The War Against the Church: Attacks on the Family

It is difficult to deny, and I have encountered few who try to deny, that the family is the first school which we, as humans, attend. It is in the family that we recieve our first lessons in matters of human interaction. It is in the family that we learn those qualities most essential to forming social bonds. The Catechism of the Catholic Church calls the family "the original cell of social life" and stresses that "Authority, stability, and a life of relationships within the family constitute the foundations for freedom, security, and fraternity within society." Let's take a look at the attacks on the family under those headings outlined by the Catechism, that is Authority, Stability and Relationships.

Authority



We see from the above citation from the Catechism that the Church realizes that authority is not a impediment to freedom, but is, on the contrary, the cornerstone of freedom.

It is in the home that our children first encounter authority in the person of their parents. Now, like it or not, we will spend our entire lives in submission to authority of some form. We have bosses at work, government in our interaction with others. Submission to authority is part and parcel of living in community.

But the culture in which we live seeks to undermine that authority. It seeks to impose its values on our children; it strives to drown out our values in cultural "noise" that shouts down those lessons we struggle to inculcate our children with. We see it in the teaching of so-called "diversity" and "tolerance" in our schools. We see it in the messages of the glorification of violence as a means of achieving goals portrayed in popular entertainment. We see it in the blatant sexualization of our youth by music and fashion.

It is the role of parents and not the state to be the primary educators of children. It the responsibility of the family and not the culture to be the primary formers of the minds of our youth.

Stability

Stability means consistency. It means consistency in the values we live, consistency in the thoughts we express, consistency in the influences we allow to exert influence upon us. We sacrifice so much of this consistency in the name of progress. We tire under the endless assaults of the culture. We succumb to the overwhelming flood of ideas that, although they run counter to what we believe, we submit to because it's easier.

But with stability comes security, the knowledge that there is a place where we can know we are safe. Where the things we believe are safe, where our values have meaning, where what we accomplish, or fail to accomplish will be viewed consistently. The family should be a place of shelter, a place of consistency, a place where we can shelter and seek rest and safety among those we love.

A Life of Relationships

In the modern world, especially in the vaunted western culture, the large family is viewed as an anomaly. Sexuality has been uncoupled from procreation and the propagation of the species. The West has become a self centered society where humans are judged by their wealth and their belongings. Materialism, in the sense of the accumulation of "stuff", has become the enemy of the family, encouraging, as it does the vast dedication of resources to accumulate things. It is financially more and more difficult to "keep up with the Joneses". Smaller families have more resources per person to spend on accumulation.

Already, though, we see the results of this amongst European society, where reproduction rates have fallen below the rate of replacement. In Europe, fewer taxpayers support more elderly via tottering social entitlement programs. Parents without children, children without siblings, find themselves approaching old age without family members to care for them, not just in a physical and financial sense, but in the sense of having companionship.

Community loses its meaning when one finds oneself alone. Loneliness breeds despair. It's hard to find joy when one's alone.

Sorry it took so long to post this. I also apologize if my thoughts seem incomplete, I was in a bit of a hurry to get something posted here. I hope you understand that these attacks are not just attacks against the Church. These attacks ate against the fundamental dignity of the human person. They are attacks on joy and hope. It is aggression against the love we are compelled to share with one another. We have determined that our own happiness demands that we eat our young. It doesn't have to be so. But there is a voice that can be heard shouting encouragement to her warriors in the midst of the battle, a voice encouraging us to maintain the struggle not just for her, but for the sake of all men. It is the voice of the embattled Church and her words of those of her beloved spouse, words which have rung down the centuries on the field of every struggle in which she has engaged in His name, "Be not afraid."

Til next time, all the best. Joe

An Introduction II

So, dear Reader (if I have any yet) I know you've been waiting with bated breath for this second installment of Top Meadow. I can tell you I have too. I generally have no idea what's going to end up on the screen until my fingers hit the keys. So, without further ado, let's get started...

I'm 47 years old, a white male citizen of the Midwestern United States. I've been married three times, twice to the same woman (I have no idea why, either). I'm currently single, a widower, father of two (by my first wife), stepfather of six (the children of my second). My kids live with their mother, we're a bit estranged due to the tension between their mother and I. Four of my six step kids live locally with their dad, we see each other regularly. They're the light of my life.

My birthday's April 30 (cash only please). I'm a Taurus, if you put any stock in that kind of thing (I don't).

I was raised in the midwest, the oldest of three by adoption into a middle class Catholic family. My primary education was provided by the Sisters of Notre Dame. My secondary education by the Oblates of St Francis de Sales. Both of these religious orders have my deepest gratitude. When I finally acknowledged the values they had imparted to me during my formation, I found those values to be true and useful.

In my elementary school days, I entertained thoughts of the priesthood. I really believe it's a pretty common experience for young men who are seriously Catholic. I wanted to attend a high school seminary program. I let my folks talk me out of it, a decision i now regret, but perhaps was for the best.

I was raised in a loving, if alcoholic, home. My father came from a family of hard drinking Germans, so he came by his alcoholism honestly. He was strong as a bull and as stubborn as one, as well. He worked two jobs all of his life. He was a distant man who wanted to love, but really didn't know how to. My mother was of German extraction as well, but they were temperate people. Her way of showing love was material. I have no idea from whence her drinking came.

Following a brief and futile attempt at college, instead of following a religious calling I became a soldier. In the profession of arms I found a home. I excelled. I loved the Army and the Army loved me. In soldiers I found some of the finest people I'd ever met in my life. Although a coarse lot, who must, due to the nature of their job seem a bit distant and gruff, I found most of my comrades to be among the most caring and giving people I'd ever met. Few professions call upon their adepts to sacrifice more than the profession of arms. I love those guys. I ended up spending twenty-one years with the colors, eleven of those on active duty. I was deployed overseas twice.

It should surprise no one, however, to learn that military service is hard on marriages and family life, Long duty hours, deployments, and separation from family is difficult and some are unable to overcome these challenges. My marriage was no exception. Combine that with the family tradition of alcoholism I proudly carried on, my selfishness, and a propensity for marital infidelity and it should be no surprise that my marriage failed - twice. Seriously, she married me twice! The one bright spot of that union is the two wonderful children born of it. My wife has since remarried. I hope she's happy. I pray for it daily. I'm estranged from my children, a bright, energetic and strapping boy; a bubbly, free spirited girl. I miss them very much.

My religious journey during these years suffered as a result of my deteriorating morals. My personal experience is indeed that sin darkens the intellect. I could rationalize all of my behaviors. The young man of my high school years slid from devout to observant; observant to lapsed; lapsed to a vague theism; to deism; to a pronounced agnosticism.

The breakup of my marriage should have been no surprise to me. Actually I was stunned.

Do I have you on the edge of your seat yet, dear reader? I, myself, can hardly wait to see what's next.

In our next installment, An Introduction III (I'll get better with the titles, I promise). I'll deal with hitting bottom and recovery. If you sense the influence of a 12 step program here, you're right.

Until then, though, all the best. Joe.