Protesting A Heinous Blasphemy at Boston's Jesuit College of the Holy Cross

Yet another Jesuit university is showing its anti-Catholic colors.

Here's the write up on this most offensive blasphemy. http://www.tfp.org/no-excuse-possible-for-anti-jesus-views-of-professor-at-catholic-college/

This is the same Jesuit college whose mascot, The Crusader, was changed because some students found the sword and the cross offensive. The first image below shows the offensive symbol. The image below that shows the future inoffensive logo.

This is the letter from the administration regarding the decision to change it. What is ironic is that they are worried about a few students being offended by the sword and the cross yet suddenly they preach tolerance for highly offensive heresies under the banner of academic freedom.

Those who are not with him is against him Our Lord Jesus Christ said. Are all the Jesuit colleges this bad? Should not at least one college rise up in defense of its name? In honor of its founder? For the sake of the faith they claim to follow?

If none will, then we will. Three 15 passenger vans full of energetic young men are travelling a full day just to protest this heinous blasphemy. We will gladly defend the honor of Jesus, God the Father, the apostles and Holy Mother Church against this sorry excuse for a professor in a Catholic university and this sorry excuse for a university that still calls itself Catholic.

We will pray the rosary. We will sing hymns. We will play the bagpipes. Above all, we will console Jesus and Mary for this injury to their honor.

Pilgrimage To Our Lady of Good Success, Quito, Ecuador

Once in a while, as part of our youth outreach programs, we are asked to travel with a group of boys on pilgrimages, camping trips, road trips or what have you. From January 24 to February 4, I accompanied a group of boys on a pilgrimage to see Our Lady of Good Success in Quito, Ecuador and to Our Lady of Las Lajas in Colombia.

The trip was extremely blessed and I believe the boys received singular graces during that trip. 

Our Lady of Good Success is probably the most miraculous statue of Our Lady and the apparition reveals many prophecies about our times. We had the honor of being there to promote the Rosary of the Dawn celebrating her main feastday on February 2. This rosary procession is at 5:00 in the morning. It starts in the dark but ends at the beginning of sunrise. There were about 15,000 people in the procession. It was very beautiful and very solemn.

You can see a video of it below. The video is published by our sister organization in Ecuador.

We would like to share the excitement, the adventures, the discoveries and above all the blessings of our trip.

This first clip shows our first few days there. You can see us passing out flyers inviting people to join us for the Rosary of the Dawn. The boys spoke little Spanish so they had to memorize a few phrases. Passing out flyers under the blazing heat of the Quito Sun is challenging especially when you know little Spanish. We did our best though. This was our the main purpose of our trip. In this clip you can also see us praying in the Church where the statue of Our Lady is Good Success is kept when she is lowered for public display. During the year, she is kept at the upper choir loft toward the back of the Church (visible in the video). Because we spend the day passing out flyers, the nuns let us have alone time with Our Lady of Good Success when the church is closed for the public.

Some have criticized us for not spending more time praying in front of Our Lady during the day. Yes, we agree it is unfortunate that we have to be the Martha's passing out the invitations so people will come for the Rosary of the Dawn. Our hard work payed off though. When the TFP started this in 1999, only 35 showed up for the procession. Now it has grown to 15,000. This is mainly due to the flyering effort weeks leading to the procession. 

http://premiereclip.adobe.com/videos/54DnI2Uy5Eh 

In this second clip you can see us passing out more flyers. The boys are more comfortable interacting with the locals. A few got interviewed for a class project. Several of us went around the town shouting the invitations using megaphones. This is a very unique method of getting the news out. We do this because there is a law that prohibits passing out any literature in the streets. Ecuador is a very socialist country. So, to get around this limitation, we go in the streets "proclaiming" the time, place and date of the event inviting people to come. Mattew Z., one of the American boys, decided to try it out and it wasn't too bad, especially considering he doesn't speak Spanish. In this clip too, you can see some of the sweets peddled in the street. We saw this man walking around with what looked like a propane tank and a large bottle of ketchup. We had a laugh at it imagining what could possibly be inside the propane tank. "Sure," one of the boys noted, "why wouldn't anyone want a serving of propane and ketchup." So the dare was placed and whoever saw it next had to try it out. Stephen H. ended up being the guinea pig. It wasn't too bad. It tasted like very fluffy cookie dough. Then at the end of the video clip you can see us visiting Our Lady of Panecilla, also called Our Lady of the Apocalypse. It stands a few hundred feet tall in a commanding hill over the city of Quito. Fantastic!

