My Pagan and Catholic Roots Against Leftism - Part 2: Catholicism

In “My Pagan and Catholic Roots against Leftism – Part 1,” I wrote about how I use my indigenous Igorot and Roman Catholic roots to arm against Leftism. The article identifies Leftism as the most influential secular religion that: 1) seeks to remove religion and the Biblical God from society, 2) replaces God with secular dogmatic ideologies such as socialism, egalitarianism, relativism, environmentalism, feminism, systemic racism, multiculturalism, etc., and 3) is something that poisons everything it touches.

The article also touched upon Leftism’s influences in the Catholic Church. In this article, I will pick up where I left off by expounding on this sad reality.  

The Contrast of Catholic Landscapes

Both my parents were first generation Catholics. Even more significant is the fact that my mother’s father was a die-hard pagan priest (native shaman), who taught her the pagan religion of our Igorot ancestors. By her own volition, my mother converted to Catholicism at a young age, and surprisingly convinced her father to convert not too long thereafter. Had he been “lukewarm” in his religious beliefs and practice, his conversion wouldn’t have been surprising. The fact that my mother converted her father speaks volumes about her Catholic Faith.

When I recall stories of my parent’s Catholic lives in the Philippines, particularly their formative years, I can’t help but notice a stark contrast between then and now. I’m always struck most by my mother’s real belief in the Eucharist and her devotion to Our Blessed Mother. I can never forget her account of a three mile Eucharistic procession on the feast day of Christ the King. The dirt mountain roads turned to mud as it rained during the procession, yet she felt so close to Christ. My father also shared his experiences as an altar boy when he served the Traditional Latin Mass in the Philippines, most especially how he memorized the prayers in Latin and how Masses were much more conducive to silent prayer and meditation than today’s Novus Ordo Mass. My greatest memory of my dad is of him kneeling at church with his head resting on his hand, as it covered his eyes. I once asked him why he covered his eyes, and he responded, “There’s always been too much distraction in America” (referring to the new Mass).

Whenever I contrast their Catholic life in the Philippines with the American Catholic landscape today, I am usually saddened. One has to be blind or willfully ignorant not to notice the devastating decline of Mass attendance, baptisms, priests and religious. It seems the only things dramatically increasing are church closings, scandals within the clergy and religious, baptized Catholics leaving the Faith, and confusion from all levels of Church hierarchy regarding bedrock Catholic teachings (especially concerning Sacraments for the divorce and re-married, social teachings, sodomy, and same-sex relationships).There exists a gargantuan amount of discussion about these troubling times, but what I hear almost nothing of is the role Leftism had, and continues to have on the Catholics.

As mentioned in Part 1, all one has to do is watch the EWTN documentary movie, “A Wolf in Sheep’s Clothing,” to know that Leftism has infiltrated the Catholic Church and is still a threat. The movie is about the 20th century Marxist radical, Saul Alinsky, and his influence on American society and the Catholic Church. It is an eye-opening look at how Leftism under the guise of goodness has misled and continues to mislead countless of good Catholics and clergy.

From its beginning to its end; the entire movie deserves our attention, but there are two things that really jumped out at me. First, is the fact that Cardinal Joseph Bernardin and many other priests supported Alinsky. Some even went as far as becoming his disciples. It’s mind boggling how many members of the Church supported the same man who wrote the following dedication for his best known book, “Rules for Radicals”:

“Lest we forget at least an over-the-shoulder acknowledgment to the very first radical: from all our legends, mythology, and history ... the first radical known to man who rebelled against the establishment and did it so effectively that he at least won his own kingdom — Lucifer.”

The second is a testimony given before the U.S. Congress by Mrs. Bella Dodd, a former high ranking official of the American Communist Party. As part of her testimony, she confessed:

"In the 1930s we put eleven hundred men into the priesthood in order to destroy the Church from within. Right now they are in the highest places in the Church."

