The Spirit of Faith
(And how to lose vocations!)
Let us not think that it is easy to avoid the plague of naturalism that is so endemic in the world in which we live. We can easily look at the world and modern church around us, and convince ourselves that we are doing well, for after all we are keeping the Faith, and we do go to Sunday Mass and the sacraments. Be wary, lest such a worldly perspective, lead to a practical indifference to the crisis in the Church, and ultimately to practical naturalism. The comparison that we ought to make is entirely different, as Saint Pius X pointed out in his letter on the Sillon movement:
“When we consider the forces, knowledge and supernatural virtues which were necessary to establish the Christian City, and the sufferings of millions of martyrs, and the light given by the Fathers and Doctors of the Church, and of the self-sacrifice of all the heroes of charity, and a powerful hierarchy ordained in heaven, and the streams of divine Grace - the whole having been built up, bound together, and impregnated by the life and spirit of Jesus Christ, the Wisdom of God, the Word made man - when we think, I say, of all this, it is frightening to behold new apostles eagerly attempting to do better by a common interchange of vague idealism and civic virtues” [Our Apostolic Mandate, §38].
Supernatural Perspective
This is the Catholic and wholly supernatural perspective that we so often lack. There is no doubt in my mind that we as traditional Catholics, our chapels and our families as a whole, lack such a vision based upon supernatural reality, and that this lack of vision is the reason why we have so few vocations. Far too often in our families, Faith is for Sunday Mass, for our daily prayers or to resolve difficult moral decisions. It is not the basis of all our thoughts, desires and hopes, of our friendship and our joys, of all our endeavours and all our goals. Our children do not learn to live the mystery of the Cross, of self-sacrifice. Looking for self-indulgence, seeking for fun, pampered to think that they can live a life without humiliation, discipline and suffering, they have no attraction for the religious or priestly life, for the supernatural is not the focus, but a side chapel in their lives.
In our own families also, this naturalism, refusing to take into account the reality of original sin, eventually leads to the overturning of the natural order itself. Infidelity, broken marriages, rebellious teenagers, refusal to work, alcohol and drug abuse, weak husbands that refuse to take responsibility, overbearing wives that refuse to be submissive are but some of the symptoms of the destruction of the natural order. Vocations are impossible in such families, for grace builds on nature. The mystery of the Cross must heal our wounded nature before the generosity of vocations can flower forth.
Practical Naturalism
Alas, even many naturally stable families in our chapels remain void of the supernatural spirit of Faith. They may do good exterior things, and they may even place their children in our schools. However, the naturalism of the world will suffocate the supernatural spirit for as long as they have not thrown out their televisions, rock music, video games and immodest clothes, to mention the most obvious worldly distractions. A practical naturalism, preventing daily prayer and sacrifice from penetrating the depths of the heart, is without a doubt suffocating the spirit of sacrifice and stifling many potential vocations in our traditional families. How can such children, immersed in their own feelings, endeavours, activities, successes and human respect, hear these words of Our Divine Saviour: “If any man come to Me, and hate not his father and mother and wife and children and brethren and sisters, yea and his own life also, he cannot be My disciple” (Lk 14:26)?
All is Grace
It is consequently thinking, living, acting as if we were sufficient to ourselves, and not entirely dependent upon God’s grace, that is the obstacle to our sanctification, and to serious vocations. Completely different was the supernatural perspective of Archbishop Lefebvre:
“The radiance of priestly grace is the radiance of the Cross. The priest is at the heart of the renovation merited by Our Lord. His influence is the determining factor on souls and for society. A priest enlightened by Faith and filled with the virtues and gifts of the spirit of Jesus can convert numerous souls to Jesus Christ, raise up vocations, and transform a pagan society into a Christian society.” (Spiritual Journey, pp. 45-46).
If many more of our young men were truly convinced of this, our Seminaries would be full, and great indeed would be the work of Tradition.
By our prayers, words and example may we draw many souls to this sublime ideal of the Catholic Priesthood, and to its essential act, the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass. If we think about it, we will acknowledge that there is something that we can all do to promote vocations to the Priesthood and to the religious life, and that we will do this in proportion to our conviction of their necessity for the supernatural life of Holy Mother Church.[…]
[From U.S. District Superior’s Letter to Friends and Benefactors July 2002]
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