979), the archbishop's view of Vatican II is vergence of the different religions in the search for and def-
unique to say the least: ~ inition of the cosmic or divine laws which ought to regulate
Invisible presences played an important part in the our behaviour on this planet. " This is to be accomplished
Council. Most important of all perhaps was the invis- when the faiths "accelerate their ecumenism and create
ible presence of Pope John. Even after his death he common world religious institutions."
was living among us. I was also aware of the invisible
presence of Teilhard de Chardin: some of the great And the United Nations, "a great sign of this new age," will
theses of the Council are positively Teilhardian … (No lead the way. "How happy the Gautama Buddha, Jesus and
argument here on that last point.-JKW) Mahomet (Mohammed-JKW) would be," Muller exults, "if
they could see the United Nations!" It is his "great personal
Now, this might not seem like much at first glance. After all, dream … to get a tremendous alliance between all the
we often hear of someone being referred to as "here in major religions and the UN." To help bring this about he
spirit," and Dom Helder could mean it in that sense. But it is advocates, among other things, the publishing of "a Bible
also true that Brazil is rife with Macumba and other voodoo- which would show how the United Nations is a modern bib-
related "spirit" cults which have sizable support in the Bra- lical institution, bent on implementing worldwide the wise
zilian Conciliar Church. (For more on this topic see "Occult- precepts and divine commandments of the Bible … (and)
ism in the Conciliar 'Catholic' Church" in the October 15, the same done for all the great religions or sacred books,
1984 issue of The Athanasian.) Given his pagan propensi- such as the Koran, the Grand Sahib, etc."
ties, it is quite possible that when the archbishop speaks of
"invisible presences" he is being literal. Dom Helder gives us continued on page 8
THE ATHANASIAN 3 SEPTEMBER 1, 1986
Catholic Action-Vexilla Regis (The Battle Standards of the King)
Fr. Francis E. Fenton
' 'I n our time more than ever before, the chief
strength of the wicked lies in the cowardice and
these have done?
weakness of good men … All the strength of Satan's reign But where, pray tell, is this Church "Militant," where are
is due to the easygoing weakness of Catholics." Thus these soldiers of Christ in these days of unprecedented
spoke Pope Saint Pius X on the occasion of the beatifica- crisis for our beloved Church? How long more will "Satan's
tion of Saint Joan of Arc on December 13, 1908. If that reign" continue because of "the cowardice and weakness
noble pontiff were alive today, with far greater truth would of good men" in the ranks of traditional Catholicism?
his words apply and in far stronger language would he
speak. Surely never before throughout the Christian cen- tttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttt
turies has "Satan's reign" been more in evidence than it is
in this our day and never before has the Roman Catholic In 1980 Father William Jenkins began an association on
Church been in more dire straits than it is at the present Long Island, New York called Vexilla Regis (the term
time. And there is, to my mind, no question but that the means Standards of the King and comes from the encycli-
powers of hell are so dominant a force on the world scene cal of Pope Pius XII, Summi Pontificatus). In the inter-
today primarily because of what has happened to the vening years Vexilla groups have been established in
Roman Catholic Church over the past 25 years. While that several cities in the eastern part of the country, including
Church assuredly remains the One, ·True and Eternal Cleveland and Cincinnati, Ohio. A few months ago it was
Church of Christ, its current sorrowful human condition is, my good fortune to attend and take part in the annual con-
far and away, the paramount reason for the monstrous vention of the Vexilla Regis Association in Cincinnati. I
reign of Satan in this latter half of the twentieth century. was very impressed by what I saw and heard there. An
apostolic spirit and deep sense of loyalty to the Faith were
Occasional articles in past issues of this newsletter have very much in evidence among the approximately 80 lay-
discussed the subject of Catholic Action and the crying men and several priests in attendance.