http://premiereclip.adobe.com/videos/GxC7MxjpSsH 

In this next clip, you will see us taking a very adventurous, but entirely safe, trip to Las Lajas, Colombia where this jewel of a shrine is situated. It is dedicated to Our Lady of Las Lajas, one of the most marvelous miracles of Our Lady. Mary and the infant Jesus appeared to an Indian women, healed her deaf and mute child and somehow imprinted their image onto the cliff face. Right into the cliff face. The miracle was soon recognized and a chapel was built. Later the chapel was expanded during the time of Pope Pius IX and it's final expansion was during the reign of Pope Pius XII. The shrine is built inside a 300 foot ravine. Unbelievable. The pigmentation of the image goes deep into the bedrock of the cliff face. This means that every time erosion happens and parts of the rock fall off, the image is always preserved behind it. It is said at one point, they drilled into the bedrock to see how deep the pigmentation goes and it goes deeper than 6 feet.

One of the boys commented that it was the most beautiful image of Our Lady he had ever seen and is not his most favorite.

http://premiereclip.adobe.com/videos/Mw9WKBqLRXb 

This next video is more of our street campaigns and megaphone campaigns. Also, we visited the presidential lancer guards. We also visited the incorrupt nuns of the convent. They have 9 incorrupt bodies including all the foundresses and the main visionary, Sr. Mariana de Jesus Torres.

http://premiereclip.adobe.com/videos/ErjVS8XLnsU 

Lastly, this next video clip encapsulates the trip and a few of the reflections we had during that time. The music and narration is by Stephen H. The text and video editing is done by yours truly. It shows different aspects of our trip and it shows us helping move the statue back to the upper choir loft. 

We were fortunate that our little group got along well together. Nothing worse than going in a trip where you can't stand being with people. It is my opinion that we all received singular graces. I hope this video is as inspirational to everyone who sees it as it was for us to be there. 

We pray that it provides an idea of the different programs we run with our Call To Chivalry Programs. It is not only about the Summer camps.

We hope you can join us in a future pilgrimage. God bless.

TFP St. Michael Call To Chivalry Center

Dear Friends of Chivalry,

The American Society for the Defense of Tradition, Family, and Property is extending its youth and outreach programs to Wisconsin. We are opening the TFP's St. Michael Call To Chivalry Center in Waukesha, WI as a base for our activities in the states of Wisconsin, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Missouri, Minnesota, and Michigan.

What can you expect?

For decades The American TFP has offered Call To Chivalry Camps in Pennsylvania, Louisiana, California, and the Midwest. What else can you expect from the St. Michael Center in the future? You can expect about 6 things.

1) Call To Chivalry Programs. We will be holding either a day program or a weekend program throughout the year. A day program would include fencing lessons, a talk, and activities. A weekend program could be a long hiking trip, a pilgrimage trip, or a road trip to religious or cultural sites. 

2) Fencing Lessons. We are able to instruct up to 20 students at a time in classical fencing, and 8 students at a time in Medieval swords. We can travel in any of the states in our region. These lessons are free though donations to defray the cost of travel is appreciated. Each lesson will include a talk on virtues associated with knighthood. 

3) Men's Discussion Nights. One Friday out of the month, we will have a program for men where we have lively discussions on important topics. This is available to high school students, college students, professionals, and older. Pizza, beer, and other refreshments are served free.

4) Talks and Conferences. Throughout the year, we will host talks and regional conferences on different topics. This is an excellent way for the whole family to get involved.

