December 11, 2019 (LifeSiteNews) — LifeSite readers who followed Voice of the Family’s events in Rome this fall — our annual youth programme and the historic roundtable discussion that took place against the dramatic backdrop of the Amazon synod — are sure to appreciate the winter issue of Calx Mariae, which has just been released.
Calx Mariae (Heel of Mary) is a quarterly magazine of Voice of the Family — a worldwide coalition of 25 pro-life and pro-family organisations, founded by LifeSite and the Society for the Protection of Unborn Children to defend Catholic teaching on the family. Calx Mariae features the highlights of our work as Voice of the Family, with commentary and analysis in the areas of life, family, culture and faith. Click here to see the preview of the contents page of the winter issue, available from today, and here to order a copy or to subscribe.
The FOCUS of this issue is our fight as the Church Militant.
In any army, the soldiers must understand certain principles and rules in order to do their duty; excel in their individual service; and, more importantly, win the battle. Some of these principles are obvious to us. Firstly, they need to recognise that they are in a fight; that they are soldiers and that they are on a battlefield. The image of a soldier who, in the midst of a battle, ignores reality and refuses to join the fight is striking. This is essentially the position of baptised Catholics who refuse to engage in the perennial battle against our ancient enemy or even reject the idea that there is a fight at all. True, we all have different roles in this battle: some are generals, some their advisers, some soldiers on the frontline, some take care of the camp, and some are called to console and care for the wounded. While we do not all fight in the same way, we are all in the same battle. Secondly, as members of the Church Militant, we need to keep in mind what it is we are fighting for: the greater glory of God and the salvation of souls. This is what it is ultimately about.
Following these basic points, there are other principles that are essential for fighting as the Church Militant, also featured in this issue of Calx Mariae:
The spirit in which we fight must reflect the purpose of the fight. The soul of our apostolate, which defines the nature and eventually the success of our fight, is compellingly explained by Prof. Roberto de Mattei.
Spiritual warfare involves each and every soul. In order to fight well, the soldiers need to understand the extent of the war. The role of angels and demons in this spiritual warfare is explained by Fr Anthony Pillari with beautiful clarity.
For the Church Militant to grow in numbers and in strength, we must mobilise new soldiers. This is why each year, Voice of the Family brings a group of young Catholics to Rome for a week-long programme of prayer and formation. A report from two of this year’s participants is also included in this issue.
Looking back at the Amazon Synod and while waiting for the apostolic exhortation, we may legitimately wonder, what precisely was it supposed to achieve? It had little to do with the Amazon and nothing to do with evangelising the indigenous people in the region. It was not even about female ordinations or the disturbing emergence of Pachamama. What then was the Amazon Synod really about?
Globalisation is the agenda of powerful international institutions inspired by Marxist and Masonic dreams of a utopian one-world family of nations, under one government and united in one religion. For this global one-world order (which without God will be disorder) to come about, the universal Church needs to be dismembered and her spiritual and moral authority dissolved in the one-world power. How the Holy See has supported the anti-life and anti-family U.N. Sustainable Development Goals and how the Amazon Synod endorses the globalist U.N. agenda are also discussed in this issue of Calx Mariae.
We know that the Catholic Church is universal, not globalist. There is nothing that the universal Church, the Bride of Christ, can learn from the globalist powers of this world. On the other hand, there is much that advocates of a one-world order can gain from this “partnership”: the annihilation of Catholicism. Not one of the temporal problems ever faced by humanity — poverty, hunger, disease, or natural disasters, tragic as these are — compares to the eternal problems caused by mortal sin. There is only one institution on Earth that can save men from the eternal consequences of sin, and that is the Catholic Church. The betrayal of her God-given mission to preach the Gospel and baptise all nations will make the enemies of the Church rejoice. And there is only one critical goal for every Catholic: to grow in love for Jesus Christ so we can dwell with Him for all eternity in Heaven. In our fight as the Church Militant, this is what we desire for everyone.
In the fight today, we are largely on our own. No doubt many of the roughly 5,300 Catholic bishops and 220 cardinals across the world were disturbed by the sacrilegious acts of the Amazon Synod, but fewer than ten reacted publicly. Those who did speak out urged fasts, rosaries, Masses of reparation, and these we must do. But we must also pray for the silent shepherds and that God will send us more generals — good cardinals and bishops to lead us in battle. We are only foot soldiers on the field, the little children of Our Lady, the most insignificant part of the Church Militant. However, it is the most insignificant part of the body of Our Blessed Mother, her heel — calx Mariae — that will crush the head of the devil.
At this time of trial, let Our Lady be our inspiration and our guide. In the end, the Immaculate Heart will triumph, but only if we share in the fight shall we share in the joy of her triumph.
Click here for a preview of the contents page of the new edition of Calx Mariae and here to order a copy or to subscribe.