Stay ConnectedBased on the book, “Return to Order” by John Horvat II, this podcast addresses the root causes of the nation’s moral decay and shows how we can return to those God-given institutions and principles that naturally regulate society and put it back in balance.
Hosted by Edwin Benson, Matthew Miller and John Horvat II himself, the Return to Order Moment brings you insights, analysis and information for a culture in crisis.
Visit our website at: http://www.returntoorder.org/
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During the sixties, so-called experts promoted something called “new math.” This spirit transformed America’s classrooms. Other disciplines soon followed. English became Language Arts. History and Government were combined into Social Studies. The library morphed into the Media Center. Science kept the same name, but instruction radically changed. Computer screens are now the sign of modern education. Some subjects were eliminated. Handwriting instruction, Home Economics, Driver’s Education, and most Business courses are things of the past. All of these changes were supposed to get our children ready for life in the twenty-first century. All of these changes were supposed to get our children ready for life in the twenty-first century. Listeners who wish to read the essays in their original format may use the following links - https://www.returntoorder.org/2024/02/important-new-research-indicates-that-students-learn-more-from-books-than-computer-screens/, https://www.returntoorder.org/2024/01/inspired-by-their-warrior-mascot-a-pennsylvania-school-board-turns-back-a-leftist-invasion/, and https://www.returntoorder.org/2023/12/even-if-schools-deny-it-children-and-adults-need-to-learn-to-write-in-cursive/. Thank you for listening.
China. Korea. Russia. Iran. Israel. Ukraine. These are more than just the names of countries. Each one represents a significant threat to the world order that took shape after World War II. That order survived the Cold War, armed conflicts in Korea and Vietnam, and seventy years of conflict in the Middle East – among other challenges. On February 24th, Two Thousand Twenty-Two, Russia invaded Ukraine. On October 7, Two Thousand Twenty-Three, Hamas invaded Israel. What will happen in Two Thousand Twenty-Four? Will China invade Taiwan? Will Iran finally obtain Nuclear Weapons? Will the United States and its European Allies find themselves involved in a four-part international conflict? On February 24th, Two Thousand Twenty-Two, Russia invaded Ukraine. On October 7, Two Thousand Twenty-Three, Hamas invaded Israel. What will happen in Two Thousand Twenty-Four? Will China invade Taiwan? Will Iran finally obtain Nuclear Weapons? Will the United States and its European Allies find themselves involved in a four-part international conflict? Unfortunately, that same spirit is becoming increasingly popular across the land. Many Christians are taking part in it, under the misconception that believing in a poorly defined and elusive “peace” can make it happen. They find their hopes in the tired phrase “Give peace a chance,” that they inherited from the sixties. Such an attitude is massively erroneous. To ignore the world situation because of fear would be a mistake equal to that made by Neville Chamberlain at Munich in 1938. We must remain alert and ready to support the cause of Western Christian Civilization. Thank you for listening.
It is very difficult for leftists to describe their visions for the future. They will be happy to mouth the usual words, equity, inclusion and the like. However, when asked to be more specific, they are at a loss for words. There are two reasons for their speechlessness. First, many of them are so far lost in their utopian dreams that they have not transformed those dreams into useful goals. Second, those who have done that thinking can’t devise a message that attracts support. Consider this quotation, attributed to World Economic Forum founder Klaus Schwab, “You will own nothing – and you will be happy about it.” One wonders if Mr. Schwab counted himself among the happy poor of the earth. Indeed, that may sound good to some, usually the same people that describe their hopes in Karl Marx’s famous phrase, “From each according to his ability, to each according to his needs.” However, no one knows how such a culture would work. Throughout history, an individual’s economic security has been based upon how much that person or his family owns. That is his only protection from famine, pestilence, or tyrannical governments. The only people who have been happy owning nothing are nuns and monks who derive their well-being from their relationship with God. For everyone else, the idea of being poor and happy at the same time is a delusion. The resistance to Mr. Schwab's prediction is one of three aspects of the left's overly optimistic outlook that this podcast discusses. Together these three "bumps" on the leftist road constitute a roadblock that makes their path to the future unnavigable. Those who wish to read the essays in their original formats may use the following links - https://www.returntoorder.org/2023/11/you-will-own-nothing-blueprint-for-the-world-to-come/, https://www.returntoorder.org/2023/12/what-happens-when-celebrity-leftists-turn-right/, and https://www.returntoorder.org/2023/11/can-right-wing-marketing-compete-with-the-leftward-drift-of-many-giant-american-corporations/. Thank you for listening.
As this episode goes live, Ash Wednesday is only one week away. This may come as a surprise because it has been such a short time since the end of the Christmas season. As most Catholics know, Ash Wednesday is the beginning of Lent, a penitential season that lasts until Easter. Typically, most people observe lent by giving up something – perhaps a favorite food, drink, or activity. This podcast is oriented to finding new meanings in the Lenten experience. Any listeners who wish to read the essays in their original format may use the following links - https://www.tfp.org/how-to-make-this-lent-sublime-by-broadening-your-supernatural-horizons/, https://www.tfp.org/real-american-men-put-on-the-armor-of-god/, and https://www.tfp.org/lenten-meditation-unconventional-ash-wednesday/. May all of our listeners have a blessed Lent, and thank you for listening.
Other than the gathering clouds of yet another contentious election, the biggest news story of the day is the battle between Israel and the Hamas Terrorists. The media coverage of this story is telling. Israel is immediately connected with Judaism and Zionism, yet there seems to be a reluctance to draw the obvious connection of Hamas and Islam. There is an even greater reluctance to recognize that Islam is an inherent enemy to Western culture. This podcast discusses several aspects of this broadening struggle. Listeners who wish to read the articles in their original format may use the following links - https://www.returntoorder.org/2023/12/why-are-people-ignoring-the-slow-motion-jihad-that-rages-inside-france/, https://www.tfp.org/new-book-by-catholic-scholar-islam-and-the-suicide-of-the-west-reveals-great-threat/, https://www.returntoorder.org/2023/10/the-west-at-war/ and https://www.tfp.org/pope-franciss-abrahamic-religions/. Thank you for listening.
Welcome to the Return to Order Moment. We hope that you find these weekly podcasts to be both informative and a blessing. Today, we are going to shift gears a bit and bring you a message from the founder of the International TFP Movement, Professor Plinio Correa de Olivera. This message concerns three virtues – seriousness and serenity as listed in the title – as well as the related virtue of obedience. Instead of talking of these virtues as part of a philosophical or historical discourse, Professor Plinio uses incidents from his own life. Many of these occasions happened in the context of his childhood relationship with his mother – a woman of great strength and love, as you will see. In the later part of the podcast, he will be answering questions about practicing these virtues which were raised by TFP members.
Recently, many Americans have become interested in the so-called Gilded Age. The term itself comes from the title of a little-read book by novelist Mark Twain. Today, it is easy to get swept up in the lavish clothes and elaborate social rituals of that period. It is so different from the modern age, where there are no rules and many believe that jeans and t-shirts are appropriate for any occasion. However, there are many products of the late nineteenth century that helped to destroy the society that created them. One of these is Liberal Christianity. Those who industrialized the world were dissatisfied with traditional religious belief. They wanted a scientific religion to accompany their technological advances. They cared little about salvation after death, what they wanted was a religion that worked to improve society. This was the development that Pope Saint Pius the tenth criticized as Modernism. Interestingly, as Liberal Christianity grew, the Christianity part became detached. Today, many say that they are “spiritual,” rather than religious. Interestingly, their so called spirituality always fits beautifully into their “no limits” lives without rules. This podcast examines the failings of Liberal Christianity and the reasons that it is failing. LIsteners who wish to read the essays in their original formats may use the following links - https://www.tfp.org/why-liberals-love-religion-without-consequences/?PKG=TFPE3222, https://www.tfp.org/the-plight-of-modernists-without-faith/, and https://www.tfp.org/the-hoax-of-atheistic-communism/. Thank you for listening.
As this podcast goes live, the final preparations are being made for the March for Life in Washington, D.C. on January 19, 2024. The date for the annual event was first chosen to coincide with the anniversary of the disastrous Roe v. Wade decision in 1973. When that decision was overturned, many hoped that the pro-abortion – often inappropriately referred to as “pro-choice” – movement would dry up and blow away. However, that has not happened. In fact, the pro-aborts appear even stronger today than they did in the bad-old-days of Roe. Many so-called conservatives are saying things out loud that they once kept under wraps – that it is time to jettison the pro-life message from the right-wing lexicon. Today’s podcast is designed to resist that sentiment. Listeners who wish to read the essays in their original formats may use the following links - https://www.returntoorder.org/2020/02/achieving-christendom-is-americas-best-chance-at-overthrowing-abortion-lgbt-reign-of-terror/, https://www.returntoorder.org/2023/11/no-the-abortion-issue-did-not-lose-its-edge-in-the-last-elections/ and https://www.returntoorder.org/2023/12/the-invincible-courage-of-paulette-harlow/. Thank you for listening.
Today, the Return to Order Moment wants to introduce its listeners to one of the most significant men of the Twentieth Century. His significance lies in the fact that he diligently opposed the Zeitgeist that made the last century the moral cesspool that it was. This man founded the international TFP movement. His biographer referred to him as “the Crusader of the Twentieth Century” and “the Prophet of the Reign of Mary.” I refer, of course to Professor Plinio Corrêa de Oliveira. Shortly before his death in 1995, he compiled this Philosophical Self-Portrait. We hope that bringing this to you will inspire you to read his books and find out more about the organization that he founded. Those who wish to view a printable copy of the essay upon which the podcast was based may use this link - https://www.tfp.org/philosophical-self-portrait-plinio-correa-de-oliveira/?_gl=1*7dbgbp*_ga*NjI0ODI1NDY3LjE2NTgxNjYyODM.*_ga_T660L5C23G*MTcwMzg2NTI4Ni40NC4xLjE3MDM4NjU3NTkuMC4wLjA.*_ga_HFSGW18RNL*MTcwMzg2NTI4Ni4yMDcuMS4xNzAzODY1NzU5LjYwLjAuMA.. Thank you for listening.
Usually, Americans tend to ignore foreign policy. It is messy and tricky and difficult to understand. However, the death of Henry Kissinger last month recalled one of the few periods that foreign policy was on the newspapers’ front pages. For those born since the disastrous Vietnam War, if may be difficult to understand why Dr. Kissinger was so famous. His short stature, homely face, and thick German accent would seem to inspire ridicule rather than respect. However, those who lived through that time wanted to see an end to the war. They also wanted reassurance that World War III would never happen. Henry Kissinger’s presence seemed to promise that these ends would be achieved. The current situation in both China and Russia shows that Kissinger's happy talk of detente made promises and implied a future that has not come to pass. Indeed, Russia provoked the first European war since World War II and China became ever more militant. This podcast explores those realities. The second essay, by Mr. Julio Loredo, is richly footnoted. Interested listeners can see his sources of information by activating this link - https://www.returntoorder.org/2022/04/can-russia-and-nato-co-operate-vladimir-putin-says-no-it-is-time-for-the-facts/. The other two essays can also be read in their original formats by using https://www.returntoorder.org/2023/12/the-disastrous-kissinger-era-comes-to-an-end/ and https://www.returntoorder.org/2023/05/xi-jinpings-threats-to-taiwan-highlight-the-dangers-of-americas-fictional-one-china-policy/. Thank you for listening.
We want to welcome you to episode two of The Return to Order Moment’s Christmas gift to our listeners, taken from The Christ, the Son of God: A Life of Our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ by Abbe Constant Henri Fouard. Last week, we brought you the events surrounding the Annunciation, Visitation, and the Dreams of Saint Joseph. This week, we will pick up Father Fouard’s narrative and take our listeners through Mary and Joseph’s trip to the City of David, the Nativity, the Visit of the Shepherds and 1the Presentation of the Baby Jesus at the Temple in Jerusalem. We hope that you have enjoyed our attempt to add something to the Holiness of your Christmas Holidays. May God bless you all!
We want to welcome you to the Christmas episode of the Return to Order Moment. In this annual celebration, we attempt to help you deepen your celebration of this Holy time by reading material that our listeners would be unlikely to find otherwise. This year, we turn to Abbe Constant Henri Fouard (1837-1903). He was part of a tradition of priests who were best known for their scholarly work. In addition to his ecclesiastical duties, Father Fouard was a historian who traveled widely in Palestine, Syria, Greece, and Italy. His extensive travels bore fruit in his many books, including his The Christ, The Son of God – A Life of Jesus, from which these excerpts are taken. He had the ability to write about the scenes of Our Lord’s life that could only come from one who had spent considerable time there tracing the steps that Our Lord Himself took. It is also significant that Father Fouard’s journeys took place in an age when Palestine still looked and felt much as it did during the time of Christ, without the modern traffic, industries, and tourist traps that one finds there today. We decided to bring you this magnificent narrative over two episodes. This week, we will give you the setting of the Nativity and the condition of the people who lived there. Then, we will speak of the Annunciation, the Visitation, and the visions of Saint Joseph. Next week, only five days before Christmas, we will hear of the Holy Family’s journey to Bethlehem, the Nativity itself, the visit of the Shepherds, and conclude with the presentation in the Temple.
As Pope Francis ages, he appears to become more consistent. Normally, that would be a good thing. However, the trend seems to be that the aging pontiff is consistently wrong on every new issue. He appears to be so enamored of radical leftism, that he seems willing to take the Church down every radical road. Today’s podcast will look at three areas in which that tendency manifests itself. Listeners who wish to read the essays in their original format may use the following links - https://www.returntoorder.org/2023/11/pope-francis-the-war-and-the-holy-places/, https://www.returntoorder.org/2023/10/why-pope-franciss-eco-friendly-apostolic-exhortation-rings-unconvincingly-for-the-faithful/, and https://www.returntoorder.org/2023/09/pope-franciss-synodal-path-mimics-the-anglicans-route-to-self-destruction/. Thank you for listening.
We Americans don’t usually think much of titles. In fact, this disdain was written into our Constitution, where Article I, Section 9, Clause 9 states, “No Title of Nobility shall be granted by the United States.” Not only that, but any government official must get the permission of Congress before accepting one from a foreign king. So, we tend to turn a deaf ear to titles like marquis, duke or knight. We have a few titles for current and former office holders. We allow medical doctors and members of the clergy to put Doctor or Reverend in front of their names. Other than that, it is just plain Mister, Missus, or Miss, and even those become less common every day. The founder of the TFP, Professor Plinio Corrêa de Oliveira, thought that this tendency was very unfortunate. In his mind, titles separated those who provided exceptional service to their nations and God – together with their descendants – from the rest of the human herd. He believed that such separations – or hierarchies – were essential to the proper order of society.
Radicals and Revolutionaries always make the same mistake. They all think that the Church is just going to roll over and die. Perhaps Josef Stalin posed this error most succinctly when he asked, “How many divisions does the Pope have?” In his mind, it was the size of the army that made you strong. Nothing else mattered. The Church had no army, except the spear-bearing Swiss Guards. Therefore, it was weak and would soon die. Of course, today, Stalin is dead and the country that he led no longer exists. Vladimir Putin pretends to be some sort of modern-day Stalin. However, the Ukrainians are proving that Putin is more like Humpty-Dumpty than the legendary Soviet dictator. Even though the Church today is in crisis, it is nowhere near death. It still exists and claims millions of followers, which is far more than one can say for the many enemies who predicted her demise over the centuries.
The spread of Western, and particularly Christian Civilization from Europe to the rest of the world is a magnificent story. Unfortunately, most of America’s young people never hear it. Most of those who do hear it get a doctored, out of context version written by woke so-called historians who abandon the truths of history to promote their political agendas. This episode of the Return to Order Moment will try to set the record right. Of course, a single podcast cannot undo the years of work of that the university propagandists put into their lies, half-truths, and out-of-context conclusions. Hopefully enough people will hear this to begin to make a dent. This podcast looks at two missionaries to the Americas and a site where much missionary work takes place. These are only three of the hundreds of missionary stories that took place in North America during the exploration and colonization of this great continent. They are essential parts of the American story. We hope that you enjoy them, are edified by them, and use them as a beginning of your own studies of early American Catholicism. Listeners who wish to read the essays in their original formats may use the following links - https://www.tfp.org/saint-anthony-mary-claret-apostolic-missionary-ultramontane-champion-and-crusher-of-communism/, https://www.tfp.org/the-mystic-who-became-a-missionary-the-extraordinary-life-of-saint-marie-of-the-incarnation/, and https://www.tfp.org/a-rare-view-of-frontier-catholicism-in-america/. Thank you for listening.
Today’s episode of the Return to Order Moment will be shorter than most. However, it is packed with importance. Twenty-first-century Catholics find ourselves faced with a dilemma that we never expected until recently. We find ourselves torn between loyalty to the papacy while being unable to agree with many statements made by the current pope. We will not be able to resolve all the points of that dilemma today, but a sense of faithfulness to the unchangeable truths behind Holy Mother Church forces us to respond to certain comments made by Pope Francis. In that necessity, we take comfort in the fact that the author of the essay that we read here today, Mr. Luiz Sérgio Solimeo, is a superb scholar who has been studying such questions for over five decades. Mr. Solimeo’s essay is richly footnoted. Any listener who wishes to review his sources can gain access to that essay in its original format by clicking on this link - https://www.returntoorder.org/2023/10/at-the-height-of-the-sexual-revolution-why-does-pope-francis-belittle-those-who-defend-chastity/?PKG=RTOE1899
Society conditions us to see ugliness. The television news business thrives on it. Advertising tries to make us pay attention by shocking us. Movies and novels are deemed boring unless there is something in it that is incredibly ugly, like murder or adultery. Even many fashion trends make the people who adopt them appear ugly. Why did we stop seeking out things that are beautiful? Perhaps it was when society stopped seeking after God. After all, if God is all beauty, then using our wills to embrace ugliness has to be a rejection of God – and an embrace of evil. Each of the four essays that make up this podcast focus upon beauty. The first considers the implications of a miracle that saved a beautiful place. The second describes one kind of beauty of character - and how it was found in a surprising place. The third is more philosophical - considering the ways that modern people reject beauty and how it can be recovered. The last describes a vacation in a magnificent and beautiful place - and the factors that make that place beautiful. Listeners who wish to read the essays in their original formats can use the following links - https://www.returntoorder.org/2023/08/the-miracle-on-maui-is-god-sending-us-a-message/, https://www.returntoorder.org/2023/09/finding-light-in-a-walmart/, https://www.returntoorder.org/2023/08/the-rejection-and-restoration-of-beauty/, and https://www.returntoorder.org/2021/07/finding-a-world-of-peace-and-order-on-michigans-mackinac-island/. Thank you for listening.
Josef Stalin once said, “Education is a weapon whose effects depend on who holds it in his hands and at whom it is aimed.” Our listeners can be sure that Communists, whether they be in China, Cuba, Moscow or anywhere else have not ignored Stalin’s ideas. Throughout the world, they have diligently worked to take over education. Unlike many other Marxist and Communist doctrines, this one makes sense. In the United States, and much of the world, education is the most socialized segment of society – the area of greatest government control. Even private schools in the United States are staffed with those who meet state certification requirements. To get that certification, teachers and administrators must attend state-approved schools of education. These often become indoctrination centers. This podcast discusses some of the methods that leftists use that divert the schools' attention away from education and toward creating a new generation of "social justice warriors." Readers who wish to read the essays in their original formats may use these links - https://www.returntoorder.org/2023/09/the-red-chinese-are-turning-americas-best-schools-into-little-red-classrooms/, https://www.returntoorder.org/2023/09/californias-controversial-math-curriculum-focuses-on-dismantling-white-supremacy/, and https://www.returntoorder.org/2023/06/should-high-school-debaters-be-forced-to-promote-marxism-and-leninism/. Thank you for listening.
One of the buildings at the American TFP’s headquarters in Spring Grove, Pennsylvania has a glass covered niche immediately across the entrance hall from the main door. It encloses a statue of the Mother of God, under the title of Our Lady of Good Success. Among the members and supporters who enter the building each day, the custom is to stop and bow before this image whenever one enters or leaves the building – or even when walking from one end of the building to the other. The founder of the international TFP movement, the Brazilian scholar, Plinio Corrêa de Oliveira, had a fervent love of the Virgin Mary, and of Our Lady of Good Success, in particular. This essay is typical of the instruction that he gave to TFP members and supporters about the importance of devotion to the Blessed Mother. So, we begin this podcast about Our Lady of Good Success by bringing our listeners Professor Plinio’s essay, “Why We Need Our Lady.” Those who wish to read this essay may use this link - https://www.tfp.org/why-we-need-our-lady/ Then we continue with an excerpt from one of our favorite books, A Spanish Mystic in Quito. It is available as a free download from the American TFP by using this link - https://www.tfp.org/free-version-of-a-spanish-mystic/ We conclude the podcast with a marvelous essay in which Mr. Norman Fulkerson related his experience on a pilgrimage to Quito in his essay, Visiting Our Lady of Good Success: A Pilgrimage to Heaven. That essay can be read at https://www.tfp.org/visiting-our-lady-of-good-success-a-pilgrimage-to-heaven/. Thank you for listening, and pray to Our Lady of Good Success for her protection of Holy Mother Church.