need here and now for the Church "Militant." The urgency
of the demand at the present time for militant Roman The purpose of the Vexilla Regis Association, in Father
Catholics can hardly be exaggerated. Nor is there any ne- Jenkins' words, is "to keep the idea of Christendom alive …
cessity to detail here the reasons for saying this for they to carry on the work of Catholic action in a world that
are all too manifest almost everywhere. It is understood, of despises Christ. .. to represent the rights of Our Lord Jesus
course, that the Catholics to whom we refer must be men Christ as God not only of the Church, but of all human
and women of prayer, of solid faith, honorable, humble, society." To realize this purpose members must first con-
prudent-men and women whose Roman Catholic Faith is centrate on a program aimed at personal sanctification
the center and guiding force of their daily lives and their through prayer and study of the Faith. (Each meeting of a
most treasured possession. But is not the large majority of Vexilla Regis group begins with Mass or the rosary and
traditional Catholics of this caliber? Perhaps so. Even if we concludes with the Litany of the Sacred Heart.) Depending
grant that they are, however, all but a very few of them lack on circumstances the Catholic Action portion of the
one vital quality-and that is militancy. ,. Vexilla program may take various forms . Among the activ-
ities in which Vexilla Regis groups have thus far engaged
Through the Sacrament of Confirmation we received the themselves have been the annual sponsorship on January
grace "to profess our Faith as strong and perfect Chris- 22 of a Solemn Mass of reparation for abortion in Wash-
tians and soldiers of Jesus Christ. " If ever there was a time ington, D.C. and, in Cleveland, public rosary processions
which called for Roman Catholics to activate that grace, to in the downtown area, serving both as reparation for abor-
stand up and be counted, to profess their Faith publicly tion and as an eloquent display of loyalty to the Faith.
and to defend it courageously-that time is now! Make no
mistake about this: the principal target of Communism and The members of the Vexilla Regis Association are Catholic
Freemasonry and the secular humanists and other anti- Men for Christ the King. Grounded in a firm knowledge of
God forces is the Roman Catholic Church (the real one, the Faith and in sound spirituality-and undaunted by
that is, not the Conciliar counterfeit)-and that Church is "cowardice and weakness" -they are willing to profess the
under assault as never before by those hellbent on its de- Faith publicly and to stand up against its enemies with
struction. Hence the desperate need today for Roman apostolic zeal. Marching under the battle standards of the
Catholics who are truly soldiers of Christ, who are mili- King (Vexilla Regis), they are committed not only to keep
tantly Catholic, who are willing to fight and, if necessary, the ideal of Christian civilization alive but to do their full
put their lives on the line in testimony to the greatest cause part to destroy the reign of Satan and "to restore all things
on earth-the Faith. So did the multitude of martyrs all in Christ." The Vexilla Regis Association offers real hope
down through the Christian centuries. Can we not do what and promise. t
THE ATHANASIAN 4 SEPTEMBER 1, 1986
Saint John Mary Vianney
Jill Wiesner
O n May 31, 1925, the Feast of Pentecost, Pope Pius XI
announced to the world: "We declare to be a saint
and we enroll in the catalogue of the saints the Blessed
various trades to account for their movements. Father Baley
worked as a carpenter and Father Groboz as a cook.
Jean-Marie-Baptiste Vianney." Saint John Vianney, born Catholics were informed of the time and place of Mass by a
during the French Revolution, faced the same enemy of the messenger from Ecully. Each family left home silently,
Church we face today and, in every encounter with this under cover of darkness, and slipped into the barn or inner
enemy, he was triumphant. His is a lesson for us who stand room where Mass was to be held. Behind an improvised di-
in defense of the Faith. vider the priest heard confessions and then laid out the altar
stone, missal, chalice, and several small altar breads which
Jean-Marie was born in the French village of Dardilly on he had brought with him. His vestments were shaken out to
May 8, 1786, the fourth of six children of Matthieu and remove the wrinkles, and the Mass, for which all present
Marie Vianney. When Jean-Marie was three, the dark clouds risked their lives, began. Little Jean-Marie was deeply im-
of the French Revolution enveloped France. Though the pressed by the quiet heroism of these priests and his Faith
pillage of Saint-Lazare, the taking of the Bastille and the became even more precious to him.
