CATHOLIC ACTION
Some may wonder what Catholic Action has to do with Prophecy. Actually this is what was undertaken by catholics in order to bring about the Restoration of the Church. In the last century the Popes called for Catholic Action, which is the participation of the laity in the work of the hierarchy under the direction of the Roman Pontiff. Now the Church found Herself without a Pope, so the first step was to elect a Pope who would then direct Catholic Action for the salvation of souls.He who is content with saving himself and neglects the salvation of others cannot secure his own salvation. (Saint John Chrysostom, Chapter 18 of Matthew Sermon 60) And so in this crisis, the first duty of all Catholics was to proceed to elect a Pope. In fact, it can be said that working towards the election of a Pope was an essential mark of Catholicism in these times, just as submission to the reigning Roman Pontiff is a mark of Catholicism. Saint Thomas Aquinas writes: In cases of necessity where faith is in danger, every one is bound to proclaim his faith to others, either to give good example and encouragement to the rest of the faithful, or to check the attacks of unbelievers: but at other times it is not the duty of all the faithful to instruct others in the faith. (II.II Q3 A2 reply 1) And this time finds the greatest necessity. Obedience to the Pope in Catholic Action
By Giuseppe Cardinal Sarto, Bishop of Mantua, Patriarch of Venice,
(the future Pope St. Pius X. Delivered at the Congress of Lodi, 1890).
Catholic Action consists in acting in the face of the world in conformity with the faith which we profess, so that the majesty of God may be respected and His Divine laws obeyed. Catholic Action consists especially in affirming the rights of Jesus Christ who is truly Our King. Because Jesus Christ is represented by His Church, Catholic Action consists in being affectionate children of this perfect society, which does not depend on other powers for the right to live and exercise Her ministry, because She has all power from God...Because moreover this Church is not built in the air, but does Her work in this our sublunar world, having a Supreme Head, Bishops and priests, Catholic Action is directed toward the defense of and revindication of the rights of the Roman Pontiff, who is the Church of Jesus Christ what the head is to the body, what the foundation is to the building, for where the Pope is there is the Church. The more open the war against the Pope is the more active, the more resolute should Catholic Action be in defending and maintaining the inviolable rights of the Sovereign Pontiff...
Catholic Action is properly lay in character for another reason also, which is obvious even to the most undiscerning, but which must not be forgotten. At one time the rights of Jesus Christ, of the Church and of the Pope entered into the legislation of all Christian states, and no one dared to deny to the hierarchy, the Church and the Pope those immunities and those privileges which they received from Christ, recognized by so many centuries of State law. Now it is no longer so. The Church, the Pope are no longer recognized as such and no longer form part of the social organism; they are relegated to the sphere of common rights; nay, they are even considered as enemies; they are ranked with evildoers. Since these things are so, who is it that must bestir himself to defend he violated rights and insulted dignity of the Pope, the Bishops and the Church? In other times it was the Pope and Bishops who intervened in the defense of their children, threatened by the savage invasions of the barbarians; today it must be the children who will rise up in defense of their Father, the laity in defense of the Hierarchy...Catholic Action will not please certain timid souls. Who, though good living, are so attached to their habitual quiet and so afraid of every innovation that hey believe it is quite sufficient to pray because God knows best how to defend the faith, humiliate His enemies and make the Church triumphant. But these good people whom I would cal optimists will wait in vain for society to reChristianize itself simply by the prayers of the good. Prayer is absolutely necessary, because in the ordinary economy of salvation God does not concede graces except to him who prays. India and Japan would never have been converted by the prayers alone of Xavier; the Apostles would never have conquered the world if they had not done the work of heroes and martyrs. It is necessary, therefore, to join work with action.
There are others on the other hand, who in order to justify their inertia, give up the world for lost, since they see in it so many evils. These people, whom I would call pessimists, say that it is so much wasted time to talk of committees, circles, chairs, societies that will never accomplish anything. It is sufficient to remind these weary and dispirited souls that this kind of work in Catholic Action has been commanded by the pope, who has signified his own mind in so many ways, and that it is enough for us to be sure that it is the will of God also. One would need, then, a pretty dose of temerity and pride to say that a work, which has been commanded by the Pope and is the will of God, is useless and of no avail...
True it is that in promoting Catholic Action, difficulties will be found. But what good work has there ever been which has not encountered difficulties and obstacles?...Where there is good will, all difficulties will vanish, and even when it seems that we are face to face with the impossible, if there is a will, there will be a way...
Up to the present we have been like rabbits, too frightened of everything and everyone to institute the Parochial Committee, in order not to give offense. To whom should the committee give offense? To two classes of people only: to the bad, and if we gave way to them we would have to stop all good works; and to those good people who shrink from innovations. We must tell these last clearly and distinctly that these innovations are both beautiful and good; that as the bad unite, so also must the good; that if they are innovations they are desired by the Vicar of Jesus Christ, and that he who does not obey the Pope does not obey God.
Nicolas of Fluh (died 1487):The Church will be punished because the majority of her members, high and low, will become so perverted. The Church will sink deeper and deeper until she will at last seem to be extinguished, and the succession of Peter and the other Apostles to have expired. But, after this, she will be victoriously exalted in the sight of all doubters.
Michael Fighting