Pope Francis has convoked a “Synod on Synodality,” which is meeting as this podcast premiers. Many faithful Catholics have expressed concern over the synod, as its promoters have proposed severe and potentially destructive changes to the Church’s structure. Synod leaders have repeatedly expressed their desire to discuss “inclusion.” The following article, taken from the recently published book “The Synodal Process Is a Pandora’s Box,” by José Antonio Ureta and Julio Loredo explains what the word “inclusion” means for the Synod’s promoters. The other essays included in this podcast describe the one group that is excluded from the Synod proceedings and the reaction to the book. Listeners who wish to read the essays in their original format may use the following links: https://www.returntoorder.org/2023/08/radical-inclusion-the-key-to-understanding-the-coming-synod/, https://www.returntoorder.org/2023/09/confessions-of-a-radically-excluded-catholic/, and https://www.returntoorder.org/2023/09/the-synod-process-is-a-pandoras-box-a-cry-of-alarm-that-raises-hopes/. Thank you for listening
The word freedom has been distorted out of all relationship to its true meaning. Modernists see freedom as the ability to do whatever they want, without having any regard to its consequences, either on ourselves or others. However, that brand of so-called freedom leads to bondage. It destroys ourselves and others in a more total way than any chains or prison bars actually could. Saint Therese of the Child Jesus, often referred to as “The Little Flower,” offers us a perfect example of the proper use of freedom. The founder of the International TFP movement, Professor Plinio Correa de Olivera, considered this dimension of Saint Therese’s writings in a talk that he gave on April 17, 1967. The Return to Order Moment offers its listeners excerpts of that talk as published in the January Two Thousand Twenty-Two issue of the American TFP’s Saint Gabriel Bulletin.
Most people look upon the pandemic years of Two thousand Twenty and Two Thousand Twenty-One as disasters. The idea of returning to those times sends shudders down any sensible spine. However, there are those who see the Covid scare as the “good old days.” They look back nostalgically on a time when people took the words and commands of government officials seriously. Their technocratic souls thrilled to the sound of Anthony Fauci’s voice. Their socialist sensibilities had no trouble standing in long lines in which the people in front and behind them were six feet away. They enjoyed carrying vaccination cards that gave them special privileges to travel. Their love of virtue signaling led them to enjoy having a mask to inform people that they cared. They also got a kick out of looking down their noses at those who refused to cover their noses and mouths with useless pieces of paper and elastic bands. The emergence of a new variant is already giving these Marxist wannabees new hope, and that should frighten anyone with an ounce of sense - or memory of the dark days of 2020-2021. Listeners who want to read the essays in their original formats may use the following links - https://www.tfp.org/how-the-pandemic-shattered-social-skills-and-destroyed-public-spaces/?PKG=TFPE3145, https://www.returntoorder.org/2022/09/hold-public-health-technocrats-accountable-for-their-covid-blunders/, and https://www.returntoorder.org/2020/05/how-the-liberals-became-covid-doomsayers/. Thank you for listening.
This year marks the semi-centennial of the American TFP, the organization that sponsors the Return to Order Moment. One of the guiding principles of the TFP is to place principles over personalities. This precept is, in and of itself, enough to separate us from the attitude of most of modern society. Therefore, we spend little time focusing upon our own organization as we strive to inform people about the need to live according to traditional morality, as taught by the one, holy, Catholic and apostolic Church. However, as we reach this half-century mark, it is appropriate that we take a brief look at our history. We do this for two reasons. First, it encourages our long-time supporters to look back on the battles that we have fought together. Second, we hope that it will encourage those new to the battle to look at our history and consider becoming involved with us. It was in this spirit that the President of the American TFP, Mr. Raymond Drake, penned the cover article in the September/October Two thousand twenty-three issue of Crusade magazine. Thank you for listening.
The ecological movement, at least as we know it today, is a tool of leftist revolutionaries. That is unfortunate because preserving the gifts that God gave us – including the natural world – is truly important. However, the biggest promoters of today’s environmental movement are not interested in conserving God’s gifts. In fact, the majority are atheists. They manipulate the movement to gain power. They present gruesome pictures of polluted air, water, and land scarred by the wreckage of industry. They twist these images them to inspire others to repeat phrases like, “Someone ought to do something.” Then they spring their plan. That plan always includes forcing others to give up legitimate freedoms. Only such sacrifices can establish the leaders’ vision of some environmental utopia. The ironic side of the issue is that the proposed solutions don’t solve anything. That is the topic of this week's podcast. Listeners who wise to read the essays in their original formats, including the charts from the second essay, can use these links: https://www.returntoorder.org/2023/04/unreliable-wind-and-solar-energy-will-not-save-the-world/, https://www.returntoorder.org/2023/07/three-reasons-to-doubt-the-extreme-weather-alarmists/, and https://www.returntoorder.org/2023/08/are-the-recent-canadian-wildfires-accelerating-the-end-of-the-world/. Thank you for listening.
What does it mean to say that a man was “a warrior against himself?” The concept is one that is entirely absent in our modern world which teaches us that the most important interest is our own. However, this meditation on the life of Saint Peter Orseo-lo by Professor Plinio Correa de Olivera carries a message that is diametrically opposite to that of the modern world. In it, we see a man who set out to conquer himself. He had money, power, and position. Yet, he saw that only by abandoning them, could he conquer his own sinful nature. We would all do well by considering the example of the little-known Saint Peter Orseolo, as written by the founder of the international TFP movement, Professor Plinio Correa de Olivera. Thank you for listening.
We live in a cynical world. We are surrounded by those who try to pretend that evil is good – and that the evil that they do is even better. Our leaders do not lead us. They try to figure out what we want and then try to convince us that they want it, too. We are surrounded by people who say that they want to help us, but are only willing to do so if they are paid for their help. We are bombarded by advertising that says that we can be truly happy – but only if we buy their stuff. Fortunately, there are those whose primary motivation is one of charity. When we first meet such people, we might distrust them at first. Our inclination is to wonder what is in it for them. Only slowly do we change our minds as a sense of trust grows. Today, the Return to Order Moment takes you back about one hundred sixty years – to the time of the Civil War. We will focus on a small group of women who called themselves the Daughters of Charity. We hope that this account will inspire our listeners to be just a bit less cynical and rejoice that such people exist. Thank you for listening.
Often, a light bulb that is about to expire gives a very brief moment of bright light before the darkness comes. Such an occasion may be an appropriate analogy for the woke movement. On one level, wokeness has never appeared stronger. On the other, there are signs that it is losing its potency to dictate the policies of the future. Listeners who wise to read the essays in their original format may use the following links - https://www.returntoorder.org/2023/07/is-d-e-i-going-to-d-i-e/, https://www.returntoorder.org/2023/08/where-are-wokeism-and-cancel-culture-taking-us/, and https://www.returntoorder.org/2023/07/a-period-correct-mass-at-the-160th-anniversary-of-the-battle-of-gettysburg-attracts-a-full-tent/. Thank you for listening.
Years ago, Hollywood was often called “tinsel town.” This refereed to its ability to make something that was artificial appear real. They make their money selling illusions. One of Hollywood’s favorite phrases is “push the envelope.” In other words, the goal is to produce something that is even more shocking than that which came before. However, Hollywood has pushed the envelope as far as possible before it rips, losing the support of its audience. That is the main point of today's episode of the Return to Order Moment. Listeners who wish to read the essays in their original format may use these links - https://www.returntoorder.org/2023/07/what-if-the-hollywood-strike-never-ends/ and https://www.returntoorder.org/2018/12/the-spirit-of-hollywood-versus-the-spirit-of-the-cross/. Thank you for listening.
Until recent years, the ability to understand and explain the arguments of an opponent was vital to participation in the public debate. Without such an understanding, an advocate for a position said ridiculous things that prevented them from being taken seriously. Those who promote the positions collectively called woke are proud of their inability to understand their opponents’ arguments. To them, this inability is a sign of their ideological purity. This is a dangerous position. Science exists to help humanity to discover the truths of God's natural world. Subverting the process to suit a political or ideological agenda takes us further away from those truths. Listeners who wish to examine the articles in their original format may use the following links - https://www.returntoorder.org/2023/07/education-secretary-cardona-is-wrong-about-the-causes-of-disrespect-for-the-public-school-system/, https://www.returntoorder.org/2023/07/what-david-french-gets-wrong-about-the-culture-war/, and https://www.returntoorder.org/2023/06/why-cancel-the-scientists-who-follow-the-science/.
Of all of the unfortunate aspects of modern life, the style of architecture known as brutalism is, perhaps, the least humane. This podcast defines and examines this horrible trend - one that may be returning. It pays special attention to the soul-destroying nature of brutalism. Listeners who wish to read the essays in their original format may use the following links: https://www.returntoorder.org/2022/12/regimenting-the-body-and-destroying-the-soul-the-ugly-legacy-of-brutalism/, https://www.returntoorder.org/2023/05/impressions-of-a-soulless-new-airport/, and https://www.returntoorder.org/2021/03/how-the-revival-of-catholic-architecture-in-england-changed-the-way-people-prayed/. Thank you for listening.
This episode of the Return to Order Moment looks at a modern-day controversy that should be no controversy at all. For centuries, Western Culture accepted masculinity and feminity without question. Such is the nature of humanity that most other cultures accepted it as well. However, the leftist “deconstruction” of society has proceeded so far that it questions the basic building blocks of civilization. We have reached the time that we all must call “Halt!” before going any farther down the road to ruin. Listeners who wish to read the essays in their original formats may use the following links: https://www.returntoorder.org/2023/07/manhood-a-catholic-look-at-a-much-needed-commentary/, https://www.returntoorder.org/2019/03/how-to-destroy-toxic-masculinity-with-catholic-manual-for-men/, and https://www.returntoorder.org/2019/02/why-chivalry-is-the-catholic-solution-to-toxic-masculinity/. Thank you for listening.
Despite several clear warnings against Homosexual sin in the Bible, many groups that call themselves religious race to conform to the demands of the LGBT movement. The Catholic Church has resisted. This resistance has earned Catholics the enmity of these so-called activists. These social revolutionaries control most of the media. This combination has sparked a new and very overt form of anti-Catholicism. Two of the three essays in this week's episode concern the recent decision of the Los Angeles Dodgers Baseball Team to make a "Citizen Hero Award" to the blasphemous anti-Catholic group, "The Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence." The last of the essays is more philosophical and describes some of the reasons that the left hates the Catholic Church. Listeners who wish to read the essays in their original formats may use the following links: https://www.returntoorder.org/2023/06/a-wave-of-anti-catholic-bigotry-sweeps-america-protest-now/, https://www.returntoorder.org/2023/06/supernatural-forces-clash-at-dodger-stadium/, and https://www.returntoorder.org/2020/10/17-reasons-why-the-left-hates-the-catholic-faith/. Thank you for listening and may Our Lord and Our Lady richly bless you!
Erratum: At the beginning of the podcast, Mr. Benson refers to "Saint John Hunyadi. While John Hunyadi was a great hero of the medieval Church, he was never canonized as a saint. Our apologies. The nature of today’s Return to Order Moment will, we hope, make leftists react in despair – or at least dismay. This tale will make their hair stand on end, their stomachs to become queasy, and make them sputter as they try to express their shock. John Hunyadi’s name is unfamiliar today. A world that adores peace has little use for this man of war. A society that promotes so-called “multiculturalism” wants to forget those who were tireless in their defense of Christian culture. Historians who want to promote the theory that the Crusades were inept and corrupt ignore the importance of the brave and self-sacrificing “White Knight of Wallachia.” In a world beset by the “woke” ideas of the left, it is time to remember Hunyadi and his valiant struggle to keep Europe free from the Muslim invaders. Thank you for listening!
Despite their protests to the contrary, there can be little doubt that leftists are targeting America’s children. The evidence is all around us, and the list of offenses against childhood innocence is too long to list here. This episode of the Return to Order Moment focuses on the ways that Christian parents, grandparents, and others should react to the left’s outrageous behavior. Listeners who wish to read the essays in their original format may use the following links - https://www.returntoorder.org/2023/05/defending-childhood-innocence-is-a-parents-duty/, https://www.returntoorder.org/2023/05/how-neo-paganism-enters-our-culture-with-the-idea-of-child-sacrifice/, and https://www.returntoorder.org/2023/06/how-libraries-came-to-be-sanctuaries-for-sin/
Listen to the political dialogue that passes for news, and you will soon hear someone call for “responsive government.” The idea behind the well-worn phrase is simple. One of the virtues of republican government is its ability to respond to the needs and desires of the people who are, presumably, the source of its authority. Unfortunately, in the modern age, government is inclined to resist the people’s will. The overall pattern is for the politicians to leave real problems unsolved, because that posture helps them continue in their lofty positions. This podcast will deal with three manifestations of that tendency. First, it will look at the underlying problems between the "debt ceiling" debate in May. Then it discusses the roots of the student loan program's woes - and suggests a solution. Finally, we will examine the New York Governor's short-sighted decision to ban the continued use of natural gas. Listeners who wish to read the essays in their original formats can use the following links - https://www.returntoorder.org/2023/05/dealing-with-the-madmen-on-the-debt-ceiling/, https://www.returntoorder.org/2023/05/those-who-profited-from-student-loans-should-help-pay-for-the-damage-they-caused/, and https://www.returntoorder.org/2023/05/new-york-governors-ban-of-natural-gas-will-send-residents-looking-for-non-greener-pastures/. Thank you for listening.
China is a favorite topic of journalists, broadcasters, and pundits. Usually, the conversation revolves around the topic of growing Chinese power. Inevitably, that subject develops into a discussion China’s threat to the rest of the world. Many of those discussions center around the personality of China’s current leader, Xi Jinping. Xi makes no secret of his ambitions. At the same time, he is very careful to keep his plans to achieve those ambitions secret. This episode of the Return to Order Moment focuses on the effects of Xi’s ambitions on the United States. Listeners who wish to read the essays in their original formats may use the following links: https://www.returntoorder.org/2023/05/why-chinas-pursuit-of-world-leadership-will-be-a-disaster-if-it-succeeds/, https://www.returntoorder.org/2023/05/xi-jinpings-threats-to-taiwan-highlight-the-dangers-of-americas-fictional-one-china-policy/, https://www.returntoorder.org/2023/04/how-china-after-mao-consistently-moved-to-more-socialism-not-less/. Thank you for listening.
For centuries, academics taught that the terms “medieval” and “dark ages” could be used interchangeably. One meant the other and vice versa. According to these scholars, the world of the Roman Empire was marvelous. As the Empire fell, the superstitions of the Catholic Church prevailed. Only with the Renaissance did the lights of scholarship shine once again. This version of history was never true, but it did fit into the humanist mindset. It allows them to pretend that their heroes – the thinkers of the Renaissance and the so-called Enlightenment – brought humanity back from a wretched existence as virtual slaves living in mud huts. In our present age, many scholars are re-examining the Medieval world. This podcast examines three surprising aspects of Medieval life, including the role of women, art, and cleanliness. Listeners who wish to examine the articles in their original formats may use these links - https://www.returntoorder.org/2023/05/exposing-the-false-feminist-narrative-about-medieval-women/, https://www.returntoorder.org/2023/05/the-luminous-ages-the-medieval-use-of-nanotechnology-refutes-detractors/, and https://www.returntoorder.org/2023/01/people-in-the-middle-ages-loved-virtue-and-therefore-practiced-cleanliness/. Thank you for listening.
On March 13, 2013, Jorge Cardinal Bergoglio became Pope Francis. At first, his election was viewed with approval by most Catholics. The idea of a non-European pope appealed to those who thought that the Church needed to accept new points of view. His decision to live in a Vatican guest house rather than the Papal Apartments made him appear to be humble. Pictures of the broadly smiling pope soon appeared on televisions and t-shirts. True to form, the Argentine Pope’s made his liberal tendencies clear within days of his election. It has now been ten years since that election. In this essay, Mr. Luiz Sérgio Solimeo looks back and evaluates that decade. Listeners who wish to read the essay in its original format may use this link - https://www.tfp.org/ten-years-of-francis-a-disaster-a-catastrophe/. Thank you for listening.
Every day, the modern-day left works to insinuate their ways into all of our lives. That statement sounds alarmist, but we at the Return to Order Moment are ready to back that statement up with specific information. That is the goal of today’s podcast. We see it all around us - abortion, pornography, Satanism, transgender tyranny, euthanasia, and hundreds of other ways. Listeners who wish to read the essays in their original formats may use the following links - https://www.returntoorder.org/2023/03/why-leftists-promote-porn-to-children-in-americas-woke-libraries/, https://www.returntoorder.org/2023/04/making-a-deal-with-the-devil-how-a-virginia-school-board-allowed-a-satan-club-in-school/, https://www.returntoorder.org/2023/03/president-bidens-false-compassion-forces-reluctant-states-to-fly-the-transgender-banner/, and https://www.returntoorder.org/2023/04/is-mandatory-mass-suicide-for-the-elderly-the-future/. Thank you for listening.
As this podcast goes live, we are on the verge of one of the most exceptional days in the Church year, the Ascension of Our Lord into Heaven forty days after Easter. The Ascension fills us with hope. All believers base their lives around the desire that their souls will eventually follow Our Lord into heaven. Mr. Gustavo Solimeo spoke of that hope in this essay, published in Crusade Magazine in March-April 2005, titled simply “Heaven: The Hope of Our Souls.” Interested listeners can get a one-year trial subscription to Crusade by calling 888-317-5571. Thank you for listening.
Natural Law is an often misunderstood concept. Much of that misunderstanding is deliberate. Leftists do not want to understand or consider it. In this essay, Mr. John Horvat considers and explains the reasons that leftists fear and are repulsed by the ideas behind Natural Law. Listeners who wish to read the essay in its original format may use this link - https://www.returntoorder.org/2023/05/why-the-left-hates-and-is-terrified-by-natural-law/. Thank you for listening.
Humanity stands at a precipice. Many have already given their lives into the control of their devices. Our computers and cell phones organize our thoughts, keep track of our schedules, and mechanize our communications with others. The keys to this process appear to be convenience and amusement. Modern people seem unable to tolerate moments of inactivity – even the body and mind’s natural needs for rest are often forgotten. At the same time, they expect constant amusement. It is possible to see young moderns – and even some in middle age – simultaneously watching a movie through a streaming service on television while using their smartphones to play a game and text friends and acquaintances. All the while, there is a disquieting sense of being prepared for something far worse – perhaps even fatal to the whole idea of humanity. The coming of artificial intelligence thrills some and fills others with dread. Sometimes, both the trill and dread can be found in the same person. There is the sense that we don’t want to be left out of the marvelous future – but aren’t totally sure that the future will be marvelous at all. Of course, at the same time, there are those who stand to profit astronomically from the coming of the Metaverse. Like the “snake oil salesmen” of the nineteenth century, they promise the moon, and assume that the public will believe those promises. In his essay “The Metaverse: What Is It?” Mr. John Horvat considers those promises, and whether humanity should follow these modern Pied Pipers. This article was originally published in Crusade Magazine in March/April 2022. A free one-year subscription to this important publication is available by calling 888-317-5571. Thank you for listening.
For many Americans, the mention of Vladimir Putin brings one of three images to mind. First, there is the voice of George Bush the younger saying, “I looked the man in the eye. I was able to get a sense of his soul.” The second is then-Secretary of State Hillary Clinton offering Putin a cheap plastic “Reset Button.” The third is then-President Obama telling Putin’s associate Dmitri Medvedev that “This is my last election ... After my election I have more flexibility.” In all of these cases, you have an American leader trying to convince themselves that they can trust and work with Vladimir Putin. They were wrong. If the war in Ukraine has convinced us of anything, it should be that Putin is not to be trusted. This podcast brings you important insights into the Russian philosophers - most of them largely unknown in the West - that influence Mr. Putin's point of view. Listeners who wish to read the essays in their original formats can use the following links - https://www.returntoorder.org/2023/02/trying-to-explain-alexander-dugin/ and https://www.returntoorder.org/2022/07/putins-ideology-in-his-own-words/.
Modern Americans have a complicated relationship with the idea of leadership. We understand instinctively what good leadership is, but that understanding conflicts with our mistaken ideas about equality. At the same time, we enjoy pointing to the mistakes of those in leadership over us – whether that person be a shift supervisor in a convenience store or the President of the United States. So, we know that we need leaders, yet we resent them at the same time. Part of the problem is that so many people in leadership positions are not true leaders. This podcast compares true leadership with the false leaders in which our modern world abounds. To read the essays in their original formats, listeners may use the following links - https://www.returntoorder.org/2023/03/when-true-elites-take-charge-problems-get-resolved/, https://www.returntoorder.org/2023/03/imagining-a-heretical-president/, and https://www.returntoorder.org/2023/03/can-chinas-xi-jinping-keep-his-authority-over-a-nation-of-pessimists/.
Pope Francis and his supporters are engaged in a feverish attempt to change the Catholic Church before they pass away and a more traditionalist generation assumes control of the Church. This podcast considers the roles played by Pope Francis and two of his closest allies within the Church in the United States. Cardinals McElroy of San Diego and Cupich of Chicago. Those who wish to examine Mr. Solimeo's essays, which are extensively footnoted, in their original printed formats can use the following links - https://www.tfp.org/pope-francis-wages-unjust-war-on-the-latin-mass/, https://www.tfp.org/cardinal-mcelroy-homoheresy-and-the-churchs-apparent-eclipse/, and https://www.tfp.org/cardinal-cupichs-modernist-concepts/. Thank you for listening.