decrees suppressing the clergy, the monasteries and reli-
gious vows did not at first affect the village of Dardilly, the The year 1793 brought the Reign of Terror. As the guillo-
civil consfitution of the clergy, which required all priests to tine continued its grisly work in nearby Lyons, Jean-Marie,
take a schismatical oath, reached into every hamlet. The age seven, could hear the sounds of battle from his father's
parish priest of Dardilly, who refused to take the oath, was fields. The local church building was officially closed and
replaced by a "juror-priest" who continued the church cere- soldiers of the Revolution came from Lyons to destroy the
monies with no outward change. wayside shrines. All statues and crucifixes within the houses
had to be hidden. Jean-Marie, however, kept his little statue
The Vianneys, however, began to sense that something was of Our Lady with him constantly, hidden in the pocket of his
wrong. Twelve-year-old Catherine was the first to notice the shirt. As he and Marguerite tended their family's sheep and
change in the sermons. Words like "citizen," "civism" and cows in the pastures, they recited their prayers together. To
"constitution" were woven through them, and the priest be- his horror, the other children they met tending their flocks
gan to criticize his predecessors, saying "these people are had already forgotten the teachings of the Faith.
no more parish priests than my shoe!" Catherine also no-
ticed a change in the congregation. Those who had been He began to teach them their prayers again and to tell them
most fervent no longer assisted at Mass. Others now occu- the lessons he had learned. Processions were organized in
pied their pews, people who had rarely come to Mass be- which the children would carry a cross made of two sticks.
fore. Worried, Catherine mentioned these things to her Thus, religious processions, forbidden throughout France,
mother. were a daily occurrence among the little shepherds on the
hillsides near Dardilly.
A relative from the town of Ecully came to visit and was
shocked to learn the Vianneys were attending the Mass s,f In November of 1799, Napoleon Bonaparte, now in control
the juror-priest. "All good priests," she told them, "have of the government, relaxed the prohibitions against the
refused the oath and in consequence are being hunted and Catholic Faith. The churches were reopened and Fathers
persecuted and driven into exile. Happily at Ecully we still Balley and Groboz were permitted to say Mass openly. Jean-
have some good priests. It is to these you must go. By taking Marie, old enough to declare a vocation, confided to his
the oath your priest has separated himself from the Catholic mother his desire to become a priest to "gather many souls
Church; he is not your true shepherd and you cannot make to God." Together, they prevailed upon his father who, in
yourselves his abettors." Madame Vianney spoke to the spite of the hardships this would cause him, agreed. Though
priest and his answers convinced her of the truth of her rel- progress toward the priesthood was particularly long and
ative's words. From that moment, the Vianneys stopped at- difficult for him, Jean-Marie persevered. His lack of educa-
tending'Mass in their parish church. tion resulting from the closing of schools during the Revolu-
tion was a serious problem but he refused to give up. Father
Though the priests who had refused the oath were con- Balley gave him every help, even tutoring him and speaking
demned to arrest and immediate execution, and a reward of on his behalf to the archbishop.
100 francs was offered to anyone who would betray them, a
few of them remained in France. The proscribed Vicar- On August 13, 1815, Jean-Marie Vianney was ordained, at
General, operating covertly, divided his diocese into groups the age of 29, and was sent as assistant to Father Balley.
of parishes, each in the charge of missionary priests assisted The two priests lived an austere and pious life and were a
by lay catechists. The priests assigned to Dardilly took up constant inspiration to their parish. Father Balley, however,
THE ATHANASIAN 5 SEPTEMBER 1, 1986
whose health had been damaged during the years of perse- village of Ars was an edifying sight. The fields glistened with
cution, developed a leg infection which became gangrenous. little crosses which marked their boundaries and the men,
On December 17, 1817, he gave his final advice to his "be- on their way to work in them, could be seen praying the
loved Vianney" and received Holy Viaticum and Extreme rosary as they walked. At the sound of the church bell all
Unction from him. stopped whatever they were doing and recited the Angelus.
Many followed the example of their pastor in "blessing the
After the death of Father Balley, Father Vianney was named hour." Coarse language was never heard from the farmers in
cure to the lowly parish of Ars. The Vicar-General told him, their fields; in its place came the sound of songs and hymns.
"There is not much love for God in that parish; you will All who visited Ars were impressed by "the tranquility and
bring some into it. " The new curk found his superior had not peace of the place. Here more than elsewhere one seemed to
exaggerated. The people of Ars missed Mass on Sundays for breathe a genial atmosphere … Everyone seemed to be im-
any excuse. Children as well as adults used foul language. bued with good will towards everybody else."
