October 31, 2021 Column Father De Celles
Holy Days. Tomorrow, Monday, November 1, is the Solemnity of All Saints. This year, because it falls on a Monday, the rules provide it is not a Holy Day of Obligation (you don’t have to go to Mass). Even so, All Saints remains one of the most important days of the Catholic year, because it reminds us of our unity with the Church in Heaven. Itremembers not just the canonized saints, but ALL the other countless numbers of souls who have gone to Heaven, including many of our deceased parents and grandparents, and so many of our little children who have gone before us. So, I encourage you to go to Mass tomorrow and join them in praising God, and praying for our troubled world.
The next day, Tuesday, November 2, is the Commemoration of All Souls. Catholics believe that if a person dies with any sins or imperfections on their soul (having, before dying, properly repented of any mortal—“deadly”—sins) our Loving Lord Jesus mercifully perfects, or purifies, them so they can enter into the perfection of Heaven. To help them along in this purification He calls us to pray for them—because we love them. So, the Church encourages us to go to Mass on All Souls Day to offer that greatest prayer possible for the “Holy Souls.”
Election. I keep thinking, “This is the most important election in years.” And then I remember, every election we’ve had recently has been just that! And next year’s election will be too!
Because in all these elections, the very foundation of our nation, families and the Church is under attack. The rights to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness are on the line. The right to life is obvious: abortion is the foundation of the culture of death. The right to liberty is also obvious: freedom of speech, freedom of assembly, freedom of ideas, freedom of religion and the basic freedom of self-governance are all under attack. And the right to the pursuit of happiness: not the right to do as you please, but the right to freely pursue the basic things that bring happiness to human beings. That includes the right to have and raise a happy family as you see fit, the right to pursue work and prosperity, and the right to strive to become the best human being you can be.
All of these are under attack, and very close to being lost. Twenty years ago, ten years ago, who would have thought today we’d have same-sex marriage, transgenderism normalized, Catholic Masses cancelled by the government, suppression of free speech in the media (e.g., Twitter, Facebook, etc., suppressing all sorts of people and news), forced experimental vaccinations, re-segregation of the races, and Marxism rising in popularity. And yet, that is what we have.
On the one hand this could be very depressing, even leading to despair. But on the other hand this can be invigorating. We are in an historic time, which will have a dramatic impact on the future of our state, our nation and our world. And most importantly, on our children and their futures, both in this world and the world to come. And we can choose to be -not just bystanders watching the parade of history pass us by- but participants. And not just participants, but protagonists. We can take an active role in shaping events, determining the future.
We can demonstrate and speak out, as well as motivate and educate our friends and colleagues. And most importantly, WE CAN VOTE.
Which is why I beg you, if you are eligible, and if you haven’t already, YOU MUST VOTE THIS TUESDAY.
If you want some guidance on who to vote for,I suggest you look at my Column in last week’s Bulletin for some guidance.
And Pray! Another way to shape history is to invoke the power of the Creator and Author of all Life and History: God. So, pray for Virginia, asking God to shower His grace on voters, and give us the elected officials He wants for us.
A great way to do this is to join in Eucharistic Adoration this Monday and Tuesday, beginning after 8:30am Mass on Monday (Nov. 1) and ending before 7pm Mass on Tuesday (Nov. 2). Exposition of the Blessed sacrament will be continuous throughout the day and night—34 hours straight, interrupted only for Holy Masses. Please sign up on the parish website, or just come.
FCPS Teaches Racial Hatred. An excerpt from “Critical race theory is a ‘frame’ for ‘our work,’ Fairfax County Public Schools told teachers,” By James Varney, The Washington Times, October 26, 2021:
“A slide presentation this summer instructed social studies teachers in Fairfax County Public Schools that ‘critical race theory is a frame’ for their work, even though officials in Virginia’s largest school system say the pedagogy is not a part of the curriculum….
“In the 2-hour, 45-minute presentation, critical race theory is listed as one of the ‘community engagement and communications’ tools teachers should understand in the upcoming school year. ….Lisa Williams, the school district’s chief equity officer, …explains…‘Critical race theory as a frame is no less or more valuable than any other frame we might put on our work,’ she said.
“When asked Thursday about critical race theory in the curriculum, a school system spokeswoman said, ‘FCPS does not teach critical race theory.’….
“A Marxist-based theory first developed in graduate schools, critical race theory posits that racism is a fundamental element of American government and life and calls for dismantling institutions to create an equitable society…
“The nonprofit group Parents Defending Education…released a database Friday showing that Fairfax County taxpayers have spent more than $5.5 million on contracts with critical race theorists and diversity, equity and inclusion specialists.…
“Ms. Williams explains how teachers’ work is ‘framed’ by critical race theory, which she says is interchangeable with ‘multicultural,’ ‘diversity’ and ‘cultural competency.’”
Transgender Ideology Overrides Rape. Excerpt from an October 26, 2021, article published on Yahoo!News, by Caroline Downey:
“Ruling on a case that has seized national attention and reinvigorated debate over parental rights in public education, a Virginia juvenile court judge concluded Monday that a transgender teenager sexually assaulted a female student in a Loudoun County high school in May….
“The decision comes after the Daily Wire spoke to the victim’s father, who said the male student forcibly sodomized his ninth-grade daughter in a school bathroom while wearing a skirt. When the father attempted to describe and protest the incident at a local school-board meeting, he was arrested for disorderly conduct, allowing the sexual abuse to stay underground for months.
“After the assault, the perpetrator was transferred to another school where he allegedly assaulted a second female student in early October.
“In the interim, the Loudoun County School Board passed a sweeping gender-inclusivity policy allowing students to use restrooms and locker rooms, as well as compete in sports, according to their gender identity rather than biological sex.
….[A]ccording to the New York Times, …court documents confirm the offender was wearing a skirt when the assault took place. …”
Oremus pro invicem, et pro Virginia. Fr. De Celles