When Russia attacked the Ukraine on February 24, 2022, there was a wide-spread consensus that the United States should assist the beleaguered nation. Much of that consensus has dissolved. Today, there is a good deal of controversy concerning the United States’ role in the War in the Ukraine. That controversy is unusual in that it cuts across normal party and ideological lines. You can find conservatives and liberals on both sides. The same can be said for Republicans and Democrats. This episode of the Return to Order Moment attempts to clarify that controversy and spell out some of the essential elements of that struggle. Listeners who wish to see the essays in their original format may use the following links - https://www.tfp.org/8-facts-about-russia-and-its-ukrainian-war/?PKG=TFPE3044, https://www.tfp.org/will-the-west-let-itself-be-squeezed-between-russia-and-china/, and https://www.tfp.org/the-errors-of-russia/. Thank you for listening.
Holy Week is often a difficult time for Christians who need to live their lives in a largely secular society. On one level, we know that this is the most important week of the year. It is a time when our Lenten disciplines reach a crescendo. At the same time, it seems that everyone around us is living their normal lives – and they expect that we are doing the same thing. So, then, how do we observe Holy Week properly in the midst of those who do not believe in its importance? To assist our listeners, we bring you a marvelous article written by the founder of the international TFP movement, Professor Plinio Correa de Olivera. Professor Plinio left us with hundreds of articles, written over a long and active life. There was virtually no part of Christian life on which he did not write. We pray that you will be blessed by this reading of Professor Plinio’s 1947 essay “Embracing Christ and the Cross: What Does it Mean?”
As God created our first parents in the Garden of Eden, He said, “Let us make man to our image and likeness: and let him have dominion over the fishes of the sea, and the fowls of the air, and the beasts, and the whole earth, and every creeping creature that moveth upon the earth. And God created man to his own image: to the image of God he created him: male and female he created them. And God blessed them, saying: Increase and multiply, and fill the earth, and subdue it, and rule over the fishes of the sea, and the fowls of the air, and all living creatures that move upon the earth.” (Genesis, Chapter 1, Verses 26-28). Two things are clear about humanity from these verses. First, humans were invested with at least some of the characteristics of God, specifically the ability to reason. Second, God intended humanity to use the earthly resources that He Created. Today, there are those who are fighting a revolution against humanity. They are self-hating people who carry a label devised by the atheist philosopher, Friedrich Nietzsche, nihilists. This podcast takes a closer look at those revolutionaries and their motivations. Those listeners who wish to examine the essays in their original written formats can use the following links - https://www.tfp.org/only-the-pursuit-of-wisdom-can-overcome-the-triumph-of-nihilism/, https://www.tfp.org/the-revolt-against-humanity-describes-a-future-without-god/, and https://www.tfp.org/the-human-extinction-movement-targets-god-and-you/. Thank you for listening.
Complain about the nature and content of a movie, and someone is almost sure to complain, “Get over it. It’s just a movie!” That reaction emphasizes the fact that few people think about the effects of the movie industry on society. The Movie industry’s larger-than-life images take on a power all their own. It also trivializes real dangers. In Hollywood’s make-believe world, all situations can be resolved in two hours. Hollywood is also a deeply seated enemy of religion and morality. Since its very beginnings in the early twentieth century, immorality has been its stock in trade. Those with upright consciences are made to look boring and silly. Those who break the rules appear daring and exciting. However, the movie’s worst offenses have been against the Church herself. When the industry blasphemes against Holy Mother Church, the TFP has been quick to respond. Those responses have been effective. In several cases, that influence has cost Hollywood millions as films that were thought to be upcoming blockbusters fell flat at the box office. This podcast will examine three such cases. Listeners who wish to read the essays in their original formats may use the following links: https://www.tfp.org/why-the-movie-benedetta-is-blasphemous-and-anti-catholic/, https://www.tfp.org/catholics-cannot-silent-scorseses-silence/, and https://www.tfp.org/the-da-vinci-code-one-year-later/. Thank you for listening!
A War against the English Language has been going on for years. The Merriam-Webster dictionary says that the word “doublespeak” was first used in 1952 and defines it as “language used to deceive, usually through concealment or misrepresentation of the truth.” The founder of the International TFP Movement, Professor Plinio Correa de Olivera, used the word “talismanic” to describe words that deceived because their meaning subtly changed over time. An example is the word “dialog,” which once meant a simple conversation between two people. Now, it often refers to a largely imaginary debate between those on two sides of an issue. In many American schools, teachers have abandoned teaching grammar and the definitions of many words. In our newspapers, leftists do everything that they can to manipulate language to suit their predetermined goals. Listeners who wish to examine these essays in their original formats may use these links - https://www.returntoorder.org/2022/12/radical-english-teacher-calls-grammar-racist-and-cripples-student-minds/, https://www.returntoorder.org/2023/01/associated-press-redefining-language-in-its-push-for-abortion/, and https://www.returntoorder.org/2023/01/three-academic-skills-that-children-must-have-and-schools-ignore/. Thank you for listening.
The Sexual Revolution began with contraception. Then, it spread as revealing clothing became popular. Later, many people began to accept the idea that men and women could live together without being married. That acceptance added fuel to the idea that procured abortions should be legalized. Then, the idea that homosexuals should be able to express their preferences openly became popular. From there, it was a small step toward so-called homosexual marriage. A single question promoted each of these disastrous steps. “Why should I care about the private decisions of other people?” At each step, a brave few answered that question. “It destroys the individual, the family, and society.” And each time, the sexual revolutionaries hired lawyers, went to the courts, got what they wanted, and went on to the next step. Now the battlefield has shifted to the realm of so-called Transgenderism. Once again the battle is engaged. The revolutionaries head for the courts and legislatures, invoking the same arguments that have carried the day so many times. And we are here, carrying the banners of decency, morality, tradition, and family. Why do we do it? Because our loyalty to Our Lord and Our Lady DEMANDS it! So, we march into the Transgender battlefield and boldly speak in favor of all that the revolutionaries are trying to demolish. Listeners who wish to examine the essays in their original format may use the following links - https://www.returntoorder.org/2019/07/this-is-what-will-come-after-the-transgender-revolution/?PKG=RTOE1762, https://www.returntoorder.org/2020/09/how-the-transgender-revolution-is-destroying-schools/, and https://www.returntoorder.org/2018/10/the-sexual-state-a-report-from-the-battlefield/. Thank you for listening.
Today’s podcast will be somewhat shorter than usual as we bring to you an important article by author, scholar, and longtime TFP member, Luiz Sérgio Solimeo. Traditional Catholics have viewed with alarm Pope Francis’s habit of confusing the issues surrounding homosexual inclinations and practices. In this essay, Mr. Solimeo examines the entirety of Francis’s pontificate and the confusion that he has created on an issue that demands clarity from Church leaders. Mr. Solimeo’s essay is heavily footnoted. Listeners can use this link, https://www.returntoorder.org/2023/02/pope-francis-increases-confusion-on-the-homosexual-sin/?PKG=RTOE1764, to gain access to the essay in its original format and examine Mr. Solimeo’s sources of information.
The set of ideas known as Classical Liberalism took shape between about 1650 and 1800. French, English, and Italian philosophers tried to create a moral system that they saw as natural – as opposed to supernatural. It was a system that rejected God and the Church. For the next three hundred years, that system gained popularity. By the sixties and seventies, it had mutated into cries of freedom, liberation, and “do your own thing.” Now, another philosophical system is replacing Classical Liberalism. Its proponents refer to it as “post-modernism.” The currently popular name for it is “woke.” This podcast will discuss the process and implications of this transition.. Listeners who wish to read the essays in their original format may use these links - https://www.returntoorder.org/2023/01/the-death-of-live-and-let-live-liberalism/, https://www.returntoorder.org/2023/02/the-double-standards-of-modern-campuses-that-defend-islam-yet-attack-christianity/, and https://www.returntoorder.org/2023/01/ex-trans-individuals-speak-out-no-such-thing-as-a-transgender/. Thank you for listening!
In the modern world, the old title, teacher, has been replaced with the word educator. There are a number of reasons to reject this change. One is that it is applied to so many people who do not teach anyone. Those are the people that WE call educrats and educationists. To be more specific, “educrats” are the people who hang around school board administration buildings as well as the state and federal departments of education. These are the people, some of whom have NEVER been classroom teachers, that tell teachers what to do. Educationists inhabit another world, that of the ivory tower. They are the education professors who think that they can teach young people to teach. Again, many of these have never taught children. The educrats and educationists attend conferences and come home convinced that they can fix the school systems’ problems. Until now, their so-called solutions have fallen flat. Those efforts cannot succeed because they are based on faulty premises. This podcast examines some of the mistaken assumptions within the educational community that doom those efforts to failure. To read these essays in their original format, the listener may use the following links - https://www.tfp.org/stanford-universitys-forbidden-words-list-spotlights-leftist-hypocrisy/,https://www.tfp.org/william-barr-explains-how-education-was-destroyed-in-america/, and https://www.tfp.org/always-little-late-plight-modern-education/. Thank you for listening.
Watch the cable news channels or the television networks’ daily reports and you will often hear the word crisis. Every world event, it seems, is a crisis. A word that once referred to the very worst situations is now used to describe anything unfortunate. As listeners may remember, during the Covid lockdowns, the chance that someone might sneeze in a public place became a crisis. What the news hawks don’t tell you is that there is only one crisis. It is the result of humanity’s revolution against God. In this podcast, Mr. John Horvat explains the true nature of the crisis, how sin is the true cause of the crisis, and how the Holy Rosary is the best weapon against it. Listeners who wish to read the essays in their original formats may use the following links - https://www.returntoorder.org/2022/12/what-so-many-get-wrong-when-trying-to-understand-the-crisis/, https://www.returntoorder.org/2022/11/sin-the-one-influence-not-allowed-to-explain-our-crisis/, and https://www.returntoorder.org/2022/08/yes-the-rosary-is-a-mighty-weapon-against-evil-its-the-solution-not-the-problem/. Thank you for listening.
One of the primary activities of the American TFP is to warn our society that is destroying itself. We inherited that task from the founder of the international TFP movement, Plinio Correa de Olivera. Professor Plinio was a man of many gifts, including great historical knowledge. His insights were so keen that he could draw lessons that other people, even accomplished scholars, missed. Today, the Return to Order Moment brings you a remarkable talk that Professor Plinio gave in 1970. At that time, the world was in the midst of a social and sexual revolution. That spirit grows more apparent as each year passes. This remarkable essay compares our own social and religious decline with that of the Byzantine Empire's capitol. Some of Professor Plinio’s conclusions will be hard for twenty-first-century people to hear. Even conservatives may be momentarily shocked. However, we live in shocking times. The world needs Professor Plinio’s advice more now than it did fifty years ago.
The Oxford Dictionary defines the word blasphemy as “the act or offense of speaking sacrilegiously about God or sacred things.” By that definition, our world reeks of blasphemy. It is all around us. In fact, it is so common that many people don’t even notice it. This episode of the Return to Order Moment looks at three modern blasphemies - Pope Francis saying that Our Lord was a Communist, the Human Extinction Movement, and an Anglican clergyman who asserted that Our Lord was a "Transsexual." Listeners who wish to read the essays in their original formats can use the following links - https://www.tfp.org/pope-francis-if-i-see-the-gospel-in-a-sociological-way-only-yes-i-am-a-communist-and-so-too-is-jesus/, https://www.tfp.org/the-human-extinction-movement-targets-god-and-you/?PKG=TFPE22339, and https://www.tfp.org/at-cambridge-university-when-truth-is-abandoned-the-worst-blasphemies-are-possible/. Thank you for listening.
In our last episode, we discussed two major areas of concern for orthodox Catholics – the so-called Synodal Path and the aggression of Vladimir Putin against Ukraine. This week we will look at other issues that are equally urgent. We hope to inspire you, our listeners, to pursue two courses of action. First and foremost, pray for all those involved in or affected by these issues. Especially, we urge you to follow Our Lord’s command that we pray for our enemies. At the same time, we urge you to become informed about these issues and take action. Our website, www.returntoorder.org is an excellent place to begin. There, you will find analyses that are unavailable from any other source. Then, we ask you to spread the word to friends, co-workers, and members of your parish.
These are tumultuous times in which to be a Catholic. The threats to our beliefs and our ways of life grow ever larger. These threats come from world capitals, the movement that we refer to as “woke,” and from modernist forces within the Church. It is important, however, not to despair as we hear about the implications of these events. We need to rely on Our Lord and Our Lady to guide us through troubled times. In this first part of a two-part podcast, we will take a careful look at the year just past. This week, we will focus specifically on the Revolution in the Chruch and the Russo-Ukraine War.
Genesis 3:14-15 “And the Lord God said to the serpent: Because thou hast done this thing, thou art cursed among all cattle, and beasts of the earth: upon thy breast shalt thou go, and earth shalt thou eat all the days of thy life. I will put enmities between thee and the woman, and thy seed and her seed: she shall crush thy head, and thou shalt lie in wait for her heel.” Anyone who reads that passage knows that Satan, the first revolutionary, has already lost. However, through the actions of his followers – both knowing and unknowing – his Revolution goes on, not because Satan still stands any chance of prevailing, but because his temptations provide opportunities for humans to exercise their free will. We can choose God, or we can join Satan’s Revolution. In our world, that Revolution appears to be formidable. It controls the entertainment and news media, much of the education system, many aspects of government, and even substantial parts of the Church. However, that apparent strength is an illusion. One of Eve’s descendants, the Blessed Virgin Mary, already defeated him through her assent to bear the God-Man, Our Lord Jesus Christ. In 1917, Our Lady herself explained to three children in Fatima, Portugal that Her Immaculate Heart would, indeed, triumph. This episode probes the weaknesses of the Revolution. By attacking the Revolution where it is weak, we can make the weaknesses more obvious, and prevent others from going down the road that leads to chaos and social disintegration. To read the articles in their original formats, please use the following links - https://www.tfp.org/prince-bertrand-calls-for-a-return-to-order-under-our-lady-the-queen/, https://www.tfp.org/a-farewell-to-nancy-pelosi/ and https://www.tfp.org/animal-rebellions-eco-warriors-want-everyone-to-cry-over-spilled-milk/. Thank you for listening.
Welcome to the annual Christmas episode of the Return to Order Moment. This year, we bring you a story from the 1892 book Christmas Stories from the French and Spanish, edited by Annette Ogden. The story that we bring you takes place in Madrid and is titled A BIRD IN THE SNOW by Armando Palacio Valdés. It is a heart-rending story about a blind boy cast adrift in the streets of Madrid at the close of the nineteenth century. However, in the midst of all of his suffering, there is a ray of hope to which we all can cling.
The idea of private property is under constant attack. That mere fact should convince right-thinking people how important it is. If private property was a mere social construct, as the postmodernists say, they would leave it alone. They could be confident that the whole idea would just pass away. However, that idea will not pass away. We can see this in the remaining Communist economies, in which people fiercely cling to their few possessions. Supposedly they live in a utopia based on the idea “From each according to his ability, to each according to his needs.” If communism worked, common people could throw away, consume, or give away their possessions. They could rest assured that the state would provide all that they need. Yet they do not. Indeed, each person treasures the few things that they possess – property obtained at great cost to themselves or their families. Those poor people know that private property endows them with the only economic security that they have. In this episode of The Return to Order Moment, Mr. John Horvat discusses the importance of private property, as well as the nature of modern attacks upon it. Those listeners who wish to read the essay in its original format may use this link - https://www.tfp.org/the-postmodern-rejection-of-property-threatens-to-devastate-the-world/?PKG=TFPE22324. Thank you for listening!
On October 11, 1962, the Second Vatican Council began. Over the next three years, it transformed the way that millions of Catholics worldwide practiced their faith. Now, it is sixty years later, and it is time to determine the effects of the Council. That is the goal of this episode of the Return to Order Moment.
The Catholic Church has always been one of the great patrons of the arts. One need only spend time in any Catholic Church or Cathedral – at least those built before, say, 1900 – to experience that fact. One of the great lies of the modern world is the phrase “Beauty is in the Eye of the Beholder.” The goal of this episode of the Return to Order Moment is to expose that lie. To accomplish that task, we want to introduce our listeners to Father Anthony Brankin. This talk is a ringing affirmation of objective beauty and an equally ringing denouncement of the cult of ugliness that so permeates modern art, theater, music, and even the Church. Those who wish to read Fr. Brankin's talk in written form may use the following link - https://www.tfp.org/the-cult-of-ugliness-in-america/. Thank you for listening.
Americans have a peculiar love-hate relationship with the idea of tradition. On one hand, the vast majority still thrill to the flags and high school bands of an Independence Day parade. On the other hand, Americans often see themselves as tradition-breakers. The idea that new-is-better is alive and well in modern America – whether the topic is a blockbuster movie or laundry detergent. Over the last couple of years, tradition has been under assault as never before. The very ideas of man and woman face intense scrutiny. Critical Race Theory seeks to redefine American History. Everyone who is paying attention could add items to that long list. So, it is appropriate that the Return to Order Moment discuss tradition. We are not talking about any particular tradition, but the idea of tradition in general. Mr. Vincent Gorre does that in his remarkable essay, “Tradition: How It Keeps Us Alive and Well.” Listeners who wish to read the article in its original format can find it through this link - https://www.tfp.org/tradition-how-it-keeps-us-alive-and-well/?fbclid=IwAR0BwJLz1jF5sj-4KlcCletMTPKK2i9-Op9FI9fnvhFMHw6OQEr3mrQBoPw. Thank you for listening.
Historical truth is difficult to determine. There are only two ways to discover what happened in the past. We can either read what they wrote or look at objects that they left behind. Everything else is opinion. The people of the Middle Ages left behind many writings and objects. They left their books and copies of those from the ancient world. They left magnificent buildings, especially cathedrals. They left paintings and many objects that they used in everyday life. However, the writers of the first books ABOUT the Middle Ages saw that period as backward. Most writers and artists of the Renaissance loved ancient Greece and Rome. They saw the Middle Ages as a throwback to primitive life. The arrogant Renaissance intellectuals did not realize that EVERYTHING they read about the ancient world had been preserved by the Church during the Middle Ages. One of the reasons that some Renaissance intellectuals hated the Middle Ages is because they hated the Church. Those attitudes continue today. In these two essays, Mr. Michael Whitcraft and Mr. John Horvat discuss the ways that modern scholars are dispelling many "Dark Ages" myths. Ironically, they are not doing it merely to correct the historical record. Nor are they trying to show the Medieval Church in its true light. Their motivations are more about hating the "narratives" popularized by the historians of the last couple of centuries. To read the essays in their original formats, please use these links - https://www.returntoorder.org/2022/10/dispelling-errors-defending-the-church-how-lies-about-the-middle-ages-ultimately-target-the-church/ and https://www.returntoorder.org/2022/06/how-to-see-the-dark-ages-in-beautiful-new-light/. Thank you for listening.
Last week, the Return to Order Moment presented Part One of Plinio Corrêa de Oliveira: Man of Faith and Action. This week, we present the conclusion to this retrospective of a life very well lived, that of TFP founder, Plinio Corrêa de Oliveira. While last week’s episode consisted largely of a biographical sketch, this week will focus on his thoughts and philosophy. In all things, Professor Plinio sought to live his life in complete accord with Catholic doctrine and tradition. That life carried with it a philosophy that this episode will explain more fully. It is the philosophy that motivates his followers in the American TFP and the other 24 autonomous TFPs and kindred organizations on 6 continents. Thank you for listening.
Usually, the Return to Order Moment brings its listeners articles written about current events from a traditional Catholic perspective. Occasionally, we discuss historical events. However, our favorite articles come from the pen of the international TFP movement’s founder, Professor Plinio Corrêa de Oliveira. He was a man with an active mind, totally devoted to the Catholic Church. Professor Plinio was especially adept at relating Catholic Truths to world events. Indeed, many events that occurred after Professor Plinio’s death have confirmed his insights. Professor Plinio passed away on October 3, 1995. A week later, the American TFP released a retrospective of his life and career. We pray that listeners will find it interesting and inspirational. To read the article in its original format, please use the following link - https://www.tfp.org/plinio-correa-de-oliveira-man-faith-action/. Thank you for listening.
Around the nation, people of all political persuasions are preparing for the mid-term elections. The media focus on the House of Representatives, Senate, and State Governors. However, some of the most important elections are those choosing members of America’s school boards. Typically, school board elections are seen as routine and unimportant. However, over the past months, many leaders – and would-be leaders – see them as places where America’s future will be hammered out. In this podcast, Mr. Edwin Benson takes a long look at one of those elections and the harmful role that technocrats play in American education. He concludes by offering nine strategies that school leaders could use if they are really trying to rebuild public support for public schools. To read these essays in their original format, please use the following links: https://www.returntoorder.org/2022/09/parents-win-fierce-battles-against-radical-ideas-in-miami-school-board-elections/, https://www.returntoorder.org/2022/09/hold-public-health-technocrats-accountable-for-their-covid-blunders/, and https://www.returntoorder.org/2022/09/nine-strategies-to-fix-americas-broken-public-schools/. Thank you for listening! Please share the podcast with friends who might be interested in this important topic.
Without question, there are Satanic attacks upon our children. Anyone who doubts this statement need look no further than the presence of “Drag Queen Story Hours” in America’s libraries. Return to Order first heard about these diabolical events in the spring of Two Thousand Nineteen. We instantly began to fight against them. These essays detail the actions that the TFP has taken and the motivations behind them. To read the essays in their original formats, please use the following links - https://www.returntoorder.org/2019/03/how-drag-queen-shows-destroy-childrens-innocence/, https://www.returntoorder.org/2022/05/how-one-drag-storybook-hour-protest-changed-mclean-virginia/, and https://www.returntoorder.org/2022/09/left-wing-media-desperate-to-portray-opposition-to-drag-queen-story-hour-as-abnormal/. Thank you for listening.