5) Local Rosary Rallies and Public Activities. The TFP is a pray, think, and do tank. We do a lot of public actions. This includes rosary rallies against Drag Queen Story Hours, or satanic black masses, protests against blasphemous movies, or Fr. James Martin's efforts to make the LGBT agenda accepted inside the Church without any call to conversion. This also includes participating in prolife rallies or marches for life.

6) America Needs Fatima activities. Since a big part of what the TFP does involves the America Needs Fatima program, we will be holding events for our America Needs Fatima members. This includes talks, gatherings, and home visitation program with a beautiful statue of Our Lady of Fatima.

The TFP's St. Michael Call To Chivalry Center is located at 100 Corrina Blvd., Waukesha, WI. It is a modest two-bedroom apartment. From here, we hope to expand the spirit of what makes our program appealing to everyone especially the youth: a Catholic militant spirit focused on facing the evils of the modern world.

To get here from Milwaukee, take I-94 westbound going toward Madison. Take exit 295 and go south. About 2 miles down, make a left on N. Barstow St. (There's a Mobile gas station at the corner.) Cross over the river, then make an immediate left. The Fox River will now be to your left. Rivers Edge Apartment where the center is will be the four-story building to your right. There is a circular driveway with a flag pole in the middle.

This is the main clubroom where we hold talks and foil fencing.

The TFP St. Michael Call To Chivalry Center is an outreach program to youth and families who see the value of the spirit of chivalry. We hope to be of service to everybody but above all the Queen of All Hearts. 

We ask and beg for your prayers so that the spirit of chivalry be spread through this modest venue. If that spirit is restored, then the spirit that will fight for the triumph of the Immaculate Heart of Mary will have begun to be restored.

If you know anyone who would like to receive an invitation to our programs, please email us at tfpmidwest@gmail.com.

St. Michael the archangel, the first knight, pray for us!

Medieval Penances for the Knight

Medieval Penances for the Knight

"Thou are dust and to dust you shall return." Nothing reminds us of human frailty more than receiving ashes on Ash Wednesday.

In the age of chivalry, receiving ashes was a reminder to Christians to increase the penances in his daily life in preparation for the commemoration of Our Lord's Passion and Death on Good Friday.

If you haven't picked a Lenten penance yet, here are a few considerations that may help you pick the right one for you.

As penances go, it is good to remember that there is a right fit for everyone. There's an old anecdote that explains this.

One time a man complained to Jesus that his cross was too heavy. Jesus appeared to him and took him to a place full of crosses, some were large, others were small, some looked heavy, others light. Jesus told him to pick the cross that he thinks fits his shoulder just right. The man went to one end of the line of crosses. The crosses in this end were enormous and he could see that his shoulders were not big enough for them. He went to the opposite end. There he saw small crosses. But, when he picked up the smallest and placed it on his should, he found he was unable to carry it. Because it was so small, it cut into his shoulder.  As he went from cross to cross, he found that one was too long, others too short, some to heavy, others were light but too awkward to carry. At length, he comes upon one cross that fit him just right. Jesus said to him; "That's the cross you already have."

Picking a penance is a similar process. It should be something that fits your shoulders perfectly.

When you are picking your Lenten penance, keep in mind that going on a crusades was a penance for the Medieval knights. It was penance for their sins. It wasn't intended to be a campaign of conquest of the Middle East. It was intended to protect the thousands of pilgrims going to the Holy Land every year who suffered abuse, torture, theft, kidnapping, ransoming and death from the Muslims.

This is a concept that liberals hate so much. The Crusades were essentially a protective army meant to defend the defenseless pilgrims who in turn were doing a pilgrimage to the Holy Land as a form of penance for their sins.

The Medieval people took doing penances for one's sins seriously. According to A Medieval Handbooks of Penance by John McNeil and Helena Gamer, doing penance was an integral part of medieval life. For example, according to this book, if you took God's name in vain or swore by Heaven, Hell, or any other creature, then the person must eat bread and water for 15 days. BREAD AND WATER FOR 15 DAYS!

