Trey Blanton (CINFUSA.org) — A bevy of liberal writers have come out this week to decry the increase of Catholic participation in political affairs, going so far as to condemn the Rosary, a sacramental for prayer.
It began with a commentary piece in the liberal publication, The Atlantic, which attempts to paint Catholic prayer beads as a symbol of terroristic extremism.
The writer, Daniel Panneton, says, “On this extremist fringe, rosary beads have been woven into a conspiratorial politics and absolutist gun culture.”
This rhetoric attempts to co-mingle events like the January 6 riot at the U.S. Capitol building with Catholicism itself in order to defame Catholics who oppose the radical liberal agenda which has led to an increase in violent crime, radical indoctrination of children, and the normalization of killing children in the womb.
Panneton continues, “These armed radical traditionalists have taken up a spiritual notion that the rosary can be a weapon in the fight against evil and turned it into something dangerously literal.”
The implications Panneton presents here is that people who pray the Rosary are becoming increasingly violent and can and will resort to violence to counter people with opposing ideological views.
Panneton asserts conservative gun-culture enthusiasts are co-opting the religious symbol to promote mass shootings by, “…providing a pathway to radicalization and real-world terrorist attacks.”
In another article published on Aug. 15, another liberal writer slams the increase in so-called “Christian Nationalism.”
The writer doesn’t provide a definition of what a Christian Nationalist is, but lists one of its supposed goals as, “America has no place for Jews, Muslims, or the LGBTQ community.”
THE BIGGER PICTURE
For a practicing Catholic who desires to exercise their constitutionally given right to advocate in the public sphere, it is important to bear in mind some important distinctions.
The Catholic Church has no historical or catechetical opposition to firearms.
In fact, according to CCC 2264, “Therefore it is legitimate to insist on respect for one’s own right to life. Someone who defends his life is not guilty of murder even if he is forced to deal his aggressor a lethal blow.”
It is becoming increasingly common for bishops in the United States to condemn firearms after a mass shooting. These calls are based on their personal political motivations and are not representative of Church teaching.
The Founders of the Constitution understood that if civilians were not permitted to be armed, the government would have a free hand to oppress the citizenry.
What does this mean?
Catholics and Orthodox are not permitted to hate or demean people, no matter the person’s sin. You approach the sinner at the well, so to speak, and call them to conversion.
Saint Fernando III was king of Castille and Leon, and the main hero of the reconquest of Spain from the Muslims who seized the land by force.
In his dealings with a minor Muslim king, Saint Fernando welcomed him as a vassal and demonstrated Christian piety and love. Eventually, the Muslim sacrificed his kingdom to convert to Catholicism.
There is no place among Christians for thuggery. The Devil has an active role in the world, which is why there is so much opposition to Christians having a say in how society should be. It can be tempting to respond to the injustice of it all by lashing out violently.
That is not the answer. As seen in the movie, Paul, Apostle of Christ, the Roman Emperor Nero’s persecution of Christians was the definition of barbaric. Recent Roman converts to the Faith, brash young men, viewed assassination as a viable act in the face of it.
Paul and Luke emphasized the importance of remembering our lives here on Earth are but a temporary pilgrimage. What matters most is perseverance in the Faith.
Spiritual combat, by praying the Rosary, demonstrates the steadfast Faith that ultimately led to the fall of the pagan, Roman Empire and allowed Christians to openly spread the Faith.
There’s a reason why fortitude is a Catholic virtue. Dark periods of oppression can, and have, lasted hundreds of years. These modern votaries of secularism would have Christians hide away in their homes, just like under Nero.
The answer is to do our small part. Pray the Rosary, raise your family, love your neighbor, and seek public office. You’ll be persecuted for daring to stand up to evil, but we are not called to live quiet, easy lives.
Our peace from Jesus means that we can be assured if we live rightly in the face our hardships, we will attain salvation.