Many Catholics who style themselves as traditionalists are calling for sweeping changes to the institution of the papacy. However, as Jose Antonio Ureta explains in this essay, the problem is not with the institution, but rather with Pope Francis, himself. To Read the essay in its original format, please use the following link: https://www.returntoorder.org/2022/09/the-pope-needs-reform-not-the-papacy/. Thank you for listening.
Many people are surprised to hear that the Constitution of the United States is the second oldest written constitution in the world – and that the oldest is that of the State of Massachusetts. Others are astonished to find that the most often cited part of the Constitution – the Bill of Rights – was not included in the original document. These first ten Amendments were added two years after the Constitution took effect in 1789. Another aspect of the Constitution is that it does not say that the Supreme Court decides what laws and acts are Constitutional. The Court assumed that power in 1803. However, that status was so unsure that the Court did not declare another law unconstitutional until over fifty years later. So, the document has always been a bit fragile. Each generation has molded it to fit the spirit of the age. The common conception of the Constitution is under attack again, this time by highly educated - but nonetheless unwise - forces from the left. They seek to impose a new and convoluted form of so-called equality on the nation. To read these essays in their original format, please use the4 following links - https://www.returntoorder.org/2022/09/the-lefts-new-war-on-the-constitution-threatens-the-nation/, https://www.returntoorder.org/2022/09/america-faces-problems-that-refuse-to-be-left-behind/, and https://www.returntoorder.org/2022/09/rediscovering-conservativism-means-returning-to-christian-tradition-not-nationalism/. Thank you for listening
Have you ever discussed the failures of Socialism with a Socialist? It is a frustrating process. No matter what evidence you bring proving that Socialism creates hardship and poverty, the Socialist always says that your example doesn’t describe “real” Socialism. If someone could just do Socialism in the right way, they explain, then it would work. These Socialists exist in all aspects of life. This episode of the Return to Order Moment looks at their failures in both the religious and economic spheres. To read these essays in their original formats, please use the following links: https://www.tfp.org/liberal-catholics-have-lost-the-culture-war-but-refuse-to-admit-it/, https://www.returntoorder.org/2022/08/bidens-socialist-student-relief-scheme-will-make-all-future-student-debt-irrelevant/, and https://www.returntoorder.org/2022/08/a-recession-is-here-both-financially-and-morally-will-america-return-to-the-truth/. Thank you for listening.
For several years, Pope Francis was a sort of mystery. Often, his statements are unclear. Sometimes, he would write something, and then a few days later would say something that opposed the written statement. That tendency made people scratch their heads and wonder which statement reflected his real opinion. As time has passed, Francis’s actions have answered many such questions. This episode of The Return to Order Moment will look at three of those actions. We will look first at the Pope’s recent tour of Canada. Then we will consider the welcome that he accorded Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi in Rome. Finally, we will examine his curious support for the atheist and communist government of Cuba. In each case, Pope Francis displays his affection for leftist positions in opposition to the traditions of the Catholic Church. Listeners who want to read the essays in their original formats can use the following links - https://www.tfp.org/on-pope-franciss-mea-culpa-in-canada/?PKG=TFPE22269, https://www.tfp.org/pope-franciss-warm-welcome-to-nancy-pelosi-a-not-so-subtle-message-of-support-for-abortionists/, and https://www.tfp.org/pope-francis-calls-cuba-a-symbol-of-what/. Thank you for listening.
One would have to live in near-total isolation to have missed the fact of Queen Elizabeth II’s death on September 8, 2022. The news media of the world turned toward a castle in Scotland when the Queen passed away and spent hours describing her life story in detail. Some coverage has been respectful. Other reporters have leaned toward the lurid. However, very little, if any of the coverage has described the Queen’s role as one of the last symbols of a once-nearly universal system – Monarchy. The mission of the Return to Order Moment is to relate important events of the day to universal and eternal truths. So, today, we will discuss the importance of both monarchy and Queen Elizabeth II. To read the articles in their original format, please use the following links: https://www.returntoorder.org/2022/09/we-mourn-the-queen-as-we-imagined-her-to-be/, https://www.tfp.org/who-cares-about-the-british-monarchy/, and https://www.tfp.org/st-louis-ix-crusader-a-statesman/. Thank you for listening.
Ever since the early sixties, the left has largely had its own way when it comes to public policy. The ball got rolling with the Supreme Court under Chief Justice Earl Warren. It accelerated with Lyndon Johnson’s Great Society. The Sexual Revolution and the anti-Vietnam War protests took these issues to the streets. The Reagan Administration stalled this so-called progress but did little to roll it back. During the presidencies of Bill Clinton and the elder and younger George Bushes, the liberals scored minor victories but were really just treading water. Then the dam broke as Barack Obama took a more radical direction. But now, the liberals have to deal with real defeat when it appeared that they were about to win big. They don’t know how to handle it, and resort to panic. To read the articles in their original format, please use the following links: https://www.returntoorder.org/2022/08/post-roe-panic-grips-abortion-industrys-lap-dogs-in-the-press/, https://www.returntoorder.org/2022/08/yes-the-rosary-is-a-mighty-weapon-against-evil-its-the-solution-not-the-problem/, and https://www.returntoorder.org/2022/08/why-are-france-and-spain-all-in-knots-over-the-necktie/. Thank you for listening.
The late Andrew Breitbart once said, “Politics is downstream from culture.” In other words, fixing the culture will fix the politics. Today’s episode is going to focus on the building block of culture, the family. The place of the family must be restored, or else society is doomed. That truth can be seen in three aspects of America's society - the epidemic of fatherless children, the number of "easy" divorces, and the malfunctioning foster care bureaucracy. Listeners who wish to read the articles in their original format are encouraged to use these links: https://www.returntoorder.org/2022/06/a-fathers-day-reflection-bring-back-the-father-and-the-shooting-will-stop/, https://www.returntoorder.org/2022/07/how-we-got-the-99-divorce/, and https://www.returntoorder.org/2022/08/expanding-foster-care-to-include-social-justice-issues-is-child-abuse/. Thank you for listening.
Pope Francis called his recent trip to Canada a “Penitential Pilgrimage.” In so doing, he called into question the sacrifices of innumerable priests, brothers, nuns, and laypeople who gave their efforts, and in some cases their lives, to bring Christianity to all corners of the world. In doing so, he sacrifices our Catholic Heritage to the spirit of the age. He has done this before, most notably in his attempts to restrict the use of the Traditional Latin Mass and his Amazonian Synod in 2017. Who can forget his desecration of Saint Peter’s Basilica with the infamous Pachamama idol? This podcast contrasts the effects of Pope Francis's Canadian trip with true Catholic Heritage, as represented by the heroic Christopher Columbus. To read these essays in their published format, please use the following links - https://www.returntoorder.org/2022/07/how-pope-franciss-canadian-trip-undermines-the-traditional-catholic-concept-of-the-missions/?PKG=rtoe1631 and https://www.tfp.org/the-catholic-spirit-of-christopher-columbus/. Thank you for listening.
Over the centuries many great saints have fought for the church. Some, like Saint Paul, spent years on missionary voyages to plant Christianity in new lands. Others, like Saints Bernadette and Therese, the little flower, spent their adult lives secluded in convents. It is good to reflect on the lives of the saints and to choose one or two for special devotion. However, focusing on the Saints can also become a kind of trap. Their virtues are so great that we can despair of ever reaching their level. It is vitally important for all Christians to reflect on the fact that God has a unique plan for their lives. You and I were born when we were because God’s plan for each of us can only be accomplished in this generation. It is vitally important for all Christians to reflect on the fact that God has a unique plan for their lives. You and I were born when we were because God’s plan for each of us can only be accomplished in this generation. To read the essays in their original format, please use these links - https://www.returntoorder.org/2022/07/its-time-for-americans-to-pray-on-the-50-yard-line/, https://www.returntoorder.org/2022/07/supreme-courts-roe-ruling-being-used-to-fight-transgender-ideology/, and https://www.returntoorder.org/2022/07/parents-win-battles-to-remove-obscene-materials-from-school-libraries/. Thank you for listening.
If we had to find a date to say when the sexual revolution began, August 18, 1960 would be a good place to start. That day, the first contraceptive pill went on sale in the United States. That marked the beginnings of mass society’s acceptance of a separation between the marital act and procreation. Certainly, there were those who led immoral lives before 1960, but they were both obvious and few. Communities shunned the promiscuous. Gradually at first, but with increasing speed as the sixties rolled out, virtue and responsibility in the sexual realm were replaced by self-gratification. “Do your own thing” and other, more vulgar, slogans marked the rise of widespread immorality. All around us lie the victims of the sexual revolution. Among them are the 60 million Americans that never lived because of abortion. We can see it in the fact that very few families are unaffected by divorce. We can see it in the number of unloved and unmarried young women who deliberately become pregnant in order to have a baby who they can call their own. We can see it in the gang culture that has become a part of life in most cities – large or small. To read these essays in their original format, please use these links - https://www.tfp.org/12-million-fatherless-boys-need-urgent-rescue-from-calamity/?PKG=TFPE22242 and https://www.tfp.org/the-feminist-war-on-fatherhood-book-review-of-the-new-politics-of-sex/. Thank you for listening.
Henry the Eighth is getting a historical make-over. For centuries, the English king was most often a figure of ridicule. The only thing that most people knew about him pertained to his deplorable marital history. However, some historians are reconsidering his role in English history, looking at him in a far more favorable light. They paint him as a figure who made England stronger abroad and more unified at home. Even his horrible record as a husband is explained away as necessary to maintain the Tudor dynasty and stabilize England by providing a male heir. There is another interesting – and ironic – facet of Henry’s rehabilitation. Some try to present him as a pioneer of the modern idea of separating the Church from the State. For the “woke” historians, the Catholic Church is high on the list of oppressors. Therefore, they are quite willing to praise a tyrant, as long as he fought against the Church. This episode of the Return to Order Moment looks at Henry VIII from a different vantage point – that of his victims. Specifically, we look at two of those victims – both better men than Henry. They are, in fact, both saints – Saint Thomas More and Saint John Fisher.
Modern American culture is falsely egalitarian. Once men wore suits to baseball games. Now everyone dresses as if they were about to go on a tramp through the woods. There are many situations in which work clothes are appropriate. No one wears a tuxedo to do heavy yard work. That is reasonable. People in many trades need clothing that is as tough as the work that those people do. However, when one enters a fine restaurant, many of the patrons are dressed in the same overly casual way. How did such a state come to be? Why are so many people dressed in ways that make them look ugly? Why does society reject the idea of being well and modestly dressed? If listeners wish to examine the essays in their original format, please refer to the following links: https://www.tfp.org/dignity-and-distinction-for-both-great-and-small/, https://www.returntoorder.org/2016/04/emperor-wearing-pajamas-decline-dress/, https://www.returntoorder.org/2016/04/emperor-wearing-pajamas-decline-dress/, and https://www.tfp.org/not-today-satan-t-shirts-are-like-playing-with-fire/?PKG=TFPE22237. Thank you for listening.
For generations, the press depicted Wall Street as a group of greedy men ready to do anything to make a profit. Even today, pieces of that reputation remain. In fact, modern leftists cannot decide whether to applaud or hiss when they see a radical billionaire. The hissing is a remnant of the old attitude toward Wall Street. No one trusts someone who is so greedy that they accumulate that much money. The applause comes because so many of those billions are being funneled into leftist causes. Indeed, it seems that Wall Street’s biggest players are trying to destroy the system that made them rich. Why is this happening? How is it happening? This episode of the Return to Order Moment addresses these important questions. To read the essays in their original format, please use the following links: Why is the Financial Sector Destroying Corporate America? We Must Stop the ‘ESG’ Tyranny (returntoorder.org), How Wall Street Is Building an Abortion Apartheid Regime - Return to Order, and Can Anyone Tell Me: What Is a Loan? - Return to Order. Thank you for listening.
One current trend in the academic pretense called Critical Theory is to re-examine the heroes of the past and shoehorn them into precast Marxist molds of oppressor and oppressed. One of the victims of such re-appraisals is Saint Junipero Serra, who some refer to as the founder of California. The State of California acknowledged as much when it placed a statue of Saint Junipero in the U.S. Capitol’s Statuary Hall. However, Saint Junipero was European, white, male, and especially Catholic. Therefore, he is viewed as an oppressor by modernists masquerading as historians. One symptom of this academic arrogance was the toppling of a thirty-foot statue of Saint Junipero in San Francisco during the madness of the riots of the summer of Two Thousand Twenty. Similar acts of vandalism took place in Sacramento, Santa Barbara, and Los Angeles. This episode of the Return to Order Moment takes a more scholarly look at Saint Junipero. We do so through the work of the late Dr. Bartomeu Font Obrador. Dr. Font Obrador had special insights into Saint Junipero’s character because of his scholarly work, but also because he had a deep knowledge of the place where Saint Junipero was born and raised – the Island of Majorca – and its unique culture.
Friday, June 24th, Two Thousand Twenty-Two can be seen as one of the great days of American History. That day, the Supreme Court announced that it was reversing the disastrous Roe versus Wade decision. Even before the announcement, the left-wing misinformation machine cranked into high gear. Such a strategy is ultimately counter-productive because people will eventually discover that they have been deceived. However, the left has lied for so long about so many things that they have lost the ability to distinguish between true and false. They follow the Marxist doctrine that any act is moral if it promotes the revolution. The Supreme Court's landmark decision places the ball squarely in the right wing's court. However, it will not stay there for long. Those who would defend life cannot afford to repeat the mistakes of the early seventies and allow the left to take control of the issue once again. This podcast discusses three aspects of that struggle - the lessons to be learned from the left's reaction to the decision, the new importance of the various states in the conflict, and the implications of the left's abandonment of their feminist allies. To read these articles in their original formats, please use the following links: https://www.tfp.org/five-crucial-lessons-from-the-uproar-over-roe-v-wade/, https://www.tfp.org/getting-rid-of-roe-is-only-half-of-the-battle-michigan-is-on-the-front-lines/, and https://www.tfp.org/why-the-pro-abortion-movement-is-leaving-feminists-behind/?pkg=TFPE22227. Thank you for listening.
Modernism is a difficult term to define because it has so many parts. No definition could possibly sum up all of the errors contained within it. Fighting against it is rather like playing a game in which one defeats an adversary – only to have another arise. The fight against Modernism includes tearing down its component parts – relativism, indifferentism, post-modernism, the so-called woke agenda, and so on. While this is necessary, it can never totally defeat the thing itself. Like removing a weed from a garden, crushing Modernism requires digging out the root. Today, the Return to Order Moment presents an essay about the man who defined and fought against Modernism during the early twentieth century. Mr. Ben Broussard discussed the crucial role of Pope Saint Pius X.
Most parents and students spend little time thinking about school during the summer. That is a mistake because this is the time that school boards and administrators plan the programs that they will implement in September. Many of those programs are more about indoctrination than they are about education. Three examples of that indoctrination make up the body of this podcast. Listeners who wish to see the written versions of these articles can use the following links: https://www.tfp.org/new-yorks-mosaic-curriculum-is-shrouded-in-mystery-the-time-to-protest-is-now/?pkg=TFPE22215, https://www.tfp.org/hempfield-high-schools-drag-show-enrages-parents-protecting-their-childrens-innocence/?pkg=TFPE22215, and https://www.tfp.org/six-steps-radical-school-boards-will-be-taking-this-summer-and-how-you-can-defeat-them/?pkg=TFPE22215. Thank you for listening.
From one perspective, it may appear that liberalism has never been stronger. The woke world can, indeed, be described as liberalism on steroids. Ultra-liberals rule America’s schools, news media, entertainment, and almost every other cultural institution. Their influence appears to be as solid as the Rock of Gibraltar. However, just as Gibraltar is riddled with small caves, leftist domination looks far stronger than it is. In fact, the ultra-liberals seem to save their most vengeful attacks for liberals who aren’t sufficiently radical. Indeed, there is good reason to believe that the whole liberal order, built up over centuries, is collapsing. What can we expect? What can we hope for? How can we help to make our hopes into reality? To read the articles used in this podcast, p[lease refer to the following links - https://www.returntoorder.org/2022/05/as-liberalism-crashes-where-should-we-look-for-solutions/, https://www.returntoorder.org/2022/05/the-whatever-mentality/, and https://www.returntoorder.org/2022/04/why-is-bidens-sec-waging-war-on-american-energy/. Thank you for listening.
Today, the Return to Order Moment discusses the relationship between the two men who are, perhaps, the Catholics about whom Americans have heard the most – Pope Francis and Father James Martin. Father Martin is best known for his advocacy for homosexuals within the Church. His very public stand openly violates Catholic doctrine but has been applauded by Pope Francis. This attitude has far-reaching implications for the Catholic Church. In this podcast, Mr. Luis Sérgio Solimeo, a noted Catholic author and scholar considers those implications. Those who wish to examine these articles more closely, as well as the footnotes can use the following links - https://www.tfp.org/father-martin-smiles-at-the-sin-of-homosexuality-and-pope-francis-thanks-him/ and https://www.tfp.org/progressive-clergy-intend-normalize-sin-sodomy/. Thank you for listening.
Our nation is beset by many challenges. Some of them are big enough that they threaten the nation’s very existence. From both the right and the left, there are calls for secession – literally to tear the United States apart. The idea is that the red states and the blue states have so little in common that they should just split apart. This so-called solution is simplistic. It can never work. At the same time, the left is trying to eliminate the Electoral College. That would place undue power in a few large cities and take many small states out of the process of electing the president altogether. Accomplishing either of these goals would be disastrous.
Today, we are bringing you success stories, which is the reason that we titled this episode Victory Laps – Remembering and Celebrating Success Against Socialists, Leftists, and Modernists. Anyone who watches the so-called mainstream media can tell that the left is losing and that they know it. As their position deteriorates, their language becomes more outrageous. They hope that the excess of words will convince both their enemies and followers that they are winning. We present four examples of leftist loss to the forces, including the American TFP, that work to defend traditional values.
Many modern historians dismiss the work of great men. Real history, they claim, arises from the everyday experiences of the common people. Certainly, the everyday lives of people are important. However, this theory of history overlooks the fact that a few great people have influenced history far beyond that of millions of the common people. One of those great men – perhaps the greatest of the great men – is Charlemagne. Charlemagne was far more than a fantastically successful military leader in the mold of Alexander the Great or Julius Caesar. Charlemagne picked up the political pieces of the ancient Roman Empire, welding them into a new empire that would last for a thousand years. In so doing, he also protected the Church. In October of 1972, Professor Plinio Correa de Olivera spoke of Charlemagne and his role in history. Today, The Return to Order Moment brings you that talk.
Religion and culture are undeniably linked. However, some say that religion is a part of culture, and others say that culture grows out of religion. Those who argue that religion is merely a part of the culture are really saying that there is no true religion at all. Religion, they assert, is dynamic and must change when the cultural climate changes. At the TFP and Return to Order, we take the opposite position. Insofar as the Catholic religion defines the relationship that connects us to Our Creator, it comes before all other connections. Therefore, when Catholicism and culture clash, Holy Mother Church must prevail. This episode of the Return to Order Moment considers the implications of that clash. Thank you for listening.
One of the many unfortunate fruits of the so-called “Spirit of Vatican II” was something called “Liberation Theology.” A product of the overheated period after the disruptions of the late sixties, this school of thought promised to reconcile Catholicism and Socialism. Of course, such a reconciliation is impossible in that no one can reconcile truth and lies. By the early eighties, Liberation Theology appeared to have run its course. However, with Pope Francis, Liberation Theology is back with a vengeance. Many Catholics, however, remain unaware of its dangers. Mr. Julio Loredo never lost sight of this destructive movement. In April Two Thousand Twenty-two, the American TFP was delighted to release the English translation of his book, titled “Liberation Theology – How Marxism Infiltrated the Catholic Church.” Today, the Return To Order Moment brings you three excerpts from this book.
Currently, the world faces many crises. Ukraine still dominates the front pages as Vladimir Putin’s atrocities come to light. So-called transgender athletes deliberately cultivate controversy to advance their absurd cause. The Biden administration gropes and blunders its way from misstep to gaffe to catastrophe on a daily basis. Uncertainty about China’s next move makes predicting the future even more hazardous. In the midst of these squabbles, it is easy to push the pro-life cause away from center stage. This podcast considers three aspects of the continuing pro-life movement. First, we look at a recent pro-life demonstration in New York City. Then, we look at the misleading and erroneous claims of the "Whole Life Movement" and its claims to be pro-life. We conclude with a look at a very precious life that many modern people would argue was not worth living. We will see how profoundly wrong such people would be.
In 1962, the Supreme Court removed prayer from public education in the United States. The result has been disastrous. Ever since that day, the courts have acted as though school students need to be protected from God. This attitude is both dangerous and ironic. The danger should be obvious. Without God’s protection, we are open to every type of evil. This podcast will examine two ways in which that evil has become manifest. That irony is found in the fact that education, as we know it, was designed to bring mankind closer to God. Education should be a search for truth, and God is the ultimate truth. In forgetting that, our schools entered a period of decline. To read the essays in their original format, please use the following links - Education Declined When We Stopped Searching for God (returntoorder.org), Refuting 9 Lies Used to Push After School Satan Clubs - Return to Order, and How LGBT Activists UnErase History to Fit Their Agenda - Return to Order. Thank you for listening.