The men spent their evenings drinking in the taverns and
the young women spent all their free time at dances. Illit- Though he yearned for solitude Father Vianney, ever obe-
eracy was common and there was little interest in catechism dient to God, stayed in Ars for the remaining 41 years of hts
classes. The young men and women who had grown up life. According to the Abbe Monnin, "by sacrificing his tastes
during the Revolution were the chief offenders, often to obedience, his pleasure to duty, Father Vianney found
bragging about their worldly behavior. hourly occasions to crush underfoot his own will." This self-
denial brought him great joy for, as he said, "in a soul united
Though obstinate in their way of life, his parishioners ob- to God it is always springtime." Many pilgrims, inspired by
served their new pastor carefully and were impressed by his the example of Ars, flocked to the village to obtain guidance
kindness, simplicity and personal austerity. At Mass he was from its priest. Ever faithful in his mission of bringing souls
so filled with his love for God that Abbe Beau, his confessor, to God, he remained in his confessional, sometimes as long
said of him, "each time it seemed as if an angel stood at the as 17 hours a day.
altar."
~–.,,..,—– In late July of 1859, worn out by his unceasing labors,
Father Vianney was aware that only tremendous effort with Father Vianney fell ill. Though his parishioners hoped for a
the help of God would cause Ars to rise from its worldliness. miraculous cure, as had occurred 16 years earlier, he
Any hours not spent in fulfilling his duties were spent in assured them that would not happen. On August 3, he re-
prayer. One of the farmers once came upon him in the for- ceived Viaticum and Extreme l Jnction. "How kind the good
est, on his knees, weeping and saying over and over, "My God is!" he said. "When we are no longer able to go to Him,
God, convert my parish!" He Himself comes to us!" At two o'clock in the morning of
Thursday, August 4, Jean-Marie-Baptiste Vianney gave up
He also subjected himself to severe penances which he later his soul to God.
described as his "youthful follies." He found mortifying his
appetite to be especially effective. Twenty years later he told Saint John Vianney was, as Pope Pius XI said, a saint
a young priest that the devil is beaten by "the curtailment of "whose virtues and miracles have, in the eyes of other na-
one's food, drink and sleep. There is nothing the devil fears tions, covered the whole of France with incomparable
more, consequently nothing is more pleasing to God." glory." France, where the Revolutionists hoped to destroy
the Catholic Faith, became instead an inspiration to the
In his sermons to his restive congregation, many of who';n world. Today we have the benefit of the example and the
came· late to Ma5s and whispered, yawned and looked holy intercession of Saint John Mary Vianney in our battle to
around to see what other people were wearing, he was direct preserve our beloved and precious Faith. All we must supply
and to the point. "Oh my dear parishioners," he would say, is the zeal and the courage. t
"let us endeavor to get to heaven! There we shall see God.
How happy we shall feel! … What a pity if some of you were (It should be noted that, since Vatican Council U, there is no
to find yourselves on the other side!" country in the world-apart from Holland-where the
Roman Catholic Faith has been ravaged more than in
As he won people back to God Father Vianney acquired ene- France. How any country could be worse off in this respect
mies who spread vicious calumnies about him. He never than the USA is difficult to imagine. -Editor)
answered the accusations and never overlooked an oppor-
tunity to be kind to his accusers. Later, asked by a young
missionary if those trials had caused him to lose interior Anyone wishing further infonnation on the Vexilla
peace; he replied: "the cross make us lose our inward peace? Regis Association discussed on page 4 may obtain it
Surely it is the cross that bestows it on our hearts. All our by writing to Father Donald Sanborn, St. Pius X
miseries come from our not loving it." Church, 23310 Joy Rd., Redford, Michigan 48239
By 1832, twelve years after Father Vianney's arrival, the
THE ATHANASIAN 6 SEPTEMBER 1, 1986
Charity (Love)-The Supreme Virtue
Fr. Francis E. Fenton
T hat charity is the greatest of all the virtues is a fact
made abundantly clear both in the pages of Sacred
Scripture and in the teaching of the Church. It is that super-
are not necessarily any indication of a lack of love. True
love, again, Christian love is a spiritual, supernatural thing
involving the mind and the will but may or may not involve
natural virtue whereby we love God above all else for His emotions. A genuine follower of Christ loves his fellowmen,
own sake and whereby we love ourselves and our fellowmen including his enemies, with a supernatural, Christlike char-
for the love of God. Whoever possesses sanctifying grace, ity regardless of whatever his feelings may be.
