I am as horrified as anybody by the unleashing of violent death upon unsuspecting people who have been convicted by no tribunal and are in quite a few cases probably innocent of any deed that could be deemed, in penal terms, capital. Those who in recent weeks have died in such a way require of me the charity of my prayers.
But am I alone in noticing an ... er ... imbalance between media reactions to the death of 31 such people in Brussels; and the death, a year or so ago, of 21 Coptic peasants, beheaded by adherents of Islam, who died with the Sacred Name of our Most Holy Redeemer upon their lips, and whose only offense was to refuse to deny their Saviour?
I listened to a Media Person explaining that the Lahore atrocity actually killed ever so many Moslems ... these people have a diabolical instinct to avoid facing up to the martyrdom of Christians because, for them, Christianity is something they have with intense hatred put behind them and which they regard as a standing condemnation of their own corrupt and perverted life-styles. Which, of course, it is.
If I were cynical, I would wonder if the media outcry at the Brussels atrocity were less a matter of sympathy for the dead, the bereaved, and the wounded, than an anguished personal yelp occasioned by the realisation that unexpected death could be visited upon people exactly like us.
Yes ... as Our Brussels Correspondent and Our Security Specialist share on camera their nervous speculations, and the sentimentalists light scented candles and mouth 'Je suis Bruxelles', and the politicians raid the Thesaurus for Adequately Outraged Vocabulary, it is all really just a matter of old-fashioned and boring self-pity.
If they fully realised how ultimately defenceless their own morally and intellectually bankrupt culture truly is, I suspect their reactions would be even more nervously acute.
Spot on!
ReplyDeleteDear Father,
ReplyDeleteYou are always a joy to read, even when the theme of your posting is of the saddest and most tragic manifestations of our present condition.
Today, I would quibble with you on one thing. Your last paragraph speaks of their "culture" as morally bankrupt etc. I agree wholeheartedly regarding this evaluation. However, I contend that they have no culture at all which they can coherently call their own, beyond the reams of legislation and regulation which our masters produce in the attempte to achieve total control over our lives.
Our governors have blithely imposed a hotch-potch of idolatries, incompatible with our Constitution, Common Law, or Christianity, with no coherent philosophy or justification to commend them to our hearts - only the rule of law to enforce our adherence. These legal accretions on our culture are not neutral. They are antithetic to our Faith, and so have nothing but a parasitic existence in our national and personal life, whether we are believers or not. If anyone is not a Christian, then truly he has no culture in any real sense.
Culture is neither artefacts nor table manners. Culture is what forms and produces these, the good fruits of Faith, without which it is dead.
Excellent summary, Fr, of how "THE MEEJA" (as dear old Terry Wogan would pronounce it) follow the Party Line, these days.
ReplyDeleteNothing will change, of course. Politicians will continue to fall over themselves to be the first to appear on "THE MEEJA" to express "outrage" and "shock/horror" at the latest events.
But your point is well made. I cannot recall any Politician falling over themselves to be the first to appear on "THE MEEJA" to express "outrage" and "shock/horror" at the executions of the twenty-one Coptic Christian Martyrs.
One wonders how long before there is another Prosecution in Britain, or loss of a job, of somebody wearing a Crucifix at work or displaying a Rosary in a car.
If western politicians admit Mahometans pose a danger to the safety of their citizens then they will be required to propose measures to keep their citizens safe which would mean violating the sacred modern principle of non discrimination.
ReplyDeleteMasterful, dear Father. Thank you.
ReplyDeleteMay the Lord grant your well-founded insights to take on homiletical flesh and bone and resound from every pulpit in the realm, and thence into public space, through whatever "medium" the Lord would have His word reach human ears and eyes.
ReplyDeleteThe Group which claimed the responsibility for the massacre in Lahore clearly stated that the aim was the killing of Christians, and they selected Easter Sunday for their dealy attack. The same group also attacked two churches in Lahore in March 2015. How can our media constantly ignore and neglect the fact that Muslim extremists are intentionally killing Christians? Might some people be afraid that Christians could become once again aware of their own cultural roots and might re-think of sharing their countries with masses of Muslim brothers and sisters?
ReplyDeleteWell put, Father. In my estimation the precise lesson to be learned from this sudden violence, the lesson for our soul's sake and our eternal salvation, is this:
ReplyDelete"And there were present, at that very time, some that told him of the Galileans, whose blood Pilate had mingled with their sacrifices. And he answering, said to them: Think you that these Galileans were sinners above all the men of Galilee, because they suffered such things? No, I say to you: but unless you shall do penance, you shall all likewise perish.
Or those eighteen upon whom the tower fell in Siloe, and slew them: think you, that they also were debtors above all the men that dwelt in Jerusalem? No, I say to you; but except you do penance, you shall all likewise perish." Luke 13:1-5
Unhappily, this caution of Our Lord's was advanced neither by the press or from the pulpit. Mercy!
Wow. Just wow. This is Truth, distilled to an almost unbearable concentration. Poitin for the soul. Thank you, Father.
ReplyDeleteNo Father, You are not alone in noticing this imbalance. As to why, well that is another subject and I have a busy evening!
ReplyDeleteGreat point Fr. Hunwicke. It is not hard to imagine what it will take for the hard core deniers to face up to the facts. It will take a personal tragedy of the Islamic kind. The ability to apply reason and logic is a vanishing skill, and political correctness dictates neither Islam nor muslims are associated with anything negative. But look at the madness in our own church, our pope calls for open borders and calls you derogatory names if you demur, and the USCCB has done the same for years and years. It is cultural suicide, and shows a detachment from reality and a total lack of care for your flock.
ReplyDeleteFather, I suspect you are correct. There is an awful lot of fanfare around any death now, especially the violent ones. I am not certain I understand the 'scented candles' you mentioned, or the notes of remembrance, or the stuffed animals. I often wonder about it when I see stick crosses with balloons tied to them at the side of the road. There's one from September, near my home, when the youngish gentleman was driving a bit recklessly, damaging the young lady, but killing himself (Billie). I always say a prayer for him on coming and going places. RIP has been carved into these crosses. Does anybody even know what that means here in my country (US)? There is a feverish attempt to 'remember' (as in Brussels) but without the reason for remembering. What a sad state the non-believers have, that they must be content with balloons and candles, knowing that the days of their memories are numbered.
ReplyDeleteTo be fair, the Usual Suspects hate Nouruz almost as much as Easter, and were hoping to kill both people celebrating the pan-Persian holiday fortnight and the Christian holiday. But mostly the Christians, with the others a happy addition.
ReplyDelete