Needless to say, it was a civilization that fostered and cultivated virtue. The medieval people took the practice of their faith seriously and the result was a civilization that loved virtue, honor and heroism. Their customs and habits were an organic expression of the spirit of the times, also expressing virtue.

By contrast, the modern world does everything to foster sin and vice, from the cradle to the grave. The world, for example, fosters vulgarity and profanity. How many times a day do people take God's name in vain? How many swear? How many times do people use vulgar and impure language? It is so prevalent today that mankind has lost the horror. As a result we no longer appreciate, and sometimes even despise, the customs of the Middle Ages.  When the modern man hears of people doing penances for infractions like using foul language, they accuse it as being backwards. Under the same breath, if someone mentions the evil of abortion, liberals in colleges will cry and wail and demand their safe space, as if a great offense had been uttered.

Pope Urban II made the crusade into a penance that would wash away the temporal punishment that sin caused. He granted plenary indulgences to anyone who would bear the cross over their chest to protect the thousands of pilgrims.  It wasn't enough to simply fast on bread and water or wear a hair shirt. It was necessary to channel all the energy the Christian warriors had into something more productive, something that served the needs of the Church.

This is the key point. A young man today, brimming with energy, needs to channel his energy to serve the needs of the Church, mainly defending the Church's teaching in public.

Here are a few simple suggestions for a Lenten sacrifice.

1) Do daily public acts of devotion to Our Lady. This can be as simple as going to the most prominent image of Our Lady at home to say your morning and evening prayers. Or, if you have a lawn statue of Our Lady, to go to the statue and make a daily act of reverence like saying the Hail Holy Queen.

2) Defending Catholic faith and morality even among your friends. Many times our friends or family members will say something that's against the teachings of the Catholic Church and we don't do anything. Peer pressure and the desire to liked by our friends is one of the most common causes why young Catholics abandon their faith.  It's a great sacrifice to stand up and defend Church teachings. This is way harder than giving up desert for Lent. 

3) Stop people from taking God's name in vain. It's common for people today to use God's name in vain. It's an offense against God. It says right so in the 10 Commandments. It takes courage to stand up to defend God's honor. We would do it if our mother's were insulted. Why not for God? Simply tell them, "Don't say that. Stop taking God's name in vain. It's offensive to God and to me."

4) Promote purity and chastity as manly and knightly virtues. Impurity is the downfall of many young people today. Take advantage of Lent to promote it among your friends and social circles. The modern world would like you to think that to be a real man you need to be as impure as a pig. It's not true. The real measure of manliness is Our Lord Jesus Christ and he practiced the purity of a virgin. Never be ashamed to be as pure as Our Lord. 

5) Spend less time playing video games, watching TV or surfing online. Spend more time reading Catholic history of saints and heroes who fought in the service of Holy Mother Church. If you need a list of books, just write to this email: 

6) Be more respectful to your parents and people of authority. Especially today when respect to our parents, elders and people of authority is rejected by the modern world. It is important to practice God's 4th Commandment to us. Make a point of  respecting our parents, honoring them and doing things that please them.

7) Offer acts of reparation for the sins against the Immaculate Heart of Mary and the Sacred Heart of Jesus. Blessed Francisco Marto, one of the Fatima seers, was only 10 when he died but before then he offered as much penance and sacrifice to console Jesus and Mary. Many sins are offensive to Jesus and Mary. If we make acts of reparation, this turns us into modern day Veronica's. Veronica braved the anger of the crowed to do one act of kindness to Our Lord. He rewarded her with an imprint of his face on her cloth. If we offer acts of reparation to Jesus and Mary today, our hearts will become like unto theirs.

8) Engage in debate to defend Catholic teaching. You can pass out a TFP Student Action flyer against abortion, socialism or same-sex marriage. It's proven to convert many people. Beef up your defenses by studying Catholic arguments against the moral evils of today. You can just leave them in the library, put them up in public bulletin boards like in Panera Bread Co., or leave them in the back of the Church you attend.

