FEAST OF GLORY AND PEACE
“Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace to men of good will”
(Lk. 2:14)
“Glory.” How many effulgent moral values were seen in the meaning of this word in Antiquity.
It was to have glory that so many kings strived to spread their dominion, so many armies faced death, so many scholars dedicated themselves to arduous studies, so many trailblazers plunged into the most terrible solitudes, so many poets created lofty works, and so many musicians plucked from their very depths their most vibrant notes...
Yes, even in the quest for richness, there are not just factors of money, comfort and safety, but also power, prestige, and - in a word - glory.
But what elements compose this notion of glory? Some were inherent to the person: an elevated mind, great virtue and outstanding actions. Others were linked to what is today called public opinion; fame, a far-reaching recognition of one’s eminent qualities.
And what is glory worth? In what sense does the desire for glory elevate the soul?
There is no doubt that material goods were created for our use and that in proper measure man may desire these goods. But, when one raises them up to be the supreme values of existence, he reveals a low, egotistic and narrow spirit. In a word, one belonging to that category Holy Scripture strongly denounces: those for whom God is their belly (cf. Phil 3:19).
We remember all this because in the imponderable aspects of Khrushchev’s visit to the United States in 1959 and the many favorable comments subsequently published worldwide, what is insinuated is precisely this worldview. That is, the sole authentic aim of human society would be to promote a profitable and pleasant life. All religious, philosophical, and artistic questions would only have a minor importance or none at all.
In terms of material advantages, what matters most is avoiding a war - even if the world must implicitly resign itself to gradual bolshevization. Thus, what the West must preserve above all is a peaceful coexistence of peoples. Peace must be attained at all costs, because the price of war is incalculable.
Such an attitude reduces us to a life of ignominy. We will be slaves to the omnipotent State, lost an immense mass of anonymous people, disfigured by a “culture” that seeks to eliminate personalities and standardize men. A society that denies morality, the existence of the soul and even of God: all this is of little import.
Herein lies, however, for millions of souls, the supreme temptation because the word “glory” has become almost meaningless. It still exists in dictionaries, it may be used at times in familiar language. Other than this, it could almost be said the word is dead. And, with its disuse, comes the disappearance of other words related to it: honor, prestige, decorum..
In the face of this world that has deliriously hypertrophied the importance of the material life, on the occasion of Holy Christmas Our Lord gives us, fully and soundly, a most opportune double lesson.
First, let us consider the way of life of the Holy Family. A dynasty that lost the throne and its wealth has in St. Joseph a sapling that lives in poverty. The Blessed Virgin accepts the situation with perfect peace. Both strive to maintain an orderly and composed existence in this poverty, but their minds are not filled with plans of rising economically, comfort and pleasures, but rather with cogitations concerning God Our Lord.
How much poverty... and how much glory! True glory because it is not “cost estimate” made by the utilitarian and Pharisaic men of Jerusalem who appreciate others according to the measure of their riches. Rather, it is a glory that is a reflection of the true glory: that of God in the highest heavens.
It is often said that the poverty of the Holy Family in Bethlehem teaches us detachment from the goods of the earth, and this is true.
“Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace to men of good will”
(Lk. 2:14)
“Glory.” How many effulgent moral values were seen in the meaning of this word in Antiquity.
It was to have glory that so many kings strived to spread their dominion, so many armies faced death, so many scholars dedicated themselves to arduous studies, so many trailblazers plunged into the most terrible solitudes, so many poets created lofty works, and so many musicians plucked from their very depths their most vibrant notes...
Yes, even in the quest for richness, there are not just factors of money, comfort and safety, but also power, prestige, and - in a word - glory.
But what elements compose this notion of glory? Some were inherent to the person: an elevated mind, great virtue and outstanding actions. Others were linked to what is today called public opinion; fame, a far-reaching recognition of one’s eminent qualities.
And what is glory worth? In what sense does the desire for glory elevate the soul?