During the first half of the twentieth century, an anonymous commentator described the importance of culture by comparing the British and the Americans. “An Englishman,” he said, “walks as if he owns the world. An American walks as if he doesn’t CARE who owns the world.” Assurance has always been the hallmark of the American culture. We might be right or we might be wrong, but we were always sure of ourselves. That doesn’t appear to be true anymore. A culture of assurance has become a culture of fear. Too many of us are afraid to say what we think. We are afraid of the growing power of the Chinese, global catastrophe, and a deteriorating economy. Our so-called leaders are afraid to make decisions. This episode of the Return to Order Moment looks at the threats to American culture. It specifically analyzes two very different threats - an unbearably bleak school system and the cruel and demeaning virtual "world" of the Metaverse. To read the essays in their original written format, please use the following links - What Is Culture? All That Enhances the Human Mind - Return To Order, Do America’s Schools Imprison Our Children in the Depths of Despair? - RTO (returntoorder.org), and The Lonely Metaverse: Virtual Heaven or Cyber-Hell? - Return to Order. Thank you for listening.
The media would have you believe that there are only two choices in the race to decide which ideology will rule the future. One is liberalism, which has held sway in the Western world for the last 250 years. The other is Putinism, the self-contradictory set of ideas being advanced by Russia's enigmatic and violent leader. That is a false dilemma because it leaves out traditional Western Catholic Society. To read the article in its original format, including footnotes, please use this link: Liberalism vs. Putinism: A False Dilemma - The American TFP. Thank you for listening.
No event since World War II has so dominated the attention of the world than Vladimir Putin’s invasion of Ukraine. Supposedly learned commentators on television as well as newspapers and magazines use terms like catastrophe, unprecedented and genocide to impress listeners and readers with the importance of these events. However, there is a supernatural element that the pundits do not mention. The most likely reason is that the powers behind the media do not believe in anything that they cannot see or touch. This materialist attitude prevents many from seeing the true significance of the battles over the Ukraine. Today, the Return to Order Moment looks at those supernatural aspects and possible consequences of the invasion. To read the essays in their original formats, please use these links - Are the Russians on Board with the Fatima Message? - Return to Order, Four Points on Why Russia Invaded Ukraine - Return to Order, and Natural Law and Catholic Morals Do Not Justify Russia’s Invasion of Ukraine (returntoorder.org). Thank you for listening.
If a pollster went through the average American Catholic parish and asked the people in the pews when the current crisis in the church began, he would get a variety of answers. Probably the most popular answer would be, “What Crisis?” Unfortunately, all too many Catholics live in blithe ignorance that a crisis even exists. They have been lulled to sleep by homilies telling them that warm, unfocused feelings of peace and love are all that people need to get to Heaven. Perhaps the second most popular answer would make reference to the abuse scandals of the early 21st century. Others who are somewhat better informed might mention the changes caused by the Second Vatican Council of the early sixties. However, as scholar and author Gustavo Solimeo will explain, the roots of the current Church go back a lot further – to the early years of the 20th century. That is the unfortunate story that Mr. Solimeo explains in his essay, Remaining Faithful During the Current Crisis in the Church.
Notre Dame of Paris is more than a historic site. It is more than a grand cathedral. It is more than an expression of a great culture. Indeed, Notre Dame of Paris is a symbol of Christian culture itself. Since the catastrophic Two Thousand Nineteen fire, the process of rebuilding Notre Dame is becoming a focus of a massive dispute. On one side are those who want to see the great Cathedral restored to its pre-fire appearance. On the other are those who want to seize the opportunity to bring Notre Dame into line with the controversial “Spirit of Vatican II.” This is much more than a dispute over aesthetics. The struggle over Notre Dame is a microcosm of the dispute between traditionalists and modernists that runs from the Church’s highest leaders to the smallest parish. That is the context of today’s episode of the Return to Order moment. To read the essays in their original form, please use the following links - Notre Dame Cathedral: a Jewelbox of Beauty (returntoorder.org) Notre Dame Cathedral: a Jewelbox of Beauty (returntoorder.org), What is the Message of the Fire at Notre Dame Cathedral? - RTO (returntoorder.org), Who Will Save Notre Dame Cathedral from the Wreckovators? (returntoorder.org), and How Notre Dame Cathedral Converted Paul Claudel - Return to Order. Thank you for listening.
The Gospel According to Saint Matthew, Chapter 24: Verse 6 says “And you shall hear of wars and rumors of wars. See that ye be not troubled. For these things must come to pass, but the end is not yet.” Those words, perhaps, occurred to many on February 24, Two Thousand Twenty-two when Russian troops invaded Ukraine, after weeks of speculation that such a move might take place. Nonetheless, many people, including those in the news media and in Ukraine itself, responded to the attack by being surprised. Such an attack appeared foolhardy. Surely Vladimir Putin, a man intelligent enough to hold power in Russia for over twenty years, would never take such an unnecessary risk. This podcast considers the implications of this transcendent event, which threatens the very roots of Western Culture. To read the essays in their original formats, please go to A “Not Normal” 2022 Means It’s Time to Improvise and Dare (returntoorder.org), America Should Uphold Justice and Help Ukraine Against Putin’s 'Unjust War' - TFP, and The End of History Just Ended - The American TFP. Thank you for listening.
Two Thousand Twenty-Two marks the seventieth anniversary of Queen Elizabeth the Second’s accession to the Throne of Great Britain. Her appeal to large numbers of Americans is curious. To many, she represents grace and elegance. Others admire her steadfast sense of purpose. For a few, it may simply be the fact that she has endured so long. Whatever the source of her appeal, it is undeniable. This podcast explores that popularity and then contrasts Queen Elizabeth II with the great Medieval King, Saint Ferdinand of Castile and León. This may seem an odd pairing, but the two have many commonalities. First, both possessed a true concept of the role of the monarch as an inspiration to their people. Second, both made great sacrifices, albeit in very different ways, for their people. Third, and perhaps most important, both possessed a quality that can be called "steel in the spine," a dogged determination to do the best job that they could to lead their people. To read the articles in their original printed formats, please use the following links - A Symbol of Stability in a Gelatinous World - Return to Order and King Saint Ferdinand III and His Conquests for Christ - Return to Order. Thank you for listening.
No one can deny that the United States is in a state of flux. Change is in the air, and none of our political prognosticators can tell us the directions of that change – even though many pretend to. Two phrases have taken increasing prominence in those political discussions – secession and civil war. Much of this may be the loose talk that accompanies uncertainty. However, more sober observers are beginning to say that there may be something to it. It is in this spirit that the Return to Order Moment brings you three articles on that topic, all by scholar John Horvat. To view the articles in their original format, please follow these links - The New Civil War Over Everything - Return to Order, How the New Civil War About Everything Creates Chaos - Return to Order, and How Civil Wars Don’t Start - (returntoorder.org). Thank you for listening.
No other devices have changed daily life more than the computer and its near relation – the Internet. Around the world, millions use them to gain access to information both significant and trivial. New uses are greedily absorbed by “early adopters” who eagerly await the newest toy. “Artificial Intelligence” is that newest toy. The idea of a computer that surpasses human intelligence is one that delights many modern minds. Mr. John Horvat looks seriously at the implications of these wide-ranging developments.
Perhaps the biggest question facing traditional Catholics is one of loyalty. Loyalty to the office of the Papacy – often referred to as “Ultramontanism” – and to the teaching office of the Magisterium is part of being authentically Catholic. Yet, often, the actions of the popes themselves cause great concern, especially when they appear to violate long-held standards. So, how can a conscientious Catholic reconcile the absolute necessity to remain loyal to Holy Mother Church, and yet reject errors, even when they come from Rome? Catholic scholar Jose Antonio Ureta grapples with this important question in this podcast. The original article is heavily footnoted. To see it in its original format, please follow this link - Modernism, Not Ultramontanism, Is the “Synthesis of All Heresies” - TFP
Historically, Protestants have dismissed The Blessed Virgin Mary and sought to remove her from her rightful role in the story of Mankind’s salvation. Against this backdrop, Catholics have always been Our Lady’s defenders. After all, it was she who brought Our Lord into this world. Unfortunately, many Catholic leaders, even those in the highest reaches of the Church now seek to diminish Our Lady's vital role. They are the subject of this episode of The Return to Order Moment. Certainly, God could have chosen another way to redeem us, but He, in His infinite wisdom, decided that the BEST way to do that work was to enlist Our Lady. To that end, He caused her to be born without Original Sin. Only in this way, does the Archangel’s greeting, “Hail, Full of Grace” makes any sense. No one can be sinful and full of Grace at the same time, any more than good can co-exist with evil. To read the articles in their original format, including the footnotes in Mr. Solimeo's article, please refer to the following links: How the Immaculate Conception Can Help Us Understand the Crisis in the Church (returntoorder.org), Pope Francis, a “Critical Devotee” of Mary, the Co-Redemptrix of Our Fallen Human Race - TFP, and Why do the Jesuits Ridicule Faithful Catholics Who Pray the Holy Rosary? (returntoorder.org). Thank you for listening.
As we move into the Year of Our Lord 2022, it is appropriate to take a look back at the year just past. It has been a time of great turmoil. The "mainstream" media presents the various conflicts as being won by leftists. However, that is an illusion. Indeed, every leftist pseudo-victory is more than balanced by the gathering forces that counter this desperate leftist power grab. This podcast looks at seven major stories affecting both the Catholic Church and the government of the United States. To view the essay in its original format and gain access to the copious footnotes, please refer to https://www.returntoorder.org/2021/12/2021-year-in-review-accelerated-self-destruction-of-every-institution-while-an-exhausted-left-confronts-a-resurgent-right/. Thank you for listening.
This week, we are presenting a statement from the American TFP titled “Resist the Betrayal of the West.” This statement was published in Crusade Magazine in the March-April Two Thousand Twenty-one issue. We bring it to you now because the days around New Years’ Day are a time when many people take stock of their lives and resolve to do better in the following year. Indeed, Two Thousand Twenty-one has been a difficult year. Last January, the media told us to be light-hearted. The COVID epidemic was winding down and we were about to have a new president. Surely, Two Thousand Twenty-one would be better. Yet, at the end the year, we are still being told to wear masks, there are many places to which we cannot go, and the new administration has only succeeded in spending more and more money as error piles on top of error. As all this played out, the only organization that could really help, the One, Holy, Roman, Catholic, and Apostolic Church, is hindered from without and divided within. Perhaps the one good thing to come out of Two Thousand Twenty-one is the fact that the forces arrayed against a return to order are even more obvious now than they were a year ago. There are signs that many who ignored the battle before are seeing the danger and taking it seriously. If you are among them, we welcome you to our cause. To read the article, please refer to the following link: crusade-mag-vol-170-March-April-2021.pdf (tfp.org), download the issue and scroll to pages 10-15.
Our Christmas gift to you is a meditation by the only diocesan parish priest to have been canonized a Saint – indeed, he is the patron Saint of Parish Priests. Saint John Marie Vianney (1786-1859) is known to many as the Cure d’Ars. His priesthood began in August 1815, only two months after the Battle of Waterloo. The Church in France lay in tatters after the disaster of the French Revolution and the Reign of Napoleon. After a quarter-century of turmoil, many Frenchmen had forgotten whatever training in the Faith they had before 1789. It fell to priests like the Cure d’Ars to restore the Faith to those who lost it during the tumult. Here is a sermon given by Saint John Vianney on Christmas Day. It comes from a marvelous book, The Sermons of the Cure d'Ars: For the Sundays and Feasts of the Year, published by Mediatrix Press, which has graciously given permission for The Return to Order Moment to bring it to you. The book is available through the Mediatrix Press website at https://mediatrixpress.com/product/sermons-of-the-cure-dars-for-the-sundays-of-the-year/.
Critical Race Theory has been called “an idea that is so absurd that only an intellectual could believe it.” Indeed, many intellectuals and pseudo-intellectuals do believe it – and many of them are helping to inflict Critical Race Theory on America’s children. Critical Race Theory is part of the so-called woke movement. Wokeness, in turn, is a component of the so-called Social Justice narrative that afflicts modern America. Why do so many people listen to the siren song of Social Justice? What can be done to preserve the remnants of American Christian society? To read the essays in their original format, please use the following links: A Glimpse into the Minds of “Social Justice Warriors” at the University of Texas (returntoorder.org) Is an Anti-Woke University in the Middle of Weird Austin Enough? (returntoorder.org) For Those Fighting Left-Wing Critical Race Theory, the Future is Local and Vocal (returntoorder.org)
President Biden is the epitome of a breed that is sometimes called the “cafeteria Catholic.” He claims belief and frequently attends Holy Mass. Yet at the same time, his actions and political positions fly in the face of Catholic teaching. That is most apparent in his promotion of procured abortion, but it does not stop there. President Biden’s vision is thoroughly modernist. It is in line with the so-called “spirit of Vatican II.” At the same time, it has little in common with the faith of his working-class forbearers – of whom he claims to be so proud. This contradiction is apparent in several aspects of his presidency. Three of them are discussed in this podcast. To read the essays presented here in their original form, and to see the footnotes in Mr. Solimeo's essay, please refer to teh following links: https://www.returntoorder.org/2021/11/did-pope-francis-tell-president-biden-to-continue-receiving-holy-communion/ https://www.returntoorder.org/2021/05/the-family-is-the-only-thing-missing-in-bidens-american-families-plan/ https://www.returntoorder.org/2021/05/the-president-jumps-into-the-critical-race-theory-battle/.
There is nothing more basic than the fight between good and evil. Everything else in life hinges on the monumental struggle between God and Satan. Indeed, most people define their lives based on which side they embrace. Until recently, Satan’s favorite tactic was to convince people that he did not exist. This turned on the idea that Satan does not need for people to swear allegiance to him. He only needs to prevent people from following God. However, in the past few years, Satan has made himself far more prominent. This podcast looks at three weapons that Christians have at their disposal in the war against Satan - exorcism, confidence in Our Lady, and the angels. To read the articles in their original form, please use the following links - https://www.returntoorder.org/2021/10/exorcist-reveals-strongest-weapons-in-war-on-satan/, https://www.returntoorder.org/2021/10/how-lepanto-teaches-us-to-confide-in-our-lady/, and https://www.returntoorder.org/2021/09/understanding-saint-gabriel-by-his-high-mission/.
The Leftists’ War on Culture continues unabated, even while the leftists themselves deny that it is happening. All around us, we see the wreckage of cultural institutions that were once thought to be unassailable. At the same time, the left tries to convince us that everything is fine – in fact, they tell us that it is getting better by the minute! In this podcast, we focus on three aspects of the peculiar world of the "woke." The first essay looks at the implications of the 2021 Virginia elections, and especially the role that social issues played in it. Then, we turn to the "National Sex Education Standards," which have no connection to any national or state organization, other than those that promote promiscuity, The third topic looks at the self-destructive behavior of liberal institutions - in this case the Art Institute of Chicago - when they are confronted with "woke" demands. To read the essays in their original form, please use the following links - https://www.returntoorder.org/2021/11/the-war-on-the-culture-war-flares-up-again/, https://www.returntoorder.org/2021/11/why-sex-ed-teachers-are-thrilled-with-return-to-in-person-learning/, and https://www.returntoorder.org/2021/11/when-radicals-turned-on-centrists-at-chicago-art-institute/.
Most modern day people are unfamiliar with an old and erroneous set of ideas called Gnosticism. Yet, as you will hear, Gnosticism is the root of the errors that modern society faces. Both Communism and the Sexual Revolution have their roots in Gnosticism. Since modernism and post-modernism are the spawn of Communism and the Sexual Revolution, they can be called the descendants of this ancient heresy. Long-time TFP supporter, Mr. Vincent Gorre explores both the root and the branches of Gnosticism. To read this essay, please use the following link - https://www.tfp.org/gnosticism-the-force-behind-the-chaos/ . Thank you for listening.
Until recently, the word woke was a past tense verb – as in the sentence, “He woke at dawn.” Now it is a noun, and a very destructive noun at that. The word is a kind of shorthand term that describes both leftists and the Marxist society into which they want to plunge us. As with most leftist ideas, “Wokeness” germinated for a long time before emerging into the light. It sat in the compost heap of modern academia and grew deep roots. Then, it matured and sent its shoots out into the wider culture. Today, the Return to Order Moment examines the culture of the Woke. To read the essays in their original published form, please go to https://www.returntoorder.org/2021/07/an-invitation-to-awaken-to-the-woke-revolution-around-us/, https://www.returntoorder.org/2021/10/why-woke-warriors-aim-to-strangle-classical-music/, and https://www.returntoorder.org/2021/10/how-lgbtq-activists-attack-birdwatchers-as-subversives/. Thank you for listening.
All of the world’s societies draw near a crossroad. A time of decision approaches. Will we continue down the absurd and selfish path that society has taken for the past several centuries? Or will we take a careful look at the signs, and select a new path? These questions are too large to be answered in a half-hour podcast. All we can do here is to raise the question and suggest a course of action. That is our purpose. There are real answers and even some signs that a guarded optimism is in order. To read the essays in their original published form, please follow these links - https://www.returntoorder.org/2021/10/why-metaphysics-can-fix-this-mess-america/, https://www.returntoorder.org/2021/10/why-the-abortion-and-transgender-issues-are-two-sides-of-the-same-coin/, and https://www.returntoorder.org/2021/10/what-will-a-post-roe-america-look-like/. Thank you for listening.
In Two Thousand Nineteen, Pope Francis began discussing a set of ideas that have come to be referred to as “The Economy of Francesco.” Vatican News described it as, “a worldwide movement of young people who aim to change the current economic models and craft a future that is more inclusive and just.” As the idea has taken shape over the last two years, one aspect of it is becoming increasingly apparent. Throughout the discussion, there is little, if any, discussion of the supernatural power of God or of humanity’s need to rely upon Him as the source of all that is good. While such omissions are commonplace in economic plans drafted by governments and other secular organizations, they are startling when they are inspired – indeed even named after – the world’s best known religious leader. This episode examines the many ways in which "The Economy of Francesco" is really more a prescription for Socialism, rather than a moral and ethical framework.
Today, the Return to Order Moment is honored to bring you two essays written by the founder of the international TFP Movement, Professor Plinio Corrêa de Oliveira. Both essays describe the virtues and actions of Popes named Gregory. However, their names, their loyalty to the Catholic Faith, and the fact that both occupied the Throne of Saint Peter are all that these two men have in common. Four Hundred years separated them, and the problems that they faced were very different. The first is Pope Gregory the First, usually known as Saint Gregory the Great. Pope Saint Gregory the Great was so influential that fifteen subsequent popes took his name. Not all of them lived up to his example, but one in particular did. He was also canonized a saint, Gregory the Seventh. Pope Saint Gregory the Seventh was born about the year 1015. He was Pope for twelve years – from 1073 to 1085. Professor Plinio summed up his importance in the title of an essay that he wrote in 1972, Saint Gregory the Seventh, the Pope Par Excellence. One quick note, in two places Professor Plinio refers to Pope Paul the Sixth, who was pope at the time this essay was written. Certainly, it takes little imagination to substitute Pope Francis’s name, for the situations that Professor Plinio describes still exist today.
For decades, the left has peddled its own bizarre definition of freedom. It is a freedom that denies personal responsibility. In the real world, there can be no freedom WITHOUT personal responsibility. They deny personal responsibility while asserting that individual freedom is absolute. This is impossible. To give any person license to do whatever they want inevitably infringes on the rights of others. I cannot give you the ability to take whatever you want without taking away rights from those who already own the object of your desires. No one can have rights unless he respects the rights of others. In the process of shifting blame from individuals, they shift it to their enemies. Society in general, conservatives, businesses, and especially the Church are singled out for their scrutiny. Today, the Return to Order moment looks at three aspects of the left’s attempts to shift responsibility to places that is does not belong.
The Chinese Communist Party wants to become the strongest power on earth. To do this, it must defeat two adversaries – the United States and the Catholic Church. It works tirelessly to accomplish both goals. China’s great advantage is that they are unified while the U.S. and the Church are divided. China has artfully manipulated those divisions to its own advantage. China is very good at hiding their flaws, while drawing attention to their enemies’ inconsistencies. They lie about conditions in their own country, knowing that their own captive press and the leftists in American media will repeat those lies. It is long past time for the leaders of the U.S. and Holy Mother Church to awaken to the dangers that Red China represents. To read the articles, please use the following links: https://www.tfp.org/the-centennial-of-the-chinese-communist-party-and-the-bitter-fruits-of-the-vatican-china-agreement/?utm_source=ActiveCampaign&utm_medium=email&utm_content=You+Have+New+Rabid+Marxists+Teaching+Your+Children&utm_campaign=TFP210921+You+Have+New+Rabid+Marxists+Teaching+Your+Children&vgo_ee=RzhDWAj2ZtedKt6qm5Yg%2FTpxdzkQNl9LgdxZ9pnzLRY%3D https://www.tfp.org/the-china-threat/ https://www.returntoorder.org/2021/04/america-must-go-beyond-wishful-thinking-about-china/ Thank you for listening.