. the life of God in the soul, likewise has within him the virtue
of charity; whoever loses sanctifying grace through mortal To express the above in another way: We are morally bound
sin likewise loses the virtue of charity. It is called the queen to love our neighbor or fellowman but that does not mean
of the virtues and its sincere and persevering practice is, or that we are obligated to like him in every respect. We cer-
ought to be, a most distinctive mark of the true Christian. tainly must disapprove and, yes, hate whatever immorality
may be associated with him or whatever evil in which he
While there is hardly a more abused term in the English may be engaged (abortion, for example, or Communism).
language today than the word love, yet true love in its Or we may simply dislike certain of his mannerisms or
noblest form is nothing more or less than the supernatural crudities despite our efforts to disregard them. In other
virtue of charity. In the hedonistic age in which we live, love words, we must love the sinner but hate the sin; we must
means unbridled sex, lust, sensuality to multitudes who do love this or that person even though we despise his immor-
not have the foggiest notion of the meaning of true love. ality(ies) or even though we instinctively dislike one or more
The supernatural charity taught by Christ and His Church of his less than appealing qualities.
is, of course, diametrically opposed to such perverted
notions. It's simple enough to talk and write about loving one's
enemies and loving those who have injured or offended us
In the paragraphs that follow the terms "charity" and "love" and loving those we don't particularly like. But such is mere
are employed interchangeably. It is well to stress, however, hypocrisy if a person's thoughts and words and deeds con-
that the love to which we refer is the real article and not the tradict the love he professes. Our proclaimed love is a sham
trite, wishy-washy word which is so casually and constantly unless we manifest it in our daily lives by being Christlike, by
used as to have become all but meaningless. True love is so striving always to think and to talk and to act as Christ
splendid and magnificent a concept. How unfortunate that it would if he were in our place. It cannot be emphasized too
is so often vulgarized in the current usage of the term. strongly, however, that loving our enemies in no way implies
condoning their sins or the evil they may promote or repre-
As Roman Catholics, as genuine disciples of Christ we have sent. And, incidentally, we do not, we cannot really hate
the obligation to love all men regardless of who they are or anyone if we sincerely pray for that person. Devout prayer
what they are because the God Who created them loves for a particular individual is an infallible sign that we do not
them and Christ died for them. And this Christian duty of hate him. Praying for another is an expression of love and
love by which we are bound allows for no exceptions be- so we cannot possibly hate a person for whom we devoutly
cause Christ allowed for no exceptions when He declarep: pray. It is not at all incompatible to have a truly Christian
"… Love your enemies: do good to them that hate you: and love for another despite whatever feelings of dislike or aver-
pray for them that persecute and calumniate you." (Matthew sion we may have towards him.
5, 44) Deliberate, willful hatred for another person is always
sinful and so can never be justified under any circum- The supernatural charity or love which we are obligated to
stances. have and to show towards our fellowmen is not to be con-
fused with that false love so prevalent today and which is so
To love one's friends or those whose qualities and person- well exemplified in the advocates of "peace at any price,"
. ality are attractive to us or those who have been good to us "better Red than dead." While the various anti-nuclear,
in one way or another-that's easy. But to love those who anti-American peace movements are certainly controlled
may despise us or who have knowingly done harm to us or and manipulated by our nation's enemies for the purpose of
whose character or behavior is distasteful or even repulsive destroying its ability and will to defend itself, there is no
to us-that's something else. But is it? Not really. The prob- doubt that many of those involved in such movements
lem here is that many people associate the concept of love naively believe (often as a consequence of prior brainwash-
with feelings, emotion, sentiment and because, for example, ing) in the righteousness of their efforts. Such individuals
they have ill feelings towards a particular person, they con- have a pacifist mentality and honestly think that loving their
clude that they do not or cannot love that individual. While fellowmen precludes even the possibility of waging war
adverse feelings towards another should not be nourished against them. Besides, so they contend, all war is evil and
but rather should be dispelled forthwith, yet such feelings can never be justified. Well, apart from the fact that the
THE ATHANASIAN 7 SEPTEMBER 1, 1986
Church teaches that there is such a thing as a just war, the miration for Teilhard, this shouldn't be too surprising.)
