Focus
Yo u n g p e op l e , v o c at i on a n d h ol i n e s s of l i f e
May God grant, through the intercession of the Blessed Virgin Mary, each one of us, as men, to be willing to lay down our lives for Him, to be willing to suffer and sacrifice for the salvation of souls, and for the consolation of Our Lord’s Sacred Heart. And for those of you called to be priests, may the Blessed Virgin be by your side to help you embrace wholeheartedly the incomparable treasure of choosing God alone as your portion, and of becoming an alter Christus.
you, young men who have at least some knowledge of the greatness of our Faith, some awareness of the battle raging all around us, and He asks you: “Are you willing to fight for Me, to defend souls, to help win souls for Me? Are you willing to suffer, even to the point of losing your life?” “For whoever would save his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life for my sake will find it.”11 Are you willing to suffer arrest and imprisonment, ridicule and hatred, in order to give witness to the Truth of Christ, in order to work for the salvation of souls? As young men, Christ is calling each one of you, right now, to take up arms in the spiritual battle that is raging around us. So many, many souls do not even know that they are in the midst of a spiritual battle, do not even know that demons are trying to drag them down to hell. For those of you whom Christ is calling to become His priests, and who accept this call to suffer with Him, you will experience the truth of His words:
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“Truly, I say to you, there is no one who has left house or brothers or sisters or mother or father or children or lands, for my sake and for the gospel, who will not receive a hundredfold now in this time, houses and brothers and sisters and mothers and children and lands, with persecutions, and in the age to come eternal life.”12 God will accomplish much more than the hundredfold through your priestly apostolate: your hands will become capable of absolving souls, of presenting again and again the Holy Sacrifice of Calvary to the Father, of distributing God’s graces, every day of your life, to poor sinners throughout the world. You will discover the truth of His words: “My power is made perfect in weakness.”13 And in your own relationship with God you will discover a treasure that surpasses human understanding: what God grants who choose Him alone as their portion, to the exclusion of any earthly spouse.
Fr Anthony Pillari was born in Agana, Guam (USA). He is currently the chaplain for the Usus Antiquior in the Diocese of Plymouth, UK. He holds degrees in Philosophy from University of Notre Dame, Indiana, Sacred Theology from L’Institut Catholique de Toulouse, France and in Canon Law from the University of Ottawa, Canada. ENDNOTES: 1.
2. 3. 4. 5. 6.
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10. 11. 12. 13.
Operation Rescue, founded in 1986, is a pro-life movement in the United States. A group of people would peacefully sit in front of an abortion clinic, praying and physically blocking the entrance to the clinic for some hours while police would come and carry them away to jail. “Operation rescuers” are willing to spend days in jail and face the consequences of arrest for the sake of preventing innocent children from being killed that morning at an abortion facility, and in the hope that mothers who arrive and see them there might reconsider their decision. Matt. 16:25. 2 Tim. 3:12. From the traditional rite of ordination. Ibid. Note: a well-established tradition in the Church is that the apostles, after being ordained priests, chose to live celibate lives. See https://www.catholicculture.org/culture/library/view.cfm?recnum=7052 Sacra Virginitas, Encyclical Pope Pius XII, March 25th 1954, no. 32. 1 Cor. 7:32–35. New York: National Council of Churches of Christ in the USA. St Alphonsus Liguori, The 12 Steps to Holiness and Salvation, Tan Books 2012, pp. 12-13. Matt. 28:19–20. Matt. 16:25. Mk. 10:29–30. 2 Cor. 12:9.
CAL X M A R IA E
RESTORING THE MILITANT SPIRIT–
our fundamental duty as faithful Catholic men BY VA RRO VOOGL A ID
This talk was addressed to young men in Rome on 20 October 2018. “How much worse are things to get before men of good will finally decide to take action?” – Jean Ousset
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he purpose of this talk is to emphasise the importance of the militant spirit in the life of Catholic men, to explain its meaning and to call for its restoration by cultivating the virtue of militancy. No virtue among Catholic men has declined more than that of militancy. Today, militancy is not regarded as a virtue, but a vice. This attitude is un-Catholic and should be rejected. In fact, militancy correctly understood and practised is central to the life of Catholic men. We are always called to fight, although we need to understand the nature of our battles. Before looking at the virtue of militancy, let us examine some important lessons from history. THREE CRUCIAL BATTLES
Three of the most remarkable events in history were not just battles on an epic scale: crucially they saved Christendom – not figuratively, but literally. The first was fought on 19 September 732 between the cities of Tours and Poitiers when Charles Martel led Catholic knights of the Frankish and Burgundian army to victory over the Umayyad Caliphate. By 711, Muslim forces had overrun Iberia and were raiding Frankish territory, looting villages, towns and monasteries, killWINTER 2018
ing men and enslaving women and children. In the previous century, Muslims had shown extreme brutality in conquering vast territories in the Middle East (including the Holy Land) and Northern Africa. Already by the 9th-century victory in the Battle of Tours was regarded as the outcome of divine intervention and it is easy to see why – the army of the Caliphate was at least twice the size of that of the Catholics. Later historians praised Charles Martel as the champion of Christianity, characterising the battle as the decisive turning point in the struggle against Islam and the preservation of Christianity as the religion of Europe. The Battle Tours helped lay the foundations of the Carolingian Empire and Frankish domination of Europe for the next century. The grandson of Charles Martel, Charlemagne, was crowned Imperator Romanorum by Leo III on Christmas Day, in 800, and is considered the “Father of Europe”. Charlemagne began the Spanish Reconquista and his victories formed a protective zone against Islam across the Pyrenees, preserving the Catholic Church in that area. Although clashes continued, Islamic forces were not strong enough to attempt another invasion against Europe for 700 years, when they came across the Balkans. Most historians agree that without a victory at the Battle of Tours, it is likely that there would have been no Charlemagne, no Holy Roman Empire, and no Papal States.1
VARRO VOOGLAID
The second battle is probably the most glorious battle in the history of Christendom and the greatest naval battle ever fought. The Battle of Lepanto took place on 7 October 1571 and proved to be another major turning point in the conflict between Christendom and Islam. With the emergence of the Ottoman Empire in the late 13th century, this struggle became extremely serious. At the beginning of the 14th century, the Turkish sultan called a jihad against Christians. Soon after, in 1444, Turkish forces gained a major victory at Varna, an important town on the Black Sea. Ten years later Christians lost Constantinople. During the second half of the 16th century, the Ottomans brutally conquered the islands of Cyprus and Crete. Fighting at Lepanto was so fierce that it is said that by the end of the battle the sea was red with blood for miles around. Christian forces were victorious, but at a great cost: about 8,000 men were lost and even more injured. When news from the fleet reached Europe, there was much rejoicing, and
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