Currently, the Congress of the United States looks like a hive of bees that have lost the ability to make honey. They know something is wrong, but they lack the intellect and imagination to do anything about it. These sentiments are reflected in many everyday Americans. Ever since the Great Depression, the government has stepped in to solve – or appear to solve – our problems. We allowed them to quietly and gradually gain power. We were happy to let elected officials and bureaucrats do the heavy lifting. Inflation, Covid, rising crime rates and Afghanistan are all signs that government is failing. It is time to look for different solutions from different people. Those different people are ourselves. To read the original articles, please use the following links - https://www.returntoorder.org/2021/09/we-need-americans-with-grit-and-who-get-the-job-done/, https://www.returntoorder.org/2021/09/what-happens-when-a-just-in-time-world-breaks-down/, and https://www.returntoorder.org/2021/07/the-stressed-out-consumer-needs-wisdom-not-more-marketing/. Thank you for listening
During the Campaign of Two Thousand Twenty, Joseph Robinette Biden, Junior presented himself as the grown-up in the room. He held out the promise that he would restore order after the so-called chaos of the Trump Administration. His knowledge, seasoned by over four decades on the national stage, would guide us out of the twin disasters of Covid and the urban violence that dominated news during the summer of Two Thousand Twenty. Now that he is President, a very different picture emerges. He has allied himself with the most extreme left wing of his party. At the same time, he has presided over what may be the biggest foreign relations disaster in American History – perhaps even eclipsing the calamity of the War in Vietnam. This episode of The Return to Order Moment assesses aspects of both the revolution and the disaster. To read the articles, follow these links: https://www.returntoorder.org/2021/09/with-the-fall-of-afghanistan-we-enter-a-dangerous-new-world/, https://www.returntoorder.org/2021/08/why-does-the-right-wing-media-ignore-the-major-issue-behind-bidens-eviction-moratorium/, and https://www.returntoorder.org/2021/08/drafting-women-into-combat-spells-the-death-of-chivalry/.
Modern Western Culture, and especially American culture, worships the idea that everything should be new. Everyone wants new clothes, new cars, new houses, and even a new morality. To be “dated” is to be discarded. The desire for the modern carries a heavy psychological cost. When we dispose of our past, we become rootless, isolated, and alone. One of the goals of the American TFP is to help people to see that tradition is not a burden to be discarded. It is a guide to a life more in line with our own human nature and our need to walk with God. WIthin the European societies of the Middle Ages, there are many conditions that could remedy many of the defects in our own times. To read the essays, please refer to https://www.tfp.org/magazines/crusade_mag_vol_45.pdf, pp 26-29, https://www.tfp.org/how-the-medieval-social-order-found-the-balance-between-the-local-and-the-global/, and https://www.tfp.org/time-to-return-to-medieval-courtesy-books/.
Since he came to the Papal throne in Two Thousand Thirteen, many have had reason to doubt Pope Francis’s allegiance to Church tradition. Since so many of the Church’s basic teachings rely upon traditional doctrines, this is a major problem. This episode of the Return to Order Moment looks at two situations in which Pope Francis appears to be determined to discard traditional Catholic practice and teaching. The first concerns Pope Francis’s recent statement that severely restricts the use of the Traditional Latin Mass. The second concerns a recent handwritten letter that Pope Francis sent to Fr. James Martin, SJ, which implies support for the LGBTQ agenda that Fr. Martin promotes. To read the articles and examine the copious footnotes, please follow these links: https://www.tfp.org/pope-franciss-traditionis-custodes-and-the-traditional-latin-mass/ and https://www.tfp.org/in-a-handwritten-letter-pope-francis-endorses-fr-martins-pro-homosexual-activism/.
Since World War II, humanity has deceived itself by believing that a single global government could bring peace and harmony. The appeal of globalism is as understandable as it is unworkable. The globalist’s error begins with pride. They believe that humans perfect themselves and create a God-less “brotherhood of man.” If all people decide to set aside their selfish vices, we can all live in harmony. That is not reality. The new global man does not lose his vices. In fact, he adds the vice of materialism. What global man does lose is himself. His individuality is swallowed up in a world of sameness. This episode looks at three aspects of the global menace, and why each should be rejected. To read the articles, please refer to https://www.tfp.org/magazines/crusade_mag_vol_44.pdf Pages 4-5, https://www.returntoorder.org/2021/08/why-the-global-minimum-tax-threatens-american-sovereignty/, and https://www.returntoorder.org/2021/08/the-contradictions-of-the-climatarians-an-eco-sect-that-wants-to-change-the-world/.
No event since the terrorist attack on the World Trade Center on September 11, 2001 is likely to have more far-reaching consequences than the shameful set of events being played out as this episode is being recorded. The media – both on the left and the right – have said much about the ignoble way in which President Biden abruptly ended U.S. involvement in Afghanistan. Much of that coverage consists of ill-advised attempts to apply the biases of the radical left or the isolationist right to a conflict that neither group understands. Mr. James Bascom brings you a fresh view of the war, enlightened by his insights into World History and Western Christian Culture. To read the article, please refer to https://www.tfp.org/neither-peace-nor-honor-in-afghanistan/.
For much of the summer of 2021, the American TFP has been holding public events to raise the awareness of Americans to the conditions in Communist Cuba. This included a successful petition drive asking President Biden to help deliver Cuba from the Communist yoke. However, political help will not be enough. Far more important is the supernatural assistance that only God can give. This episode of the Return to Order Moment considers the nature of Cuba’s – and our – need for Divine help. To read the essays, please refer to https://www.tfp.org/when-will-our-eyes-finally-open-regarding-cuba/, https://www.returntoorder.org/2021/08/cuba-is-a-consequence-of-not-heeding-our-ladys-fatima-message/, https://www.tfp.org/tfp-asks-when-will-pope-francis-condemn-the-cause-of-poverty-in-cuba/, and https://www.tfp.org/the-marvelous-story-of-our-lady-of-charity-of-cobre-patroness-of-cuba/.
There is no question that the Papacy is in crisis. The Return to Order Moment and many other podcasters have discussed the various crises of Pope Francis’s pontificate in great detail. Over its 2000-year history, Holy Mother Church has faced and overcome many crises – most of which looked as dire to those living through them as our current crisis does to us. In today’s episode of the Return to Order Moment, long lime TFP member and historian, the late Jeremias Wells tells the story of a time during which three different men claimed to be the rightful pope. This article was published under the title “The Great Western Schism” in the March-April 2002 issue of Crusade magazine. We tell this story in the hope that our listeners will draw encouragement from the historical resilience of the Church founded by Our Lord Jesus Christ who promised us that He would not forsake her. To read the original article, please go to https://www.tfp.org/magazines/crusade_mag_vol_56.pdf, pages 17-19. Interested readers can read three of the four books that Mr. Wells used as sources of information online by using the following links - Philip Hughes, A History of the Church, Volume III, https://archive.org/details/historyofchurch0003hugh, Louis Salembier, The Great Schism of the West https://archive.org/details/greatschismwest00salegoog/page/n4/mode/2up, and Joseph Gill, S.J., Eugenius IV, https://archive.org/details/eugeniusivpopeof01gill.
Educational theories seldom make it into national news. Critical Race Theory (CRT) is an exception. As many states and localities base curriculum on it, parents openly reject it. Other states are trying to banish any traces of its Marxist influence. Much coverage of CRT is pessimistic, and with good reason. Informing the American public about its harms is critical. However, the situation is not lost. The CRT controversy exposes the left’s true motives – which they desperately want to conceal. Our task is to expose the leftist lies. To read the essays in this podcast. please refer to https://www.returntoorder.org/2021/06/13-ways-christianity-influences-daily-life-that-secularists-hate/, https://www.returntoorder.org/2021/07/with-higher-education-in-crisis-is-it-time-to-discern-a-calling/, and https://www.returntoorder.org/2021/06/defeating-the-arguments-favoring-critical-race-theory-at-public-meetings/. Thank you for listening!
If you want to know what the so-called Democratic Socialists have in mind for the United States, you need only look ninety miles south of Florida. Ever since 1959, Cuba has been ruled by the sort of government that modern leftists crave. If you want to see how well this Socialist Utopia works, you need only look at the demonstrations that rocked Cuban cities. The best way to assist the downtrodden Cuban people escape Socialism is for our government to support those demonstrators. This episode explores the reasons that modern leftists are so enthralled with the Communist regime in Cuba, and urges President Biden to throw the weight of the United States behind the overthrow of the Communists. To read the essays, please refer to https://www.tfp.org/president-biden-end-cubas-communist-regime-once-and-for-all/, https://www.returntoorder.org/2021/07/why-leftists-keep-backing-cubas-communist-regime/, and https://www.tfp.org/10-reasons-to-reject-socialism/. To add your name to our petition drive, please go to www.tfp.org/freecuba.
These are troubling times within the Catholic Church. We look around us and find a curious dilemma. Many Catholic laymen and some of the hierarchy lift high the Church’s timeless traditions. At the same time, the Pope and others among the highest leaders of the Church behave as though these traditions are obstructions to their goals. Mr. James R. Bascom analyzes this curious situation in his essay, President Biden, Holy Communion, and the Catholic Civil War. To read this article and view the footnotes, please refer to https://www.tfp.org/president-biden-holy-communion-and-the-catholic-civil-war/.
“The Big Lie” has long been a key weapon in the Socialist’s arsenal. Publically, they repeatedly profess their support for American values like human rights, freedom of speech, and responsible use of natural resources. At the same time, they promote policies that endanger people, cancel those whose opinions they oppose, and erode our energy infrastructure. This episode of the Return to Order Moment will examine these leftist lies, and the hypocritical words behind them. To read the articles, please refer to https://www.returntoorder.org/2021/06/democrats-dont-say-we-want-socialism-or-to-defund-the-policeeven-when-we-do/, https://www.returntoorder.org/2021/06/an-identity-crisis-at-the-aclu-leads-it-to-discard-the-first-amendment/, and https://www.returntoorder.org/2021/06/how-the-greens-are-taking-down-big-energy-from-within/.
Since the establishment of the Church by Our Lord, 266 men have served as pope. Over those two millennia, many of them left their fingerprints on both the Church and history. For that reason, there is always a good deal of discussion about the legacy of any pope. Most of these idle speculations are worthless. However, very few men have examined the actions of Pope Francis and their importance with a greater scholarly background than Luiz Sérgio Solimeo. This episode of the Return to Order Moment will bring you Mr. Solimeo’s insights into three aspects of Pope Francis’s career. To read the articles and gain access to the footnotes, please follow the links to https://www.tfp.org/for-pope-francis-the-holy-eucharist-is-the-bread-of-sinners-for-saint-thomas-aquinas-it-is-panis-angelorum/, https://www.tfp.org/is-pope-francis-enabling-homo-heresy-inside-the-church/, and https://www.tfp.org/pope-francis-submits-to-religious-leaders-opposed-to-our-lord-jesus-christ/.
What do you see when you watch the television news footage of the ‘mostly peaceful’ demonstrations that have taken place over the last year? Like most people, you probably notice the fires first. However, the next time that you see some of this film, look at the mostly young people doing the protesting. These are haunted faces – hostages of anger and rage. If you asked them why they are so angry, they would probably say something about racism and oppression. But, yet, the vast majority of those protesters are White. Their clothing is that of the middle class. That means that, according to Critical Race Theory, they are among the oppressors. There is good reason to pity those caught up in the insanity of the impulses that the world describes by the four letter word, “woke.” They are spending their lives working toward an illusion of “social justice.” It gnaws at their souls, dooming them to be permanently angry unless they can escape its spell. This episode of the Return to Order Moment examines the bizarre world of “wokeness.” To read the articles, please refer to https://www.returntoorder.org/2021/05/is-moms-apple-pie-a-symbol-of-oppression/, https://www.returntoorder.org/2021/05/is-woke-broke-the-perils-of-living-in-a-parallel-universe/, and https://www.returntoorder.org/2021/06/in-a-world-of-invisible-sculptures-everything-is-crazy/.
The modern world has embraced so-called transgenderism with the fierceness of a mother bear protecting her cubs. That is an apt analogy, because this class of people was an invention of the so-called Gender Studies movement. They pretend to protect human rights, but their real goal is right out of the Karl Marx playbook – the destruction of the traditional family. Mr. James Bascom’s essay, “Why the Book Irreversible Damage Will Not Stop the “Transgendering” of Children,” examines that situation and the ways that it displays realities that the Gender Theorists would prefer that you not know about. Mr. John Horvat describes the likely outcome of that revolution in his essay, “This Is What Will Come After the Transgender Revolution.” To read the articles and see the footnotes in Mr. Bascom's article, please refer to https://www.tfp.org/why-the-book-irreversible-damage-will-not-stop-the-transgendering-of-children/?PKG=TFP210601&utm_source=ActiveCampaign&utm_medium=email&utm_content=How+Liberal+Law+Can+Destroy+Business&utm_campaign=TFP210601+-++How+Liberal+Law+Can+Destroy+Business&vgo_ee=RzhDWAj2ZtedKt6qm5Yg%2FTpxdzkQNl9LgdxZ9pnzLRY%3D and https://www.returntoorder.org/2019/07/this-is-what-will-come-after-the-transgender-revolution/.
Modern Americans often treat History as a kind of Trivial Pursuit game, only played by those who enjoy such esoteric pursuits. In reality, History is far more important. In the best sense, it is the story of God’s providence for humanity, the capstone of His creation, as described in the book of Genesis. Indeed, much of Holy Scripture consists of books of History. In today's podcast, Mr. John Horvat explores this providential idea of history and compares it to the political situation in the early twenty-first century. Then, Mr. Edwin Benson discusses the secularist urgency to replace God and everythign supernatural with their idea of an all-powerful state. In the last essay, Mr. Horvat discusses the need to return to a sense of Natural Law, especially in light of the Supreme Court's Bostock v. Clayton County decision. To read the essays, please refer to: https://www.returntoorder.org/2021/01/recovering-a-providential-vision-of-history-after-the-election/ https://www.returntoorder.org/2021/04/a-battle-plan-for-defeating-the-secularist-state-religion/ https://www.returntoorder.org/2020/06/natural-law-judges-are-the-only-way-to-save-the-judiciary/
The Crusaders of the Middle Ages shed their blood to free the Sepulcher of Our Lord Jesus Christ from the hands of the infidels and to establish a Christian kingdom in the Holy Land. Those of us who have not been called upon to shed our blood like these martyrs can, and must, pray and act to free the world not only from the errors of Communism and Islam, but also those of the cultural revolution sweeping the West, possibly toward persecution as well. Our constant aim should be to restore the Kingdom of Christ, that His will may be done “on earth as it is in Heaven.” The principles for the restoration of Christendom are what Plinio Corrêa de Oliveira outlines in the article we present here. To read the article, go to https://www.tfp.org/magazines/crusade_mag_vol_49.pdf (pages 13-19).
Perhaps no pope – certainly no pope in modern history – has persistently created controversy and concern among faithful Catholics than the current pontiff, Pope Francis. The pope is given to words and gestures that are often ambiguous. Then, he refuses to clarify the concerns that his conduct raises. Within those raised to respect the office of the Papacy and its occupants throughout history, Pope Francis’s attitude creates great conflict. During Holy Week Two Thousand Twenty-one, he placed a picture of Our Resurrected Lord leaning over the body of the traitorous disciple, Judas. Again, both Catholics and non-believers are left to wonder, what can such a gesture mean? In this podcast, the renowned Catholic scholar and author, Luiz Sérgio Solimeo, examines both the pope’s action and its implications. To read the article, please go to https://www.returntoorder.org/2021/05/pope-francis-and-his-obscene-judas-painting/.
As we do occasionally, this episode of the Return to Order Moment will focus on a single person, in this case Saint Thérèse of Lisieux. First there is a short biographical sketch of this "Doctor of the Church." The heart of the podcast is a meditation written about Saint Thérèse by the founder of the international TFP movement, Professor Plinio Correa de Olivera in 1971. In it, Prof. Plinio expands on Saint Thérèse’s massage of total devotion expressed by many small sacrifices.
America’s public school system was created in the 1830s. The goal was to produce good citizens. Private and parochial schools were established with many of the same goals. The idea was simple – if this was going to be a government of the people, by the people and for the people – then the people need to be educated. Education is supposed to equip students with basic skills and teach them how to grapple with problems. The goal was that all children would grow up to be able to support themselves and fulfill their duties as citizens of their states and nation. Catholic schools added the idea that children should learn the basics of the Faith. Unfortunately, modern schools – public, private, and parochial – are falling under the control of radicals. Their goal is to replace education with indoctrination. This episode of The Return to Order Moment will look at three issues in modern schools - Critical Race Theory, Multiculturalism, and Distance Learning. To read the articles, please go to https://www.returntoorder.org/2021/03/these-new-words-in-education-are-mangling-student-minds/, https://www.returntoorder.org/2021/04/why-public-school-students-sing-religious-chants-to-aztec-gods/, and https://www.returntoorder.org/2021/03/scandal-school-officials-now-controlling-students-homes/.
This episode focuses on Mr. John Horvat’s review of the new book, "Beyond Order: 12 More Rules for Life" by Jordan Peterson. First, Podcast Host Edwin Benson will read the article. After that, Mr. Horvat and Mr. Benson will have a conversation about the article and book in which Mr. Horvat expands some of the ideas in his review. Read the article: https://www.returntoorder.org/2018/04/12-rules-for-life-a-book-i-wanted-to-like/
Today, the Return to Order Moment presents “Making Sense of the Chaos that is Destroying America” by James R. Bascom. Listeners who are unfamiliar with the work and principles of Return to Order’s parent organization, the American Society for the Defense of Tradition, Family, and Property will find this episode especially interesting. Mr. Bascom provides here a kind of introduction to the TFP’s guiding principles, and applies them to the situation that Americans face in the world of Two Thousand Twenty-one. To read the article, please go to https://www.tfp.org/making-sense-of-the-chaos-that-is-destroying-america/
The International “Green Movement” only knows one strategy. It proposes to give all economic power to national governments. Their mistaken premise is that those governments will institute policies that will produce clean air, clean water, and prevent more species from extinction. Such an attitude ignores the fact that totalitarian nations have terrible environmental records. It would come as a surprise to modern-day environmentalists that the Bible and Natural Law provide a better solution. To read the essays, please go to https://www.tfp.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/09/crusade_mag_vol_161.pdf and https://www.returntoorder.org/2020/05/how-the-coronavirus-shutdown-favors-green-de-development/.
On September 12, 1960, the Democrat’s Presidential Candidate, Senator John Kennedy, described his view of being a public official and a Catholic. “I am not the Catholic candidate for President. I am the Democratic Party’s candidate for President who happens also to be a Catholic.” Ever since that time, Catholics who wanted to hold public office – mayors, governors, congressmen, senators, judges and whatever else – followed Mr. Kennedy’s lead. That includes the current President, Joe Biden. Such an attitude is erroneous, raises scandal for the faithful, and imperils the immortal sould of those who act upon it. To read the articles, go to https://www.tfp.org/why-joe-bidens-rosary-is-so-important/, https://www.tfp.org/did-catholic-governor-andrew-cuomo-blaspheme-against-god/, and https://www.tfp.org/statement-on-the-reception-of-holy-communion-by-those-who-persist-in-public-grave-sin/.
There is one, holy, Catholic, and apostolic Church. However, it is divided into three parts. The Church Triumphant consists of those members who have been received into God’s Presence in Heaven. The Church Expectant are those undergoing purification in Purgatory. The last part of the Church is us – the believers on Earth. The term for the Church on Earth is strange to modern ears. It is the Church Militant. As the name implies, our primary task is to fight against Satan and his deceptions. Our Holy Catholic Church needs the Church Militant to defend her. She is being attacked from within and without. The nature of both attacks is the subject of this episode of The Return to Order Moment. To read the essays, go to https://www.returntoorder.org/2021/04/even-if-the-holy-church-is-devastated-by-the-wolves-of-heresy-let-us-stand-with-her/, https://www.returntoorder.org/2021/04/pope-franciss-abrahamic-religions/, and https://www.returntoorder.org/2021/02/what-does-it-mean-to-be-catholic-the-president-the-cardinal-and-communion-for-pro-abortion-politicians/.
If you asked anybody during the Medieval Period about Gothic architecture, they would not know what you were talking about. The word Gothic developed later, and it was not intended to be a compliment. For centuries, it was common for academics to look upon anything Medieval with disdain. This attitude prevailed despite the fact that Europe was filled with monumental cathedrals and numberless village churches – all beautiful in their various ways. In a very real sense, the rejection of Medieval architecture was a way of rejecting God. This podcast discusses the value of Gothic Architecture and its role in Christian life. To read the essays, go to https://www.returntoorder.org/2018/05/monument-raised-ruin-institution-custom/, https://www.returntoorder.org/2021/03/how-the-revival-of-catholic-architecture-in-england-changed-the-way-people-prayed/, and https://www.returntoorder.org/2018/08/the-architecture-that-feeds-the-soul/.
On March 19, Two Thousand Thirteen, Pope Francis became the Supreme Pontiff of the Holy Roman Catholic and Apostolic Church, replacing the recently retired Pope Benedict the sixteenth. Since that time, he has spoken in a voice so equivocal as to leave theologians and scholars confused and uncertain. Many times, it has appeared that the Pope is more interested in punishing faithful Catholics than he is in struggling against heresy and agnosticism. In this podcast, two eminent scholars, Mr. Luiz Sérgio Solimeo and Mr. José Antonio Ureta describe the often-confusing words and actions of Pope Francis. To Read the Essays go to https://www.tfp.org/pope-francis-if-youre-not-with-the-council-then-youre-not-with-the-church-and-the-council-is-it-with-the-church/ and https://www.tfp.org/let-pope-francis-speak-out/.