There is no doubt that material goods were created for our use and that in proper measure man may desire these goods. But, when one raises them up to be the supreme values of existence, he reveals a low, egotistic and narrow spirit. In a word, one belonging to that category Holy Scripture strongly denounces: those for whom God is their belly (cf. Phil 3:19).
We remember all this because in the imponderable aspects of Khrushchev’s visit to the United States in 1959 and the many favorable comments subsequently published worldwide, what is insinuated is precisely this worldview. That is, the sole authentic aim of human society would be to promote a profitable and pleasant life. All religious, philosophical, and artistic questions would only have a minor importance or none at all.
In terms of material advantages, what matters most is avoiding a war - even if the world must implicitly resign itself to gradual bolshevization. Thus, what the West must preserve above all is a peaceful coexistence of peoples. Peace must be attained at all costs, because the price of war is incalculable.
Such an attitude reduces us to a life of ignominy. We will be slaves to the omnipotent State, lost an immense mass of anonymous people, disfigured by a “culture” that seeks to eliminate personalities and standardize men. A society that denies morality, the existence of the soul and even of God: all this is of little import.
Herein lies, however, for millions of souls, the supreme temptation because the word “glory” has become almost meaningless. It still exists in dictionaries, it may be used at times in familiar language. Other than this, it could almost be said the word is dead. And, with its disuse, comes the disappearance of other words related to it: honor, prestige, decorum..
In the face of this world that has deliriously hypertrophied the importance of the material life, on the occasion of Holy Christmas Our Lord gives us, fully and soundly, a most opportune double lesson.
First, let us consider the way of life of the Holy Family. A dynasty that lost the throne and its wealth has in St. Joseph a sapling that lives in poverty. The Blessed Virgin accepts the situation with perfect peace. Both strive to maintain an orderly and composed existence in this poverty, but their minds are not filled with plans of rising economically, comfort and pleasures, but rather with cogitations concerning God Our Lord.
How much poverty... and how much glory! True glory because it is not “cost estimate” made by the utilitarian and Pharisaic men of Jerusalem who appreciate others according to the measure of their riches. Rather, it is a glory that is a reflection of the true glory: that of God in the highest heavens.
It is often said that the poverty of the Holy Family in Bethlehem teaches us detachment from the goods of the earth, and this is true.
It should be added, however, that there is, beyond this, a high and lucid teaching at Holy Christmas on the value of the goods of Heaven and the moral goods on earth that stand as a figure of the heavenly ones. In this respect, there is perhaps some further clarification needed.
God created the universe for His extrinsic glory. Thus, all irrational creatures tend wholly to the glorification of God. And man, endowed with intelligence and free will, has an obligation to employ the potentialities of his soul - and his whole being - for the same purpose. His ultimate purpose is not to live a happy, easy and carefree life, but to give glory to God.
Now then, man achieves this by disposing all his interior and exterior acts toward recognizing and proclaiming the infinite perfections and sovereign power of the Creator. Created in the image of God, man gives glory to Him, seeking to imitate him as much as possible in his nature as a mere creature. Thus, our comprehension of God and our love for Him, to the measure it makes us similar to Him, also makes us participants in His glory.
This explains the immense respect the saints have always awakened, even by those who persecuted them. A simple cook, like Blessed Anna Maria Taigi, walking the streets of Rome impressed passersby with her respectability. In the apparitions of Our Lady, she manifests herself as extremely maternal, amiable and condescending, but at the same time indescribably dignified, respectable and refulgent in royal majesty. And what can be said of Our Lord, the source of all holiness? He was so condescending that he even washed the feet of the apostles. But, so infinitely majestic that a word from Him made all the soldiers who came to arrest Him fall to the ground (cf. John 18:6).
Now then, Jesus Christ is our model. The Saints, who imitated him magnificently, are also models. Thus, every true Catholic must strive for a high respectability, gravity, firmness and elevation that must distinguish him from the vulgarity, dirtiness and extravagance of everything that falls under the dominion of Satan.