point I would make here is that one has a distorted notion of
authentic love who supposes that it always and everywhere On the UN's founding, Muller blasphemously paraphrases
forbids active resistance to evil and to those who embody Genesis: "And God said: That is good. And it was the first
and promote it. If this were true, then-in relation to Com- day of the New Age of the earth.'' As shocking as all the
munism, for example-it would mean that the free world has preceding should be to the Catholic reader, Muller's 1979
no alternative but to allow this monstrous evil to take over address to New York's Arcane School Conference is even
and subjugate and enslave the entire human race. Could this more revealing. The speech he gave, "The Reappearance of
possibly be the will of God that, while proclaiming our un- Christ," detailed his beliefs about "the Christ." The group
dying love for Him, we refuse to do battle against His ene- before which he appeared is part of the Lucis Trust, an oc-
mies because we love them? Hardly. Loyalty to God de- cult group with UN ties. The Lucis Trust was started in 1922
mands resistance to Communism; submission to Commu- by Alice Bailey, an author whose works such as A Treatise
nism is disloyalty to God. on White Magic and Discipleship in the New Age were
greatly influenced by the earlier syncretistic Theosophical
There is no greater love than that supernatural charity which Society. The group's Lucifer Publishing Company was re-
abides in the souls of the just, that is, in the souls of those named for obvious reasons.
who possess divine grace, the life of God. Charity is the su-
preme virtue, the most pleasing and acceptable to God, the When John Paul II visited the UN in October 1979, he tear-
most Christlike of all the virtues which are part and parcel of fully exclaimed, "God bless the United Nations" over and
a truly Christian life. The faithful practice of no other virtue over again. His personal representative was none other than
more distinctively marks the genuine follower of Christ and Robert Muller. At that time, John Paul II showed how he felt
identifies him in the image and likeness of God. It is this su- about his UN prophet; Muller writes of "a magnificent
pernatural love for God above all else which inspired the golden pectoral Crucifix given me by His Holiness in appre-
glorious lives of the saints and motivated the heroic sacri- ciation for my efforts." Even more telling, though, is the fact
fices of the martyrs. And it is this same supernatural charity that on October 24-United Nations Day-John Paul II will
whereby we Roman Catholics must love our enemies, and conduct a meeting of representatives of world religions at
act and react as Christ would towards those who hate us, and Assisi, Italy. It is clear that he and Muller are on exactly the
earnestly pray for those who have done or would do us harm same wavelength. (As of this writing, the date of the meeting
in word or deed. Christian charity, in the primary and truest seems uncertain. It might be held on October 4, the Feast of
sense of the term, is divine love. Unless we possess this Saint Francis of Assisi.-Editor)
supreme virtue in our souls and unless we live this super-
natural charity in our daily lives, we are not in fact authentic Enough Is Enough
followers of Christ and our claim, however sincere, to be Believe it or not, this is but the very tip of the Conciliar New
such is a false one. "… God is love, and he who abides in Age iceberg. No mention has been made of the growing
love abides in God, and God in him." (I John 4, 16)t number of New Age themes cropping up in the Conciliar
press or of Father Theodore Hesburgh, Barbara Ward,
New Age, con 't. from page 3 Marshall McLuhan, Canadian Jesuit superior Father William
Muller also has an un-Catholic perception of resurrection, F. Ryan and numerous other high-profile Conciliarists-
one much more in line with Teilhard, the Masons and pa- living and dead-who have advanced the New Age cause.
gans. "We will be resurrected," he holds, "materially in
other life forms on this planet and ultimately into atoms Jf It used to be that critics spoke of the Protestantizing
other stars, but most of all, we will continue to live by the influences of the Conciliar Church. Now we have to consider
contribution we have made to humanity's improvement…" far darker forces. Not only are pagan ideas to be found
(John Paul H's message to survivors of a Columbian volcano there, sprouting like weeds, but even .satanic ones. We at
is curiously similar: "These sons of yours fell like wheat into The Athanasian invite conservative Conciliarists to take the
the entrails of the earth to germinate in the resurrection of blinders off and directly confront this apostasy. Is this the
the dead." Since he, too, has more than once expressed ad- Catholic Church? Could it possibly be the Catholic Church? t
THE ATHANASIAN
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