Carlos Caso-Rosendi
This is one of those times when everything that is going on in one’s life conspire to deliver a single idea to one’s mind. The archer shooting those arrows is God and the real objective is one’s soul. “Objective” is an English word with more than one important meaning. We ended up the previous post with: “If everything seems to be lost for the Christian cause, do not fret. God has guaranteed our victory and He won’t fail.” I will try to continue here and close the reasoning somehow but it won’t be easy.
“Against this view the modern mind has two lines of defense. The first claims that traditional morality is different in different times and places – in fact, that there is not one morality but a thousand. The second exclaims that to tie ourselves to an immutable moral code is to cut off all progress and acquiesce in stagnation. Both are unsound.” — C. S. Lewis, The Poison of Subjectivism.
One of my favorite songs of all times is Charles Trenet’s Que reste-t-il (literally “What does remain?”) The song tells the story of a man reminiscing the romantic liaisons of his care free youth. The scene is set at night in a house that is growing cold.
Tonight the wind is knocking on my door
Talk to me about dead loves
As the fire wanes to embers
Tonight I sing an autumn song
As the house is getting cold
And I think of distant days
The song continues predictably describing the sunny days of young love, a well crafted marriage of melody and lyrics. It ends on a sad, melancholy note.
What does remain of our love
What is it left of those beautiful days
A photo. An old photo of my youth.
Many of us own a photo like that. At this point you may wonder where I’m going and why I quoted C. S. Lewis and followed it with the lyrics of a French song from the 1940’s. Of course, there is a reason.
The man in the song has been tricked. That man could have easily been putting children or grandchildren to sleep. He could have been easily embracing the wife of his youth and reminiscing with her the early days of a life well lived. Instead, he is alone, and all he has of that happy youth is a photo. That photo is all that remains of his deconstructed youth. By pushing aside the context in which true love is meant to be lived, our man selfishly destroyed the long-lasting essence of that love. All that he has left is the memories and a photo reminding him of a happy but empty past.
Keep that in mind while you read the counsel of Jesus to the Church in Ephesus.
“To the angel of the church in Ephesus […] “I know your works, your toil and your patient endurance […] I also know that you are enduring patiently and bearing up for the sake of my name, and that you have not grown weary. But I have this against you, that you have abandoned the love you had at first.” — Revelation 2:1-4.
As the Modernist gradually convinced more and more Catholics to accept the poison of Subjectivism, many leaders and faithful began to pick the sweet fruits of the Christian life while leaving its harder teachings behind. In doing so, the essence of the Christian practice began to rot into a form of Catholicism without fire. The same happened to the poor man in Trenet’s song. He failed to see he was wasting his youth by dislodging the joy of erotic love from its home: a marriage where it can grow and live forever.
Quite recently, I tried to explain that to someone. I completely failed to deliver the point. Perhaps I can succeed here. Some may remember the old English liturgy of marriage where the groom, placing the wedding ring in the bride’s finger, says:
“With this ring I thee wedde: with my body I thee worship: and with al my worldly goodes I thee endow.”
The “wedde” word has the same root as the word “weld” used to describe the joining of metal by applying heat. The “worship” part is the surrendering of the groom’s body to that other entity that will be formed when marriage is consummated. That new person formed by the union of the groom and bride is needed to complete the Sacrament of Marriage. That is the means for groom and bride to worship God and have access to a more complete, fruitful, lasting joy. A joy that will change and mature from the initial enjoyment of their bodies to the higher enjoyment of each other’s souls. The “endow” part closes the circle like a ring: nothing is reserved, “all I am, all I do, all I own is now yours without reservation.” The groom is responsible to trust and give first.
It seems to me that Modernism has deconstructed our Catholic faith rendering it into a meaningless collection of emotional trifles, turning it inward into the feelings of the individual. All Modernism has left us is the image of a community that once was the Church. The Sacraments still subsist but those hideous forces are now going for the kill and will try to cut off that last connection between the Triumphant Church in Heaven and the Militant Church on earth. Christ’s promise is clear: they won’t prevail in effecting that divorce.