This, then, is not just the splendor that comes from the practice of virtue. All power comes from God (Rom 13:1) - that of the King as well as that of the nobleman, the father, the patron or the teacher. In some way the holder of a position must be for his subjects like an image of God. There is an intrinsic dignity in all power, which is a reflection of the divine majesty.
Thus, in a Catholic society, one who holds any relevant position must respect himself because of this situation. He must convey that respect to those with whom he deals. In this way, Catholic temporal society shines with the glory of God. It sings His glory in its own particular way, just as spiritual society, which is the Holy Roman, Catholic, and Apostolic Church, also sings with her ineffable tones. Here on earth the life of a man becomes a harbinger of that song of glory that is intoned in Heaven for the endless ages.
Someone may protest, “isn’t the love of one’s own glory a type of pride?”
The answer is no, if the matter is understood well.
If anyone loves his own glory and not the glory of God, there is pride in this. If one loves his own glory not because it is a reflection of the glory of God but only because it is a way to receive homage, exercise dominion over others or control events, in this there is pride. But, if a man desires to merit the respect of his neighbor only so that God may be glorified, he shows grandeur of soul and true humility.
And what about good will? Doesn’t it consist of “democratizing” ourselves, putting ourselves on the same level as everyone else to attract their love?
One of the most fatal errors of our time is to imagine that respect and love exclude one another, and that the less respected a King, a father, or a teacher is, the more loved he will be. The truth is the opposite. High respectability, whenever it is steeped in a true love of God, can only attract the esteem and confidence of righteous men.
God created the universe for His extrinsic glory. Thus, all irrational creatures tend wholly to the glorification of God. And man, endowed with intelligence and free will, has an obligation to employ the potentialities of his soul - and his whole being - for the same purpose. His ultimate purpose is not to live a happy, easy and carefree life, but to give glory to God.
Now then, man achieves this by disposing all his interior and exterior acts toward recognizing and proclaiming the infinite perfections and sovereign power of the Creator. Created in the image of God, man gives glory to Him, seeking to imitate him as much as possible in his nature as a mere creature. Thus, our comprehension of God and our love for Him, to the measure it makes us similar to Him, also makes us participants in His glory.
This explains the immense respect the saints have always awakened, even by those who persecuted them. A simple cook, like Blessed Anna Maria Taigi, walking the streets of Rome impressed passersby with her respectability. In the apparitions of Our Lady, she manifests herself as extremely maternal, amiable and condescending, but at the same time indescribably dignified, respectable and refulgent in royal majesty. And what can be said of Our Lord, the source of all holiness? He was so condescending that he even washed the feet of the apostles. But, so infinitely majestic that a word from Him made all the soldiers who came to arrest Him fall to the ground (cf. John 18:6).
Now then, Jesus Christ is our model. The Saints, who imitated him magnificently, are also models. Thus, every true Catholic must strive for a high respectability, gravity, firmness and elevation that must distinguish him from the vulgarity, dirtiness and extravagance of everything that falls under the dominion of Satan.
This, then, is not just the splendor that comes from the practice of virtue. All power comes from God (Rom 13:1) - that of the King as well as that of the nobleman, the father, the patron or the teacher. In some way the holder of a position must be for his subjects like an image of God. There is an intrinsic dignity in all power, which is a reflection of the divine majesty.
Thus, in a Catholic society, one who holds any relevant position must respect himself because of this situation. He must convey that respect to those with whom he deals. In this way, Catholic temporal society shines with the glory of God. It sings His glory in its own particular way, just as spiritual society, which is the Holy Roman, Catholic, and Apostolic Church, also sings with her ineffable tones. Here on earth the life of a man becomes a harbinger of that song of glory that is intoned in Heaven for the endless ages.
Someone may protest, “isn’t the love of one’s own glory a type of pride?”
The answer is no, if the matter is understood well.
If anyone loves his own glory and not the glory of God, there is pride in this. If one loves his own glory not because it is a reflection of the glory of God but only because it is a way to receive homage, exercise dominion over others or control events, in this there is pride. But, if a man desires to merit the respect of his neighbor only so that God may be glorified, he shows grandeur of soul and true humility.