In May of 2017, I attended the “Navigating through the Problems of the World” conference by exorcist and theologian, Fr. Chad Ripperger. His opening speech articulated the moral decline of today’s society as predicted by Our Lady of Fatima, Our Lady of La Sallette, Our Lady of Akita, and Our Lady of Good Success. Apparently, Our Lady warned us about as far back as 1610 of the infiltration of the Catholic Church, the corruption within, and the departure from bedrock Catholic teachings.

When was the last time you heard a sermon at church about the four last things (death, judgment, heaven, and hell)? [i] When was the last time you were taught and encouraged to perform “spiritual” works of mercy? How about carrying out the great commission of baptizing and making disciples of all nations (Matthew 28:19)? Contraception? Not receiving Communion while in a state of mortal sin? Frequenting the Sacrament of Confession/Penance? Abortion? I’d be willing to bet most readers would answer “a long time ago,” “not sure” or “never.” Sadly, these and many of the other bedrock teachings directed to the salvation of our souls have fallen by the wayside.  They’re simply no longer high priorities for many Catholics.

Instead we are more likely to hear about social justice, being pro-gun control, pro-illegal immigration, pro-man-made climate change, anti-death penalty, pro-LGBTQ, and anything else Leftism focuses on. Yes, these are important topics that should not be ignored, but it’s wrong to equate them or worse, elevate them above the things that jeopardize our souls. How can the equating of joblessness to the “intrinsic evil” of brutally murdering an unborn child be considered acceptable? It can’t because intrinsic evil acts are always immoral, regardless of intention or circumstance.[ii]  Unfortunately, Leftism has led people to believe otherwise. A major reason for this is Cardinal Joseph Bernardin’s “Seamless Garment” teachings, which continues to lead people astray. Among many examples of its lingering poisonous effects are:

1) The recent statements about abortion made by the Jesuit Conference for America and Canada on the eve of the recent 2018 March for Life in Washington DC. In reference to abortion, it stated:

“There are less direct “but equally” senseless ways we undermine life . . . through violence, racism, xenophobia, and the growing inequality of wealth and education.” [Emphasis added] [iii]

2) Archbishop Blasé Cupich’s op-ed in the Chicago Tribune that equates the intrinsic evil of the abortion industry’s sale and trafficking of human baby body parts to things like joblessness and racism.

3) The infiltration of the Catholic Franciscan University of Steubenville by a teacher who used Seamless Garment ideologies to advance a “poison pill that would kill the pro-life movement.” 

Remember the Liberation Theology movement led by Catholic bishops and priests in Latin America, which Pope John Paul II and Cardinal Ratzinger (Pope Benedict XVI) fought against? [iv] Like the Seamless Garment, it also used Leftism to blur the theological. Whenever this happens, Theological Leftism is created.

Leftism’s Successful Infiltration

The reason Leftism has become so successfully integrated into Catholicism is because of modernism, which according to St. Pope Pius X, is “the synthesis of all heresies.”  This is why he officially condemned it in Lamentabili Sane and Paschendi Dominici Gregis. Fr. Chad Ripperger, often brings up modernism in his sermons, conferences, and writings because of its nature as the synthesis of all heresies. He points to Immanetism and Kantianism (philosophy of Immanuel Kant) as the major parts of its roots. Immanetism holds that anything of importance is found within the individual; the individual becomes the measure or standard by which things are judged. Kantianism holds that man’s experiences were essentially immanent; they are within or remain within him. This leads people to view religion as nothing other than personal religious experience, rather than revealed Truth itself.

The modernists who continue opening the doors to Leftism are typically those who believe in any or all of the following (to name a few): 1) Church doctrine evolves, 2) religion is about sentimentality and feelings - NOT dogma, 3) all religions are equal, 3) the historical Jesus is not the Jesus of the Bible, 4) the definitions of sacred dogma are subject to change, 5) women should be ordained as priests, 6) people are basically good and therefore most go to Heaven, and 7) Church teachings and practices before Vatican II, which took place between 1962-1965, are no longer relevant and should be discarded.

Theological Leftism is so rampant that it’s often difficult to know what is true or not. It has affected every facet of the Faith. It can get very confusing, especially when bishops and prelates contradict each other. This is why I rely on my ethnic and Catholic roots as my strongest recourse.   