Those who try to thrust modernist philosophies, often called “Woke,” present their ideas as inevitable. They proclaim, “We are on the right side of history!” All too often, more traditional Americans, who fear confrontation, yield to the progressives’ shrill demands. That is unfortunate, because most of the leftists’ favorite ideas are logically weak. When courageous citizens arm themselves with facts, the woke ideology can be defeated. Today’s episode of The Return to Order Moment is devoted to sharing those facts, and how they can be used. To read the essays, go to https://www.returntoorder.org/2021/03/a-fearsome-tool-for-those-fighting-the-1619-project/, https://www.returntoorder.org/2021/01/are-parents-losing-their-children-to-the-whole-child-deception/, https://www.returntoorder.org/2021/02/the-madness-of-woke-ideology-now-denounces-linguistic-racism/, and https://www.returntoorder.org/2021/03/chastity-student-blasts-sex-ed-zealots/.
This episode of the Return to Order Moment will look critically at the United Nations, the focus of the modern globalist movement. The United Nations was created as an attempt to impose a Godless "peace" upon the peoples of the world. It has failed, as all attempts to manufacture "virtue" without God's Grace must fail. However, that failure has not prevented the United Nations from promoting radical changes in family life - including, contraception, abortion, and the redefinition of the family, as demanded by LGBTQ+ activists. To read the articles see: https://www.returntoorder.org/2018/11/woodrow-wilson-or-the-virgin-mary-who-was-right-about-peace/, https://www.returntoorder.org/2020/02/obsession-for-contraception-and-abortion-at-the-united-nations-population-fund/, and https://www.returntoorder.org/2021/02/will-the-un-human-rights-office-blacklist-lgbtq-hate-groups/.
We live in a society that presents equality as a virtue – indeed many espouse equality as the primary virtue before which all others must bow. People who refuse to see evil in any other aspect of life argue that any inequality, no matter how well-intentioned, is inherently evil. This is an error. This episode of the Return to Order Moment deals with the nature of that error. First, we will look at it in a general sense. To read the essays, go to https://www.returntoorder.org/2021/03/we-want-god-not-the-equality-act/, https://www.returntoorder.org/2017/02/treating-everyone-equally-problem/, and https://www.returntoorder.org/2021/03/why-are-catholic-theologians-trying-to-free-an-elephant/.
Conversion to the Catholic Church has always been mysterious, in the best sense of that word. The ninth chapter of Acts of the Apostles describes the conversion of the Apostle Paul. He persecuted Christians until his he saw the risen Christ on the Road to Damascus. Since that time, many converts to Catholicism are those who start out hating the Church. Their conversion occurs because those individuals responded to God’s Grace. Today, the Return to Order Podcast humbly attempts to simulate this process. We begin with an essay that describes reasons that many hate the Catholic Church. Then, we will look at one factor that is causing many conversions today. Last, we will examine one particular conversion experience during the nineteenth century. Read the Articles - https://www.returntoorder.org/2020/10/17-reasons-why-the-left-hates-the-catholic-faith/, https://www.returntoorder.org/2021/01/why-true-beauty-attracts-and-converts-youth/, and https://www.returntoorder.org/2021/01/this-is-how-the-virgin-mary-converted-alphonse-ratisbonne/.
For generations, Americans who considered themselves modern rejected the idea that Satan exists. The idea that each person is – as the old poem puts it – “the captain of my fate and the master of my soul” has no space for God, angels, or demons. Any belief in the supernatural was seen as a sign of weakness. This episode places this phenomenon into the context of our current social unrest. To read the essays which make up this podcast, please go to https://www.returntoorder.org/2019/06/why-satanism-is-now-center-stage-in-the-culture-war/, https://www.returntoorder.org/2021/02/satanic-temple-mocks-god-by-promoting-abortion/, and https://www.returntoorder.org/2020/11/satanic-bias-closed-churches-and-open-strip-clubs/.
Until recently, those who wanted to inject radical ideas into America’s schools did it quietly. Now, the radicals believe that they have enough power to do their dirty work openly. One sign of this attitude change is The 1619 Project, published by the New York Times. At the core of the 1619 Project is a set of ideas known as “Critical Race Theory.” The Project and the Theory are the topic of this episode of the Return to Order Moment. Read the essays: https://www.returntoorder.org/2020/12/the-racist-and-dangerous-1619-project-is-vulnerable-and-in-trouble/, https://www.tfp.org/six-reasons-why-catholics-must-oppose-critical-race-theory/?PKG=TFP210203&utm_source=ActiveCampaign&utm_medium=email&utm_content=Why+Catholics+Must+Oppose+Critical+Race+Theory&utm_campaign=TFP210203+-+Why+Catholics+Must+Oppose+Critical+Race+Theory&vgo_ee=RzhDWAj2ZtedKt6qm5Yg%2FTpxdzkQNl9LgdxZ9pnzLRY%3D, and https://www.returntoorder.org/2021/01/using-anti-racism-to-oppress-americas-vulnerable-children/.
The leftist press is making much of the fact that newly-inaugurated President Joseph Biden is a "devout Catholic." While the Return to Order moment cannot pretend to judge the state of his soul, we can judge his actions. Those actions, especially on abortion and related issues, do not paint a pretty picture. The three essays that make up this podcast examine the Biden Administration from three different angles. First, we look at the curious fact that this leftist President included so many appeals to God in his inaugural ceremony. Then, we look at the politically weak position that the new administration inhabits. Last, we look at the symbolism of President Biden's replacement of the bust of Winston Churchill with one of Cesar Chavez. Read the articles - https://www.returntoorder.org/2021/01/why-do-they-invoke-the-god-whose-law-they-ignore/, https://www.tfp.org/putting-the-capitol-invasion-joe-biden-and-american-politics-in-perspective/, and https://www.tfp.org/bidens-socialist-message-in-the-battle-of-the-busts/.
The Pro-Life Movement in the United States is something of a miracle in and of itself. Forty-eight years after Roe v. Wade,the Pro-Life movement is not only not dying out, it is growing. However, 2021 represents many new challenges for the Pro-Life movement. To read the articles, go to https://www.tfp.org/for-pope-francis-abortion-is-not-a-primarily-religious-matter/, https://www.returntoorder.org/2021/01/remembering-joe-scheidler-the-pro-life-warrior-who-became-a-legend/, and https://www.returntoorder.org/2021/01/as-our-national-consensus-crumbles-hope-in-fatima-and-a-return-to-god/.
https://www.returntoorder.org/2021/01/four-lessons-about-the-left-from-the-violence-at-the-capitol/, and https://www.returntoorder.org/2020/09/why-is-america-unraveling/.
Elizabeth Ann Seton was the first citizen of the United States to be canonized as a saint. In her short life (41 years), she overcame losses that would have crushed many people. Her wealthy family suffered financial reverses. Her husband died of tuberculosis. Her conversion to Catholicism cost her many friends. Later she would suffer through the deaths of two of her five children. Through all of her losses, she never took her eyes off of her Lord and Savior. She exulted in the fact that He chose her to teach His children in the school she set up in Emmetsburg, Maryland. Truly, she is a model for all Christians, but especially women and teachers. Read the article - https://americaneedsfatima.org/Saints-Heroes/st-elizabeth-ann-seton.html?utm_source=ActiveCampaign&utm_medium=email&utm_content=Today+200+years%21+1821-2021&utm_campaign=E+21004-GNL-200+Years-Death+of+St+Elizabeth+Anne+Seaton-1%2F4%2F21&vgo_ee=RzhDWAj2ZtedKt6qm5Yg%2FTpxdzkQNl9LgdxZ9pnzLRY%3D.
The most important event of the Twentieth Century occurred in the small town of Fatima, Portugal. There, the Mother of God appeared repeatedly to three children. She told those simple shepherd children many things about the future, revelations that were confirmed by later events. She showed Hell to the children so that they could warn the world. She gave their children a simple plan by which humanity could escape the wrath to come. Then, thousands saw a miracle in which Our Lady displayed the awesome power that God gave her by making the sun move. Of course, humanity did not heed her warning. Now, the Return to Order podcast brings you four short essays which lay out a road back to the blessings that Our Lady wanted to give us when she came in 1917. We cannot afford to ignore Her warnings again. Read the Articles - https://www.returntoorder.org/2020/11/stunning-link-between-fatima-and-the-2020-general-election/, https://www.tfp.org/fatima-and-the-necessity-of-suffering/, https://www.tfp.org/fatima-chastisement-triumph-await-us/, and https://www.tfp.org/what-our-lady-said-about-hell-in-july-1917/.
It often appears that Pope Francis’s Vatican is trying to abolish free markets. Since the beginning of his pontificate, Francis has used biblical language about helping one’s neighbor and caring for the poor. However, he wrenches those phrases out of their proper contexts, as determined by Church teaching - developed over centuries. Like many modern-day leftists, Pope Francis is not primarily interested in improving people’s lives, but in making them equally miserable. Read the Articles - The “Economy of Francis” Pushes Poverty and Pulverizes Achievement - (returntoorder.org), Are the Vatican and Business Leaders Working to Improve or Destroy Capitalism? (returntoorder.org), and Rockefellers Push for the Suicide of Big Oil - Return to Order.
Our social fabric sustained much damage during Two Thousand Twenty. Leftists successfully used the Covid crisis to take control over many aspects of our lives that would have been impossible under normal circumstances. The political process grew even more polarized than it was previously. Antifa and BLM dominated the national conversation, spreading a new racism under an “anti-racist” banner. The education system all but closed down. The Return to Order Moment is not going to make specific predictions about 2021. We can, however, look to the years ahead and make solid suggestions for whatever does come. Read the Articles - https://www.returntoorder.org/2020/12/we-need-a-great-reset-not-the-one-youre-thinking-of/, https://www.returntoorder.org/2020/12/could-critical-race-theory-become-the-law-of-the-land/, and https://www.returntoorder.org/2020/12/why-christians-must-not-retreat-in-the-culture-war-but-wage-a-god-centered-counter-revolution/.
The Return to Order Moment offers our listeners a Christmas gift, a selection from a wonderful book, Bethlehem by Father Frederick Faber. In a sense, this is a love letter to the Holy Family. Please enjoy our little gift and have a Blessed and Merry Christmas!
The Covid virus has seriously affected – and sometimes eliminated – many familiar holiday customs. This episode of the Return to Order Moment is offering three reflections on the holidays, all by Mr. John Horvat. He considers Thanksgiving, Advent, and Christmas in light of the virus. Read the articles - https://www.returntoorder.org/2020/11/five-powerful-reasons-to-appreciate-god-this-thanksgiving, https://www.returntoorder.org/2020/12/during-this-advent-may-grace-rain-on-a-sinful-world/, and https://www.returntoorder.org/2020/11/how-the-virus-killed-santa-claus-but-not-christmas/.
Western Culture is broken and disrespected, even in the countries that have benefitted most from Western cultural institutions. These articles support the idea that the source and fullest development of Western culture is the Roman Catholic Church. Only rediscovering and living out Catholic culture can Western culture be restored and improved. Those who wish to read Professor Correa de Olivera's article can find it at https://www.tfp.org/magazines/crusade_mag_vol_52.pdf, beginning on page 23. Mr. Horvat's article can be found at https://www.returntoorder.org/2017/05/cultural-renewal-requires-dreamers-visionaries/.
After decades of intense effort to destroy society, the leftists are now telling us that it is time to come together. This episide considers three of the many ways that the left has tried to destroy the family. First, they promoted fatherlessness and then deny that it is a problem. Second, the feminist movement has demeaned the crucial role of intact families on future generations. Third, the left promotes pseudo-science in their attempts to cast confusion about the nature of man and women. Read the articles -https://www.returntoorder.org/2020/11/why-fatherlessness-is-the-core-of-family-and-societal-problems/, https://www.returntoorder.org/2020/11/why-feminists-feel-threatened-by-the-family/, and https://www.returntoorder.org/2020/11/the-shaky-evidence-of-sex-change-science/.
This episode of the Return to Order Moment looks at Man’s Oldest Enemy – Satan. Many of our notions about Satan and his diabolic realm are untrue, and even foolish. At the same time, many arrogant modern men are unlikely to think about Satan at all. This article presents Satan as the Church’s universal traditions depict him. Read the article at https://www.tfp.org/the-struggle-against-the-power-of-darkness/.
"Ostpolitik" is a term used to describe the Vatican's conciliatory policy toward the Soviet Union in the 1960s and 1970s. It was disastrous. Unfortunately, the Vatican is trying the policy again in relationship to Communist China - in effect sacrificing loyal Chinese Catholics to Pope Francis's Socialist inclinations. Read the article - https://www.tfp.org/pope-franciss-new-ostpolitik-with-communist-china-is-just-like-the-old-one/?PKG=TFP201023m&utm_source=ActiveCampaign&utm_medium=email&utm_content=Vatican+Compromises+with+Communist+China&utm_campaign=TFP201023m+-+Vatican+Compromises+with+Communist+China&vgo_ee=RzhDWAj2ZtedKt6qm5Yg%2FTpxdzkQNl9LgdxZ9pnzLRY%3D
https://www.returntoorder.org/2020/10/understanding-the-social-function-of-private-property/, and https://www.returntoorder.org/2020/10/im-catholic-can-i-disagree-with-pope-francis-on-property/.
The triple crisis of COVID-19, civil unrest, and economic disaster is now shaking the West’s spiritual and material foundations and the world. This is no ordinary crisis since it questions our time-worn certainties, changes our daily lives, and restricts Church freedom. In the face of this crisis, many are stunned and wonder what went wrong. Where is the West headed? Is it possible to avoid the approaching chaos? Read the Article - https://www.returntoorder.org/2020/10/an-urgent-appeal-to-resist-the-betrayal-and-ruin-of-the-west-flower-of-christian-civilization/
Pius IX is not well known today, but he should be. Pope for 31 years, he defind the Doctrine of the Immaculate Conception and called the First Vatican Council in 1870. He was also the last Pope to rule as a King over the Papal States. Read the Article - https://www.tfp.org/the-grandeur-of-pius-ix-vicar-of-christ-pontiff-and-king/.
There is a law that underpins all other law. It is called by many names, but here it is called Natrual Law. In this podcast, Mr. John Horvat explains what Natural Law is and the reason that no court has authority over it. Read the articles - https://www.tfp.org/why-do-supreme-court-nominees-and-justices-reject-natural-law/, https://www.returntoorder.org/2018/07/three-things-america-needs-from-the-new-supreme-court-justice/, and https://www.returntoorder.org/2020/09/justice-comes-to-all-even-to-supreme-court-judges/.
Since the turn of the twentieth century, the government of the United States has gradually accrued ever increasing amounts of power over the lives of its citizens. This podcast describes the beginning of that process through the incredibly popular Theodore Roosevelt. It then considers the factors that contributed to a gradual decline in moral standards from 1910 to 1930, especially the rise of cities, the development of the motion picture industry and World War I. It concludes with a look at Franklin Roosevelt and his "New Deal." Read the Articles - https://www.returntoorder.org/2016/04/when-government-became-intemperate-an-historic-perspective-of-the-progressive-era/, https://www.returntoorder.org/2016/05/american-intemperance-in-the-twentieth-century-abandonment-of-traditional-morality-and-world-war-i/, and https://www.returntoorder.org/2016/07/depression-radically-changed-american-life-economy.
The core issue in our current crisis is an ideal known as relativism. It holds that there is nothing that is true or false, good or evil, except within one’s mind. It often masquerades as a moral position, as in the phrase, “Who am I to judge?” Relativists are most reluctant to refer to anything as evil, because that word points in the direction of a morality to which they do not adhere. This episode of the Return to Order Moment looks at the riots taking place in America's cities, the Marxist roots of Antifa and BLM, and the 1619 Project, which promotes an "I hote America" attitude. Read the articles - https://www.returntoorder.org/2020/09/the-riots-why-do-none-dare-call-them-evil/, https://www.returntoorder.org/2020/09/the-marxist-and-satanist-roots-of-the-current-crisis/, and https://www.returntoorder.org/2020/09/how-the-1619-project-promotes-the-myth-of-an-evil-america/.
"The Spirit of Vatican II" is confusing, contradictory, and sometimes demonstrably erroneous. In this second part of his article, Mr. Solimeo draws heavily on the writings of Father Joseph Ratzinger, later Pope Benedict XVI, a supporter of the council, to point out those errors. The written article can be found at https://www.tfp.org/the-second-vatican-councils-new-theology/,
In this episode, part one of two, eminent scholar Mr. Luiz Sérgio Solimeo, shares his analysis of Vatican II. Read the article - https://www.tfp.org/the-second-vatican-councils-new-theology/.
The noise around the elections of Two Thousand Twenty is reaching a crescendo.In this episode of the Return to Order Moment, Mr. John Horvat II focuses on the election. First he examines it in a historical context. Then he looks at three specific instances. Each clarifies the direction in which the Unites States is heading. Read the articles - https://www.returntoorder.org/2020/08/how-these-elections-put-us-in-apocalyptic-times/?pkg=rtoe1077, https://www.returntoorder.org/2020/08/the-democratic-national-convention-revealed-liberals-under-god-problem, https://www.returntoorder.org/2020/08/naming-the-traitors-among-us-the-public-officials-who-coddle-radical-insurrectionists/, and https://www.returntoorder.org/2020/08/never-underestimate-the-optimism-of-the-moderates-and-the-determination-of-the-radicals/.
October 3, 2020 marks the 25th anniversary of the death of Professor Plinio Corrêa de Oliveira, the founder of the Brazilian Soci¬ety for the Defense of Tradition, Family and Prop¬erty (TFP), and the inspirer of the TFP movement worldwide. The Return to Order Moment is pleased to present this biographical sketch of the Catholic leader and thinker who was truly a model of fidelity and in-transigence amidst our troubled times. It was compiled by Robert Nunez and originally published in the September-October 2020 issue of Crusade Magazine.
The Black Lives Matter movement places Catholics in a difficult situation. On one hand, the Catholic Church rejects racism, as it has for two thousand years. On the other hand, the Marxist Nature of the Black Lives Matter movement makes it impossible for traditionalists to support them. The two articles that make up this episode explore the proper relationship between the Church and this revolutionary movement. Read the articles - https://www.returntoorder.org/2020/08/three-reasons-why-catholics-cannot-support-the-blm-revolution/ and https://www.returntoorder.org/2020/08/are-catholic-schools-becoming-antifa-recruiting-centers/.
Some say that the events of the first half of Two Thousand Twenty may be the opening scenes of a revolution. They argue that these events are similar to those that started the French Revolution of 1789-1799 or the Russian Communist Revolution of 1917. However, many want to believe that it will just "blow over." In this episode, John Horvat explains his reasons for believing that this is a genuine revolution, Edwin Benson explains how the education revolution of John Deweyfeeds into these events, and John Horvat speculates about the coming day when bailouts no longer work. Read the articles - https://www.returntoorder.org/2020/08/beware-the-left-is-remaking-the-world-again/, https://www.returntoorder.org/2020/08/marxism-class-struggle-and-real-american-history/, and https://www.returntoorder.org/2020/08/what-happens-when-bailouts-no-longer-work/
One of its targets is the French King Louis the Ninth (1214-1270), a king so great that he was made a saint. His statue in the city of St. Louis has been under attack in recent weeks. The goal of this episode of the Return to Order Moment is to acquaint people with the great man behind the statue. Read the Articles - https://www.tfp.org/i-am-a-direct-descendant-of-king-saint-louis-ix-keep-his-statue/, https://www.tfp.org/brilliant-defense-christendom/, https://www.tfp.org/how-blessed-isabel-of-france-shows-that-suffering-is-more-important-than-enjoying-life/?utm_source=ActiveCampaign&utm_medium=email&utm_content=Suffering+is+More+Important+Than+Enjoying+Life&utm_campaign=TFP200805m+-+Suffering+is+More+Important+Than+Enjoying+Life&vgo_ee=RzhDWAj2ZtedKt6qm5Yg%2FTpxdzkQNl9LgdxZ9pnzLRY%3D.
The modern desire to enforce equality in all things is not only unworkable, it is against the Law of God. This podcast explores the nature of equality and the ways in which human beings are equal and way in which they are unequal. Read the article - https://www.tfp.org/the-dictatorship-of-equality-a-catholic-perspective/.
To the modern mind, nothing is worse than suffering. We go to great lengths to avoid it, and drug ourselves to dull it when it does come our way. This short-sighted attitude does great harm. God uses our sufferings to make us stronger, to keep us from temptation, and to purify us. Read the articles: https://www.returntoorder.org/2020/07/how-the-cure-of-ars-shows-how-you-can-benefit-from-your-suffering/, https://www.returntoorder.org/2020/07/restoration-of-order-at-queen-of-peace-after-fire-bombing/. and https://www.returntoorder.org/2020/05/when-prayer-proved-powerful-against-plague/.
We have a legal system that has abandoned the idea of absolute truth and moral law. That leaves us with a confused system that bases its decisions on mere opinions and legal theories that have little relationship to reality. The only way back from the abyss is to reclaim our Natural Law heritage. Read the articles - https://www.returntoorder.org/2020/01/appealing-to-a-higher-law-is-the-only-way-out-of-our-constitutional-crisis/, https://www.returntoorder.org/2020/07/court-decision-confirms-what-we-already-know-expect-betrayal/, and https://www.returntoorder.org/2020/06/natural-law-judges-are-the-only-way-to-save-the-judiciary/.