And what about good will? Doesn’t it consist of “democratizing” ourselves, putting ourselves on the same level as everyone else to attract their love?
One of the most fatal errors of our time is to imagine that respect and love exclude one another, and that the less respected a King, a father, or a teacher is, the more loved he will be. The truth is the opposite. High respectability, whenever it is steeped in a true love of God, can only attract the esteem and confidence of righteous men.
When this is not the case, it is not because respectability is so high, but because its foundation is not in the love of God.
The solution is not to lower oneself, but to invite the supernatural to dwell within you. A true supernatural dignity can abase itself without being abased. On the other hand, an egotistic and vain dignity neither desires nor knows how to condescend itself while remaining fully itself. When it feels strong, it debases others. When it feels weak, from fear it debases itself.
Imagine, then, a temporal society impregnated with this high, majestic and strong nobility, a reflection of the sublimity of God. A society where a great elevation was indissolubly linked to an immense goodness, in such a way that the more strength and majesty increased, the more commiseration and goodness would grow alongside it.
The result is great Order and great Peace.
For what is peace but tranquility in order (St. Augustine, De Civ. Dei, ch. 13)?
Stagnation in error and evil, concord with the followers of Satan, an apparent conciliation between light and darkness that, thus, confers citizenship to evil, only bring disorder and generate a tranquility that is the caricature of true peace.
True peace exists only among men of good will, who seek the glory of God with all their hearts.
“Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace to men of good will” (Lk. 2:14).
~Prof. Plinio Corrêa de Oliveira
The solution is not to lower oneself, but to invite the supernatural to dwell within you. A true supernatural dignity can abase itself without being abased. On the other hand, an egotistic and vain dignity neither desires nor knows how to condescend itself while remaining fully itself. When it feels strong, it debases others. When it feels weak, from fear it debases itself.
Imagine, then, a temporal society impregnated with this high, majestic and strong nobility, a reflection of the sublimity of God. A society where a great elevation was indissolubly linked to an immense goodness, in such a way that the more strength and majesty increased, the more commiseration and goodness would grow alongside it.
The result is great Order and great Peace.
For what is peace but tranquility in order (St. Augustine, De Civ. Dei, ch. 13)?
Stagnation in error and evil, concord with the followers of Satan, an apparent conciliation between light and darkness that, thus, confers citizenship to evil, only bring disorder and generate a tranquility that is the caricature of true peace.
True peace exists only among men of good will, who seek the glory of God with all their hearts.
“Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace to men of good will” (Lk. 2:14).
~Prof. Plinio Corrêa de Oliveira
“There is no doubt that the force of modernism, which is truly ‘diabolical’ in every sense of the word, strives by every means in its power to prevent these [superior] elements, today isolated and scattered, from achieving the cohesion that is necessary if they are to exert any real influence on the general mentality. It is therefore for those who have already more or less completely become aware of the end toward which their efforts should be directed to stand firm. . . [T]he ‘adversary,’ who up to this point has not been definitively overcome, can assume the most varied, and at times the most unexpected, disguises. It can happen that those who think they have escaped from modern materialism fall prey to things that, while seemingly opposed to it, are really of the same order. . . [M]any who sincerely desire to react against the modern outlook are reduced to impotence, since, having failed to find the essential principles without which all action is in vain, they have been swept into blind alleys from which there is no escape.” -René Guénon
***
“[I]t is not possible to put up a valid resistance to the modern world while still holding onto the principles and especially to the technological and productive mirage on which this world is based. . . The final collapse will not even have the character of a tragedy. . . [T]his civilization of titans, iron, crystal, and cement metropolises, of swarming masses, statistics, and technology that keeps the forces of matter at the leash will appear as a world that wobbles in orbit; one day it will wrest itself free and lose itself in a space in which there is no light other than the sinister glow cast by the acceleration of its own fall.” -Julius Evola
***
In this epoch we must, now more than ever, forsake all that the modern world seeks to impose upon us. For those called to heroic action, there can be no trace of the modern spirit found within, for this is none other than a corruption which makes every effort vain. All bridges must be burned, all modern “wisdom” abandoned along with the profanations which it has spread in every domain. This heroic elect must regain the sense of eternity, their sight, and with it, the capacity to discern subversive influences. Purity must therefore be of the utmost importance, for all that is impure cannot endure, and “nothing sacred has been left behind, among the sinful populations” (Evola).