With regard to my ethnic roots, my Igorot ancestors did not rely on “themselves” to determine their course of action in the absence of clarity. They were “counter” Modernist-Leftist by nature. They relied on religious practices, such as using the bile and liver of a sacrificial animal (usually chicken or pig) to determine what to do. Their ceremonies and rituals, although objectively displeasing to the Biblical God when done in the names of their gods, gave testament to their reliance of a higher authority. For them, the authority was their supreme god - Kabunian. For my parents and me, it is the Biblical God as revealed in Scripture and Catholic Tradition.

The Old Rite of Roman Catholicism

After connecting to my Igorot roots, I connected with the Sacred Traditions of my Catholic roots, particularly the Traditional Latin Mass – the Mass of my parents before immigrating to America. These Traditions are part of what is commonly known as the Old Rite of the Roman Catholic Church.

Through no fault of my parents, I never had as solid of a connection to my Catholic roots as I do now; mainly because it was embedded in soil that was tainted with Leftism. When we left the Philippines and arrived in America, the landscape of Catholic America was already infected by Leftism, especially in our new home Chicago. Saul Alinsky and other Leftist influences were well entrenched in Chicago and the Catholic Church at the time. Remember, there were eleven hundred men inserted into the priesthood by the Communist Party a few decades beforehand. Also at the time, the new Mass had just been promulgated and unprecedented reforms in the Catholic Church were at full steam. Like most good Catholics, my parents went along with the changes not knowing the devastating effects they would have in future Catholic identity and orthodoxy.   

When I finally realized how Leftism is poisoning the Church today, I began wondering how to navigate through it all. That’s when I discovered the Old Rite of Catholicism. By the grace of God, the virtue of prudence and its eight sub-virtues (Memoria-Memory or experience, Intellectus-understanding, Docilitas-docility, Solertia-shrewdness, Ratio-reason, Providentia-foresight, Circumspectio-circumspection, Cautio-caution) helped me apply right reason to my decision to pay closer attention to the Old Rite while still remaining faithful to Holy Mother Church and her Magisterium.

Filled with a collection of good memories and experiences from my parent’s Catholic lives (Memoria); I allowed myself to be taught the Sacred Traditions of the Old Rite by traditional priests and laity (Docilitas). This quickly led to my discoveries of Sacred Traditions that were never taught to me or emphasized (Solertia). My interior senses took into consideration my exterior experiences from the past (Intellectus) and the knowledge I was learning (Ratio), and concluded that my soul needs to connect with these newly discovered roots. The vision God has for my soul (Providentia) was so clear that I decided to make as much of the Old Rite a part of my everyday life (Circumspectio). In doing so, I am careful to never entertain the paganism of my people (Cautio) for fear of breaking the First Commandment, which is a grave mortal sin. I am also careful not to be misled into the extremism that leads people to reject the Magisterium, no matter how bad it gets.

Reviving an Old Axiom

At the heart of the Old Rite exists the Catholic axiom of “Lex Orandi, Lex Credendi, Lex Vivendi,” loosely translated as “How we worship, affects what we believe, which affects how we live.” This is a key essential for arming against Leftism in the Church.

Lex Orandi tells me to pay attention to how I worship, and that is why I go out of my way to pray the Traditional Latin Mass, also known today as the Extraordinary Form, when I can. Unfortunately, most Catholics do not pray it because of unavailability, ignorance or “personal preference”; the latter being a tell-tale sign of Leftism’s influence - its focus on feelings and emotions. Sadly, those led by their feelings or emotions have the notion that choosing between the New Mass and Old Rite is strictly a matter of personal preference. Most Catholics believe that except for the obvious differences between language and rubrics, both are essentially the same – a Mass is a Mass.  I used to be one of these people, but now I know one has more “extrinsic” value or merit than the other. In this regard, Fr. Chad Ripperger, teaches us:

“In discussing the value of the Mass, one must make a distinction between intrinsic and the extrinsic value. The intrinsic value of any valid Mass is infinite since It is Christ, Who is infinite, Who is offered Hence, in this respect every Mass has an infinite value. The new rite of Mass is just as efficacious as the old rite of Mass in this respect since they are both the same sacrifice of Christ. The Mass, because it is the offering of God the Son to God the Father, gives infinite glory to God. However, the extrinsic value or merit of the Mass is finite. This is so because man, a finite creature, is incapable of receiving infinite effects. In this respect, the value of the Mass is “intensive limited,” which means that the fruit of the Mass is limited in its measure. . . “ [v]

He then supports this by elaborating on the six things that the extrinsic merit of the Mass are essentially based on: 1) The Church, 2) The priest as public servant of the Church, 3) The priest as private person, 4) The faithful, 5) The decora, and 6) The merit of the ritual itself. Afterward, he concludes:

“. . . objectively speaking, with respect to the ritual itself, the old rite of Mass has an ability to merit more than the new rite of Mass. . . While it is not our intention to denigrate the new rite, we must recognize that the ritual of Mass used in the old rite is more meritorious and therefore more beneficial for the people who assist at it and for the priests who offer it.” [vi]

I’m not surprised; therefore, that Pope Benedict XVI claimed in 1997 that the Traditional Latin Mass is the Church’s “Holiest and highest possession.” [vii]

From the Lex Orandi of the old Rite comes Lex Credendi and Lex Vivendi. There are many examples of Lex Orandi’s influence on our belief and how we apply it to our daily lives, but none are more visible to me than these two examples: 1) the Catholic teaching of not receiving Communion while in a state of mortal sin is evident in the long confession lines before “every” Mass, something I’ve rarely seen except during Lent or special occasions. 2) The belief that Christ’s Body, Blood, Soul and Divinity is truly present in the Eucharist is evident in everyone receiving Communion on the tongue while kneeling, something I never did before. They understand that Christ is present in every “particle” of the Eucharist, and by receiving Christ on the tongue; we prevent fragments from falling from our hands onto the floor where people literally step on Him. In addition, they are aligned with the teachings of St. Thomas Aquinas and Pope John Paul II, who taught that reverence demands that only what has been consecrated should touch the Blessed Sacrament.[viii]

I’ve discovered that by connecting to the old Rite, my understanding and approach to the Sacraments and Sacred Traditions takes on an incredibly different dimension that positively impacts my state in life as a husband, father, and child of God. Not only that, but it helps me become more and more Leftism proof. When I connect to my earthly roots of my Igorot heritage and my Heavenly roots of my (Old Rite) Catholic Faith, Leftism stands an infinitesimal chance of prevailing over me.

Note: Future articles (parts III, IV, etc) will discuss how my Igorot and Catholic roots specifically tackle the Leftist dogmas of socialism, egalitarianism, environmentalism, racism, etc. 

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Notes:

[i] Recommended sources to learn more about the four last things: Fr. Chad Ripperger videos: death, judgment, Heaven, Hell / Fr. Isaac Mary Relyea videos: death, judgment, Heaven, Hell

[ii] Pope John Paul affirms Catholic Catechism teaching on intrinsic evil in Veritatis Splendor 80.

[iii] “Jesuits issue revised statement on abortion on eve of March for Life 2018”, America Jesuit Review, 1/19/18

[iv] Left leaning NACLA organization describes Pope Benedict XVI’s battle against liberation theology in their article “The Pope’s Holy War against Liberation Theology.”

[v] "The Merit of a Mass” by Fr. Chad Ripperger, Latin Mass Magazine, Summer 2003. Copy of entire article is here.

[vi] "The Merit of a Mass” by Fr. Chad Ripperger, Latin Mass Magazine, Summer 2003. Copy of entire article is here.

[vii] “Salt of the Earth” by Joseph Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger, 1997 . Other quotes about the Latin Mass by Pope Benedict XVI are located here.

[viii] Aquinas: St. Thomas Aquinas, Summa Theologica (III, Q. 82, Art. 3) / Pope John Paul II: Dominicae Cenae, no. 11. Also refer to the Catholic Culture article here.