Many of the elements of what may be called the Revolution of 2020 focus upon education. There are demands for sweeping changes in both the curriculum of the schools and in the ways that those schools function. This episode of the Return to Order Moment will focus upon three aspects of the demands that these dark forces have in mind for our schools. To read the articles, go to https://www.returntoorder.org/2020/01/the-goal-of-the-1619-project-to-produce-good-little-leftists/, https://www.returntoorder.org/2020/06/why-are-schools-changing-everything-for-a-virus-that-isnt-killing-children/, and https://www.returntoorder.org/2020/07/how-leftists-want-to-make-schools-more-dangerous/.
The series of events that could come to be called the Revolution of Two Thousand Twenty has spawned more than its share of insanity. All around the United States, unhinged radicals make demands to which no sane society would give a moment’s notice. Such actions will be the focus of this episode of The Return to Order Moment. It considers the attack on the monument of Saint Louis the Ninth in St. Louis, Missouri, the move to "defund" the police, the dustup over Drew Brees's patriotic statement and his retraction of it, and the left's fury over the restaurant chain, Cracker Barrel. Read the articles: https://www.returntoorder.org/2020/07/good-and-evil-clash-at-the-feet-of-saint-louis-the-king/, https://www.returntoorder.org/2020/06/today-the-police-tomorrow-the-military/, https://www.returntoorder.org/2020/06/when-a-good-quarterback-gets-sacked-by-political-correctness/, and https://www.returntoorder.org/2020/06/the-anti-family-attack-against-the-racist-cracker-barrel/.
A “Social Justice” Revolution is being imposed on the United States. The revolutionaries'goal is to overturn any remaining traces of traditional virtue that remain in America. This episode of the Return to Order Moment is designed to open the left’s distortions to public scrutiny. Read the articles - https://www.returntoorder.org/2020/06/to-the-left-stop-weaponizing-the-word-selfish/, https://www.returntoorder.org/2020/06/beware-the-rule-of-the-riot-makers/, and https://www.returntoorder.org/2020/06/why-were-witches-involved-in-the-protests/.
The Supreme Court has once again turned its back on the Christian culture that is the basis of all law and justice in its Bostock decision. While disheartening, we must draw strength from Our Lord and Our Lady and continue to fight to save the remnants of Christian culture in the United States. Read the statement at https://www.returntoorder.org/2020/06/betrayed-again-ten-commandments-americans-fight-on-trusting-in-god-alone-for-final-victory/?pkg=rtoe1010.
"Unperceived Ideological Transshipment" is a term that describes the process through which a previously unacceptable idea slowly becomes acceptable, and then commonly believed. People who live in a world dominated by the media are frequently subject to it. Leftists are especially proficient in its use. Read the article - https://www.returntoorder.org/2020/05/the-most-monumental-social-engineering-and-ideological-transshipment-effort-in-history-part-2/
The Coronavirus represents the best chance that the left has ever had to radically change the world economy. Read the article - https://www.returntoorder.org/2020/05/the-most-monumental-social-engineering-and-ideological-transshipment-effort-in-history-part-1/.
The enforced calm of the Coronavirus crisis has given way to protests and violence in the wake of the killing of George Floyd. This podcast considers the effect of the Coronavirus shutdown on America’s homes and families, the revolutionary aspects of the disturbances that followed Mr. Floyd’s horrible death, and the direction that Americans need to receive from its leaders to weather the effects of the storm. Read the articles - https://www.returntoorder.org/2020/06/what-will-you-remember-about-the-spring-of-2020/, https://www.returntoorder.org/2020/06/these-are-not-riots-this-is-revolution/?pkg=rtoe0986, and https://www.returntoorder.org/2020/06/three-things-archbishop-gregory-should-have-said-instead-of-criticizing-the-president/.
To the horror of the progressives, many young people are discovering traditional religious practice, and find it attractive. These articles explore this connection. Read the articles - https://www.returntoorder.org/2020/05/three-counsels-for-the-unfortunate-graduation-class-of-2020/, https://www.returntoorder.org/2020/05/a-leftist-conundrum-who-could-possibly-be-young-and-pro-life/, and https://www.returntoorder.org/2020/05/why-young-people-are-attracted-to-the-sublime/.
Liberals, progressives, socialists – whatever you want to call them – are trying to create an unworkable and chaotic society. Perhaps, it can best be summarized in the phrase, a world gone mad. Read the articles - https://www.returntoorder.org/2019/10/can-rivers-rice-and-orangutans-have-personhood-rights/, https://www.returntoorder.org/2020/04/government-cant-keep-acting-like-money-grows-on-trees/, and https://www.returntoorder.org/2020/03/are-progressive-prosecutors-the-enemies-of-public-safety/.
Since the rise of the Coronavirus, the Cuban government – like that of Communist China – has sent squads of doctors to other countries. Their goal is to increase their global influence. At the same time, healthcare for Cubans remains seriously substandard. That is not the only serious concern in the Socialist "Paradise" ninety miles south of Florida. Housing, food, and routine repression on basic rights still remain after sixty years of Communist rule. Read the articles - https://www.tfp.org/the-mysterious-arrival-of-cuban-doctors-in-south-africa/ and https://www.tfp.org/cubas-ugly-socialism-leads-to-misery-and-tragic-suffering/.
Globalists and Communists know that their best chance for success in the twenty-first century is to use the Environmentalist Movement to further their cause. This is a case in which ideology triumphs over Christianity, experience, and the ideals of human rights. Mr. James Bascom explores these themes. Read the articles - https://www.tfp.org/this-is-how-the-green-ecology-movement-turned-red/ and https://www.tfp.org/how-the-coronavirus-shutdown-favors-green-de-development/?fbclid=IwAR31u0z0k2y4hcBiui-OZZRZcud4N0rPgxARMb4w_agka-pOafZ66VyB6rk#.XrVm6D2TpKo.facebook.
The Catholic Church knows a lot about plagues like the Coronavirus. It has dealt with dozens of plagues during its 2,000 year history. This podcast considers the nature of the plague, how a famous Catholic Saint dealt successfully with a similar situation, and the problems inherent in the way that public authorities dealt with the Coronavirus. Read the articles - https://www.returntoorder.org/2020/04/is-the-coronavirus-a-chastisement-it-depends-on-who-you-ask/, https://www.returntoorder.org/2020/05/how-saint-charles-borromeo-fought-the-deadly-virus-in-milan/, and https://www.returntoorder.org/2020/05/no-one-can-oblige-us-to-commit-suicide/.
This is a statement of the TFP's position on a number of issues related to the structure of society and government after the Coronavirus passes. Read the Article - https://www.tfp.org/warning-a-virus-threatens-americas-future-and-christian-civilization/?utm_source=ActiveCampaign&utm_medium=email&utm_content=Warning%21+A+Virus+Threatens+America+s+Future&utm_campaign=TFP200424m+-+Warning%21+A+Virus+Threatens+America+s+Future
In modern society, all levels of education, from pre-schoolers to adults, are hostages to a modernist world view. That world view was inspired by John Dewey in the early years ofthe twentieth century. It has produced disasterous and revolutionary consequences for the society that it was supposed to inform. Read the articles - https://www.returntoorder.org/2020/04/how-ted-talks-offer-post-modern-madness/, https://www.returntoorder.org/2020/04/this-is-how-higher-education-went-mad/, and https://www.returntoorder.org/2020/04/how-teachers-should-help-teenagers-become-adults/.
The Return to Order Moment offers three widely different, albeit complimentary, sorts of advice from three different authors. All of them are designed to contribute to a state of mind that will help listeners gain a sense of perspective, and, hopefully, be a source of strength. Read the articles: https://www.returntoorder.org/2020/04/californias-heavenly-patroness-a-sure-refuge-in-these-times-of-crisis/, https://www.returntoorder.org/2020/03/in-face-of-coronaphobia-we-need-to-recognize-jesus-is-my-king/, and https://www.returntoorder.org/2020/04/who-needs-conspiracy-theories-when-progressives-openly-describe-the-post-corona-world/.
Knlowledge of curent issues is only part of being an informed part of a representative democracy. The far more important part of the equasion is understanding and applying political and moral principles to the selection of leaders. Here Mr. Jolhn Horvat discusses the need for principles and then reasons that voters should cllosely examine the principles of both the right and the left. Read the articles: https://www.returntoorder.org/2019/11/this-is-why-we-can-have-no-illusions-about-todays-crisis/, https://www.returntoorder.org/2019/12/are-conservatives-soul-searching-in-the-wrong-places/, and https://www.returntoorder.org/2019/12/how-the-left-gets-americas-civil-war-all-wrong/.
Many people are asking themselves why the Coronavirus scare is happening and what it means. Although more information will come in time, it is not too early to begin gathering the information that will help to answer those difficult questions. Read the articles - https://www.returntoorder.org/2020/03/why-we-need-wisdom-not-panic-in-the-coronavirus-fight/, https://www.returntoorder.org/2020/03/what-americans-can-learn-from-the-coronavirus-in-italy/, and https://www.returntoorder.org/2020/03/involve-all-americans-in-the-fight-against-the-coronavirus/.
The coronavirus dominates world news, whipping up a hysteria rarely seen in modern times. In these articles, Mr. John Horvat, second, discusses several aspects of the disease and its effect on society – especially on the necessity to focus on our relationship to God. Read the articles - https://www.returntoorder.org/2020/03/this-is-the-sure-cure-for-coronaphobia/?pkg=rtoe0903 and https://www.returntoorder.org/2020/03/the-coronavirus-is-a-call-to-return-to-god/?pkg=rtoe0903.
Many Catholics are troubled by the doctrinal errors in Pope Francis's recent Apostolic Exhortion "Querida Amazonia." This article, by Catholic Scholar Luiz Sergio Solimeo, lays out and explains many of those errors. He also points out the necessity for Catholics to remain faithful to the institution of the Papacy, while resisting the doctrinal errors of this pope. Read the article - https://www.tfp.org/resisting-the-grave-errors-in-pope-franciss-apostolic-exhortation-querida-amazonia/
The environmental movement has made a specialty of indoctrinating the young, especially young women, and recruiting them to promote the movement. Three notable examples are Greta Thunberg, Katie Elder, and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez. These articles focus on three different aspects ot that process. Read the articles - https://www.returntoorder.org/2020/02/how-greta-thunburg-went-from-unknown-teenager-to-eco-prophetess/, https://www.returntoorder.org/2019/09/why-teenagers-are-pawns-in-the-eco-propaganda-machine/, and https://www.returntoorder.org/2019/04/new-socialists-new-risks-new-green-deal/.
All of us have the same goal - to serve God in this life and be happy with Him in the next. However, each of us takes a different road to get there. Two French Saints is made up of meditations by Prof. Plinio Correa de Olivera of two very different people, Saint Louis IX and Saint Bernadette. Read the articles - https://www.returntoorder.org/2019/08/saint-louis-ix-was-both-a-man-of-peace-and-a-warrior/ and https://www.returntoorder.org/2020/02/the-very-special-mission-of-saint-bernadette-the-seer-at-lourdes/
Although it took place during and following World War II, the "Grand Return" is little known, even in Catholic circles. In this article, Mr. James Bascom tells that story - a story that inspires us to look forward to the Reign of Our Lady's Immaculate Heart. Read the Article - https://www.returntoorder.org/2020/02/our-lady-of-the-grand-return-a-story-of-hope-for-our-times/
This podcast is made up of three articles published recently on www.returntoorder.org. They all concern teh threats presented by "Progressive" educational theories. Read the articles:https://www.returntoorder.org/2019/02/when-social-activism-outweighs-good-grammar/, https://www.returntoorder.org/2019/10/beware-the-socialist-in-the-schoolhouse-a-review-of-debunking-howard-zinn/, and https://www.returntoorder.org/2019/11/educations-new-obsession-can-math-be-racist/.
A compilation of two articles by John Horvat II; This podcast is designed to describe a growing threat to the very idea of government in the United States and to describe a solution that is in line with Higher Laws instituted by God. Read the articles - https://www.returntoorder.org/2020/02/using-impeachment-to-make-america-ungovernable/ and https://www.returntoorder.org/2020/01/appealing-to-a-higher-law-is-the-only-way-out-of-our-constitutional-crisis/.
This podcast consists of two articles, both written by John Horvat II. The first is about the failure of the Women's March. The second is about the overwhelming success of the 2020 March for Life. Read the articles, https://www.returntoorder.org/2020/01/three-reasons-why-the-2020-womens-march-failed/ and https://www.returntoorder.org/2020/01/two-unexpected-things-that-happened-at-the-march-for-life-and-why-theyre-important/.
Common Core is only the most recent in a long string of failed educational "reforms." It's public repudiation is encouraging, but the public needs to remain vigilant so that it does not return under another name. Read the article - https://www.returntoorder.org/2019/12/why-common-core-failed-and-what-you-can-do-to-keep-it-from-coming-back/.
The attack on Iran's Gen. Soleimani has been attacked from both the right and the left. This article asserts that the attack was wise, as Iran's limited reaction to it clearly shows. Read the article - https://www.returntoorder.org/2020/01/how-should-america-deal-with-iran-not-by-surrendering/
There are many ways in which God has given the United States a light to enlighten the world. It is important to remember that fact when we are tempted to despair over the current state of our nation and society.
Many people do not understand that the Chruch is equal to the State. To allow the State to make rules for the Church is to allow the State to determine what the Church can teach and how the Church can carry out her ministries, which were entrusted to her by God. This cannot be. This podcast is a compliation of two articles. The first examines a case in which the State tried to force the Church to abandon the education of the young. The second explores reasons that the State cannot be allowed to tax the Chruch.
The political world resounds with discussions of nationalism. However very few people are able to define it - and still fewer know of its source. Read the Article - https://www.tfp.org/where-did-nationalism-come-from-an-historic-look-at-pre-modern-revolutionary-nationalism/
On Christmas Day, we bring you an old tale of redemption, The Christmas of a Chouan. Read the Article - https://www.returntoorder.org/2016/12/the-christmas-of-a-chouan/
Read the Article: https://www.returntoorder.org/2016/12/the-story-of-the-christmas-tree/ Music by Alvaro Zapata, TFP Student Action.
Read the article: www.returntoorder.org/2016/12/origin…-silent-night/ Music by Alvaro Zapata, TFP Student Action.
Many of us ignore our small defects. We console ourselves with the rationalization that, "This isn't THAT bad. It's not like murder or anything like that." This is a mistake. We must develop our awareness of our "minor" faults and ask God for the grace to root them our of our lives. Read the Article: https://www.returntoorder.org/2019/11/two-powerful-rules-of-the-spiritual-life-that-never-change/
The 24/7 nature of modern life makes impossible demands on our bodies, our minds, our souls, and our families. Read the Article - https://www.returntoorder.org/2019/11/why-leisure-is-indispensable-in-todays-restless-society/
The idea of nationalism has experienced a revival recently, particularly with the publicaltion of "The Virtue of Nationalism" by Yoram Hazony. In this podcast, Mr. John Horvat reviews the book and points out ways in which it is inconsistant with the ideals of Christian civilization. Read the Article - https://www.returntoorder.org/2019/10/what-is-a-catholic-to-think-about-nationalism/
Across the United States Islamic Organizations and Nations are making massive donations to universities and training programs for teachers of elementary and high school students. Read the article - https://www.returntoorder.org/2019/11/will-the-koran-be-your-childs-next-textbook/
High standards in first class are important to all travellers. When service in first class declines, the standards of comfort, onvenience, and civility for all passengers go down. Read the Article - https://www.returntoorder.org/2019/08/when-first-class-goes-down-everyone-suffers/
About 88% of Americans are "Zombie Eaters." Here the term is defined and some common sense ideas to limit it are found. Read the Article - https://www.returntoorder.org/2019/08/is-zombie-eating-the-death-of-fine-dining/
This review of the film "Joker" points out that the dark tale is much more than a frightening movie. It is a mirror of our degenerating society and an inspiration to those that may be inclined to follow the Joker's destructive path. Read the Article - https://www.returntoorder.org/2019/10/why-the-new-joker-film-is-no-laughing-matter/
Teachers are for more effective than administrators and bureaucrats in determining the discipline needs of their students and classrooms. Unfortunately, no one ever invites them to participate when discipline policies are set. The disasterous effects of this omission are seen in a report from the Thomas B. Fordham Institute - Read the Article - https://www.returntoorder.org/2019/08/why-disruptive-students-get-away-with-murder/
Modern historians often deprecate the real contrabutions of Christopher Columbus, as well as the role of his Catholic faith. Here are the facts that they often dismiss. They create a new and vibrant picture of the explorer. Read the Article - https://www.tfp.org/the-catholic-spirit-of-christopher-columbus/
Preppers will need spritiual resources every bit as much as physical resources if disaster should come. Read the article - https://www.returntoorder.org/2019/08/doomsday-prepping-needs-to-go-spiritual-to-prepare-for-whatever/
The true story behind the 1973 film, The Exorcist. Read the Article - https://www.tfp.org/this-is-how-saint-michael-cast-out-satan-from-robbie-mannheim/
Roadical feminists want to turn motherhood into a purely mechanical function. according to Sophie Lewis's book, "Full Surrogacy Now." Read the Article - https://www.returntoorder.org/2019/08/turning-women-into-gestators-is-the-way-to-abolish-motherhood/
Read the Article - https://www.returntoorder.org/2019/07/beware-the-godless-narratives-of-the-democratic-debates/
Read the Article - https://www.returntoorder.org/2019/07/why-its-time-to-get-out-of-the-public-education-system/
A consideration of the parallels and contrasts between the 1969 Woodstock Music Festival and the 1917 Appearance of Our Lady at Fatima, Portugal in 1917
A review of the book "Plinio Correa de Olivera: Prophet of the Reign of Mary" by the eminent Italian historian Roberto de Mattei. The review was written by Norman Fulkerson. Read the Article - https://www.tfp.org/he-denounced-error-and-confided-in-our-ladys-triumph/
Read the Article - https://www.returntoorder.org/2019/07/the-most-popular-college-degree-majoring-in-regret-and-remorse/
Read the Article - https://www.returntoorder.org/2019/07/four-reasons-why-i-never-tried-marijuana/
Read the article http://www.returntoorder.org/2017/03/god-double-bbq-sandwich/
Read the article http://www.returntoorder.org/2019/02/this-is-americas-new-face-of-brutal-rage-and-chaos/
Read the Article - https://www.returntoorder.org/2019/06/why-novelty-never-satisfies-and-can-destroy-fashions/
Read the Article https://www.returntoorder.org/2019/06/little-sisters-of-the-poor-deserve-mercy/
Why Happy People Don't Commit Suicide by returntoorder.org
Read the Article http://www.returntoorder.org/2018/11/the-common-core-hopefully-r-i-p/
Read the Article: http://www.returntoorder.org/2019/05/is-the-popular-video-game-fortnite-sinful/
Read the Article http://www.returntoorder.org/2019/02/this-is-how-panera-found-out-that-socialism-does-not-work/
Read the Article http://www.returntoorder.org/2019/04/embracing-christ-and-the-cross/
Read the Article http://www.returntoorder.org/2018/11/the-satanist-next-door/
Read the Article: http://www.returntoorder.org/2019/02/the-danger-of-not-taking-alexandria-ocasio-cortez-seriously/
Read the Article http://www.returntoorder.org/2014/07/saint-thomas-say-immigration-2/
Read the Article: http://www.tfp.org/a-first-milestone-in-the-rise-of-the-counter-revolution/
Read the Article: http://www.returntoorder.org/2019/02/how-to-live-a-life-of-honor/ Attributions: Heroic Age by Kevin MacLeod is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution license (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/) Source: http://incompetech.com/music/royalty-free/index.html?isrc=USUAN1100848 Artist: http://incompetech.com/
Read the Article: http://www.returntoorder.org/2019/02/this-is-how-television-creates-a-little-satanist-girl/ Attributions: FairyTale Waltz by Kevin MacLeod is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution license (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/) Source: http://incompetech.com/music/royalty-free/index.html?isrc=USUAN1100232 Artist: http://incompetech.com/ Grave Matters by Kevin MacLeod is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution license (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/) Source: http://incompetech.com/music/royalty-free/index.html?isrc=USUAN1100215 Artist: http://incompetech.com/
Read the Article: http://www.returntoorder.org/2019/02/why-chivalry-is-the-catholic-solution-to-toxic-masculinity/ Attributions: TwilightGrandeur by Podington Bear is licensed under a Attribution-NonCommercial 3.0 International License. (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/3.0/) Source: http://freemusicarchive.org/music/Podington_Bear/Inspiring/TwilightGrandeur Artist: http://soundofpicture.com End of the Era by Kevin MacLeod is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution license (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/) Source: http://incompetech.com/music/royalty-free/index.html?isrc=USUAN1100452 Artist: http://incompetech.com/
Read the Article: http://www.returntoorder.org/2018/12/the-spirit-of-hollywood-versus-the-spirit-of-the-cross/
Read the Article: http://www.returntoorder.org/2019/01/this-is-really-why-people-hate-walls/
When Coddled Minds Produce Shattered Lives An article by Keith Douet Read the article: http://www.returntoorder.org/2019/01/when-coddled-minds-produce-shattered-lives/ Attributions: Somnolence by Kai Engel is licensed under a Attribution License. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ Source: http://freemusicarchive.org/music/Kai_Engel/ICD-10/Kai_Engel_-_ICD-10_-_01_Somnolence Artist:http://freemusicarchive.org/music/Kai_Engel/
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