Thus, the elect must truly be men among the ruins, the last bastions of Tradition in a fallen world. They must not be caught up in the currents of this age nor be swayed by any adversary but must be beacons of the Golden Age, casting out the shadows and driving back the forces of darkness.
“Go forth and set the world on fire.” -St. Ignatius Loyola
***
“[I]t is not possible to put up a valid resistance to the modern world while still holding onto the principles and especially to the technological and productive mirage on which this world is based. . . The final collapse will not even have the character of a tragedy. . . [T]his civilization of titans, iron, crystal, and cement metropolises, of swarming masses, statistics, and technology that keeps the forces of matter at the leash will appear as a world that wobbles in orbit; one day it will wrest itself free and lose itself in a space in which there is no light other than the sinister glow cast by the acceleration of its own fall.” -Julius Evola
***
In this epoch we must, now more than ever, forsake all that the modern world seeks to impose upon us. For those called to heroic action, there can be no trace of the modern spirit found within, for this is none other than a corruption which makes every effort vain. All bridges must be burned, all modern “wisdom” abandoned along with the profanations which it has spread in every domain. This heroic elect must regain the sense of eternity, their sight, and with it, the capacity to discern subversive influences. Purity must therefore be of the utmost importance, for all that is impure cannot endure, and “nothing sacred has been left behind, among the sinful populations” (Evola).
Thus, the elect must truly be men among the ruins, the last bastions of Tradition in a fallen world. They must not be caught up in the currents of this age nor be swayed by any adversary but must be beacons of the Golden Age, casting out the shadows and driving back the forces of darkness.
“Go forth and set the world on fire.” -St. Ignatius Loyola
When cultural ideals become so diluted to the point where they no longer motivate society to strive for the beautiful, we see also the dilution of the soul en masse. Rather than the soul being directed toward an eternal, mystical, metaphysical, but altogether attainable virtue, modern mass culture redirects and shackles the soul to that which is vapid and without substance.
We must understand it is within human nature to feel a certain emptiness; an innate longing for satisfaction that cannot be quelled. The condition of mankind following the Fall of Adam, the departure from that nature in which man was created and intended to remain, leaves us with dissatisfaction. It is this reason we expose ourselves to and wrestle with the crucial questions of our spiritual being, and as a result find tranquility in those divine qualities. But, if the eye of our soul is looking downward; always focused on the vanities of the world, then we will never discover the rejuvenation of which we are capable.
Modern mass culture is full of emptiness; it promises fulfillment yet bears no fruit. No amount of entertainment, wealth, status, politics, comfort or luxury will fill the void in our souls. We must seek the Good.
We must understand it is within human nature to feel a certain emptiness; an innate longing for satisfaction that cannot be quelled. The condition of mankind following the Fall of Adam, the departure from that nature in which man was created and intended to remain, leaves us with dissatisfaction. It is this reason we expose ourselves to and wrestle with the crucial questions of our spiritual being, and as a result find tranquility in those divine qualities. But, if the eye of our soul is looking downward; always focused on the vanities of the world, then we will never discover the rejuvenation of which we are capable.
Modern mass culture is full of emptiness; it promises fulfillment yet bears no fruit. No amount of entertainment, wealth, status, politics, comfort or luxury will fill the void in our souls. We must seek the Good.