We have to bear this winter of the Church knowing that a better season will eventually come. If we remain in the love of Christ, and if we hold on fast to what he taught us, the Church will survive on us like our first love. Because love is stronger even than death.
Set me as a seal upon your heart, as a seal upon your arm; for love is as strong as death, passion is as fierce as the grave. Its flashes are flashes of fire, the raging fire of the Lord. — Song of Songs 8:6
This is just the beginning of our beautiful friendship with Christ. It is up to you to choose between living a true love story or die holding on to an image of something that never was.
Carlos Caso-Rosendi 
Sadly, more and more the merchants are imposing their views to the Catholic Church.
And the problem is, as we see in France with the yellow vests protests, that the citizens are weary of the merchants which are controlling governments. And the more the citizens are weary of the merchants, the more the Catholic Church express closeness with those same merchants and their views of the world.
In your last post I refer to numerous signs of the two last year: fire at Notre Dame in Paris, volcanoes waking up, extreme weather, the never-seen-before protests in France which have been going on for almost a year etc… It seems that even the Church do not want to see the signs and is determined to go “business as usual”, same as the business and commerce world with whom the Church is more and more in bed.
In the famous shrine of Notre Dame du Cap here in Québec, the priests have allied themselves with the Chamber of Commerce to make the place more attractive for tourists and they are building restaurants and shops on the site. It will become more a touristic site than a place of pilgrimage, I fear.
I pray the Rosary to hasten the return of Jesus because I do have seen enough.
I want to add that I had the joy of seeing the famous french singer Charles Trenet in 1993 in Québec City. He was on tour to celebrate his 80th birthday and he was still singing very well.
I hope Father Scanlon is right and “business as usual” will end in October. And I hope Jesus will be back.
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And I want to add this.
The pope, who is often swift to talk about social justice, has been mute when it comes to the Yellow vests protests in France, showing that despite his rhetoric, he seems to stand with the French elites against the ordinary people of France which see their living standards going down all the time.
Those things, among others, can explain why the Catholic Church is losing Catholic Faithfuls in France.
The Catholic Church has to come back to his roots and to the Gospel.
We have to pray the Rosary with greater fervor to have on earth a Church similar to the Church in Heaven.
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I would very much like that people would use the words, “some of the hierarchy and some of the people” instead of saying “the Church”, when referring to those in the hierarchy and some of the people, who have lost much in not remaining faithful to Jesus and His teachings.
The Catholic Church will always be for Jesus said: in John 14: “16“I will ask the Father, and He will give you another Helper, that He may be with you forever; 17that is the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it does not see Him or know Him, but you know Him because He abides with you and will be in you.”
And Matthew 28:
16But the eleven disciples proceeded to Galilee, to the mountain which Jesus had designated. 17When they saw Him, they worshiped Him; but some were doubtful. 18And Jesus came up and spoke to them, saying, “All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. 19“Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, 20teaching them to observe all that I commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.”
So, the Catholic Church remains and will remain until Jesus comes again. Even if the office of the Papacy is misused or any other office, the Church remains because it is Christ’s Body. Heavy will be the sufferings of those who do not lead as is their commission to lead. Pray for those who need prayer so as to lead and teach and evangelize true to the commission from Jesus.
In the Book of Revelation, Jesus Himself tells of the sins of various churches within the Catholic Church, but in no place says that His Church will not survive.
God bless, C-Marie
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C-MARIE:
I don’t know if I generalized in that way. We are one Ecclesia, one Body. When one sins, the whole body hurts. Much more so when the hierarchy sins. It is a great mystery. We live and pass together through winters and summers of grace. We have been warned by Our Lady that all will appear to be lost but in the end her Immaculate Heart will triumph. I believe (personally) that is what Scripture represents prophetically in the story of the end of David’s exile (1 Samuel 30) There all seems to be lost but in reality, David is about to become a rich man and the King of Israel. Perhaps we can meditate together about that in a future post.