“[I]n the traditional world we encounter the interpretation of life as a perennial struggle between metaphysical powers, between Uranian forces of light and order, on the one and, and telluric, dark forces of chaos and matter on the other. Traditional man yearned to fight this battle and to triumph in both the inner and outer worlds. A true and just war on the external plane reproduced in other terms the struggle to be waged within: it was a struggle against forces and people that in the external world presented the same traits as the powers the single individual needed to subjugate and dominate internally, until a pax triumphalis was achieved. From this follows an interdependence between the warrior idea and that of a certain ‘asceticism’, inner discipline, and superiority toward or control over one’s self. . . [T]he warrior idea may not be reduced to materialism, nor is it synonymous with the exaltation of the brutal use of strength and destructive violence. Rather, the calm, conscious, and planned development of the inner being and a code of ethics; love of distance; hierarchy; order; the faculty of subordinating the emotional and individualistic element of one’s self to higher goals and principles, especially in the name of honor and duty - these are all elements of the warrior idea, and they act as the foundations. . . The more original form of hierarchy is defined with essentially spiritual values (the Greek word for hierarchy means “sovereignty of the sacred”, hieros). However, it must be pointed out that in many civilizations even the hierarchies with a spiritual foundation either relied on hierarchies that were more or less warrior or reproduced their form at least externally” -Julius Evola
***
Struggle, when considered in this light, is not something to be avoided, but embraced, for just as man struggles with dark forces within, so he must inevitably struggle without. This necessitates the presence and action of the warrior element, which must subjugate the inferior and wage war against chaos, disorder, and their myriad manifestations. The warrior element thus becomes an instrument of the sacred, which must pervade every aspect of civilization. Such a civilization may then truly become a bastion of order, repelling malefic forces and maintaining the link to the divine. In the modern world this element, along with almost all influence from above, is lacking. The warrior element, when it is not entirely opposed, is at best connected with the mercenaries in the service of the bourgeois or plebeian castes. The superior is thus made subject to the inferior as it were dependent upon it, but this is reversal of justice. It is the inferior which needs the superior, never the inverse.
Furthermore, these mercenaries are not warriors except for in exceptional circumstances. As with most modern men, they do not know themselves, but are swayed by vague and empty ideals associated with their nations or else a confused desire to be what they are not. True warriors are so by blood, and it is this chrism which protects them from succumbing to the enemy within as lesser men are bound to do. What is needed, therefore, is the reaffirmation of superior principles, and the subjugation of inferior elements by a restored warrior nobility. It is only this nobility which can face the terrors of war as well as bring law and order to those under their dominion. All else amounts to injustice, which can never bring lasting peace or prosperity.
“Blessed be the Lord my God, who teacheth my hands to fight, and my fingers to war. My mercy, and my refuge: my support, and my deliverer: My protector, and I have hoped in him: who subdueth my people under me.” -Psalm 143:1-2
***
Struggle, when considered in this light, is not something to be avoided, but embraced, for just as man struggles with dark forces within, so he must inevitably struggle without. This necessitates the presence and action of the warrior element, which must subjugate the inferior and wage war against chaos, disorder, and their myriad manifestations. The warrior element thus becomes an instrument of the sacred, which must pervade every aspect of civilization. Such a civilization may then truly become a bastion of order, repelling malefic forces and maintaining the link to the divine. In the modern world this element, along with almost all influence from above, is lacking. The warrior element, when it is not entirely opposed, is at best connected with the mercenaries in the service of the bourgeois or plebeian castes. The superior is thus made subject to the inferior as it were dependent upon it, but this is reversal of justice. It is the inferior which needs the superior, never the inverse.
Furthermore, these mercenaries are not warriors except for in exceptional circumstances. As with most modern men, they do not know themselves, but are swayed by vague and empty ideals associated with their nations or else a confused desire to be what they are not. True warriors are so by blood, and it is this chrism which protects them from succumbing to the enemy within as lesser men are bound to do. What is needed, therefore, is the reaffirmation of superior principles, and the subjugation of inferior elements by a restored warrior nobility. It is only this nobility which can face the terrors of war as well as bring law and order to those under their dominion. All else amounts to injustice, which can never bring lasting peace or prosperity.
“Blessed be the Lord my God, who teacheth my hands to fight, and my fingers to war. My mercy, and my refuge: my support, and my deliverer: My protector, and I have hoped in him: who subdueth my people under me.” -Psalm 143:1-2