The Church subsists in those who believe in Christ and the teaching of his Apostles. If anyone teaches anything different, is teaching heresy. See the following link:
https://casorosendi.wordpress.com/2019/07/29/the-faithful-are-called-to-preserve-the-faith/
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Thank you! Actually, I wrote out of frustration that many who write of these difficulties, just use the word, Church, instead of identifying more clearly. God bless, C-Marie
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Hi Carlos,
The picture of the girl is well meant I am sure, but not necessary. It is sort of a distraction from the message. A man and a woman would fit the story much better. God bless, C-Marie
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CLAUDIA:
Notice the icon below. Two images, the passing beauty of a human being and the eternal beauty of the Creator, not aesthetic necessarily but eternal and deep. I’m sorry if it is distracting. It was meant to be a contrast. I wish I could afford a thematic illustrator (those are expensive employees!) but may be one day … 🙂
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Thank you! That makes sense.
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A fine version of the same song by Avalon, a French band. Il est possible de ne pas tomber amoureux de la chanteuse.
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Merci Carlos pour cette autre version de la chanson de Charles Trenet.
Trenet est un géant pour les Français. Il n’y a plus de Charles Trenet en France et il n’y en aura plus non plus malheureusement.
La France d’aujourd’hui n’est plus celle de Charles Trenet. La France sans la religion catholique n’est plus la France. On pourrait dire la même chose du Canada Français.
Il faut prier le chapelet avec ferveur et espérer une intervention de la divine Providence pour sortir de cette terrible époque qui est la nôtre.
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MICHEL:
La France catholique reviendra et le Grand Roi gouvernera à nouveau le pays de Saint-Denis. Les fidèles qui prient et offrent tout avec ferveur sont plus puissants que des armées formidables.
My French is terrible! I can organize short phrases but not without some difficulty.
Que le bon Dieu vous bénisse.
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Your best, Carlos! But that’s arguing among excellence as, which is better Schneider or Burke? Speaking of which, the British Isles had to endure roughly a quarter millenia without “Church!” Most Englishmen, Scots and Irish were denied the sacraments for decades! But there were many Edmund Campions, hiding inside “priest holes” in houses, keeping the sacraments intact—including marriage, even if only occasionally! The horror of this example of the Protestant Deformation was to produce many martyred saints, as have been produced over the last century, more, it is said, than in all of 2,000 years! But today it is the Church itself that has divorced the faithful. Other than a few, in addition to the two mentioned above, and a relative number of priests, no clergy is to be trusted. And in an act of supernatural faith, no mere human faith can suffice, we have to believe that all are validly ordained and their medication of the sacraments valid! Otherwise would be to cut the ties, to be like the Hindus and throw ourselves on the funeral pile! No! Have the courage—supernatural faith by avoiding sin, and be like those behind the Iron Curtain, in the killing fields of Cambodia, the Revolutions in Spain and Mexico, teach our children to be martyrs of the faith, and stand tall! Now our “bishop in Rome” has thrown the faithful in China to the Chinese Communist dogs—-many more martyrs will be made for Christ, to rebuild the Church here and/or in heaven! Viva Cristo Rey!
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Carlos,
Your French is very good.
Still hoping Fr Scanlon is right and these unbearable times almost over.
I pray the Rosary to hasten the return of Jesus.
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WP wouldn’t let me post this. [Besides, it is Rush Hashana in honor of Rush Limbaugh!] 🙂
As Theotokos, bearer of Christ, the human tabernacle, Mary is of course untouchable. Yet she is the most spiritually intimate with her sons and daughters, more than any mere human mother could be. Soon, perhaps, if our Lord does not come back first, the long term dream of professor Mark Miravale could be realized, that Mary could be affirmed as the co-redemptrix of all graces.
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