9) Be active in your faith. The only necessary thing for evil to triumph is for the good not to do anything. A knight must always be doing something to promote good. Ask us for the closest TFP Student Action representative in your area and see if you can do something in your area. It's easier than you think and very spiritually rewarding.

Christmas And The Spirit of Chivalry

Christmas and New Year's Greeting From TFP Call To Chivalry - Great Lakes

We are now past midway through Christmastide. Many have made their New Year's resolution already and others are still deciding. Hopefully, these considerations will help you decide on one or perhaps add to what you already have.

The first And Most Iconic Christmas Greeting

The modern world's focus on Christmas is the joyful celebrations, the feasting, the family gathering, the shopping, and the decorations. None of these are evil in and of themselves. However they are secondary concerns. The primary concern for Christmas is revealed by the angels who appeared to the shepherds at the birth of Our Lord; "Glory to God in the highest and peace to men of good will." This greeting was proclaimed by a multitude of heavenly host, meaning battalions of heavenly army.

Many forget that when the bible says "host" it doesn't simply mean "a lot of" something. "A lot of" is the multitude part. Then what does host mean. The original word in Latin is sabaoth which is derived from Greek, which root word is tsebah which means "those who wage war."

Warrior Angels or Delicate Angelic Creatures?

Modern man has forgotten that the angels are warrior creatures. From the first instance of their creation until now, one main thing has defined them. This one thing is contained in the very prayer attributed to them by St. John in the book of the Apocalypse (Protestants call it Revelation). The same prayer that they say repeatedly to God as their main canticle. It is a prayer priests repeat at Holy Mass. This prayer is "Holy, holy, holy, Lord, God of Hosts (read heavenly armies)." This one thing that defines them is that their perpetual prayer to God is to God as the God of the heavenly armies.

Why Is A Heavenly Army Necessary?

One of the reasons for this is so that man realizes the constant danger we face in this valley of tears. Sin and vice run rampant in our world no longer checked by good customs, traditions and Christian family bonds. We are in a constant state of war with the "principalities and powers, against the rulers of the world of this darkness, against the spirits of wickedness in the high places."

From this viewpoint, the Christmas greeting of the angels acquires a different meaning. They were trying to console men of good will, people who are engaged in this very spiritual battle on Earth. They were letting us know that the heavenly armies are aware of our struggles against the devil and his armies. In other words, they were letting us know that backup has arrived.

Backup has arrived! A multitude of Heavenly Armies waging on the world, the devil and the flesh.

Primarily, this backup came in the form of an infant. Secondarily, it came in the form of a new era of grace granted to mankind where the angels will be more active. (More on this on another post.)

Jesus became man to redeem mankind, to preach against sin and to announce a way of salvation.

A Christmas Greeting From the Man Who Inspired the Call To Chivalry Camps

In the spirit of the heavenly hosts who announced the coming of our backup in the spiritual warfare against the devil, his armies and the world of sin, we offer this excerpt of a Christmas greeting written by Prof. Plinio Correa de Oliveira, the very man who inspired the TFP Call To Chivalry Camps. This was published in December of 1946.

Whatever your New Year's resolution is, we hope it reflects the sentiment of this greeting. To be "men" of good will and to bring true peace on Earth, we must continue on Earth the war waged by the angels in Heaven. Only then will there be true peace on Earth. Only then will God be glorified on Earth as He is in Heaven. Only then will Our Lord Jesus Christ finally be proclaimed as the King of kings and the Lord of lords.

May the spirit of chivalry born from the angelic choirs fill your year with great a desire to serve Holy Mother Church and help reestablish Christian civilization.

Sword Lessons At Our Institute Seat of Wisdom

The TFP Call To Chivalry Camp is part of the youth outreach program of the American Society for the Defense of Tradition, Family, and Property. We are an organization of lay Catholics dedicated to fighting the moral evils of our time and to defend the values of Christian civilization in United States. We also have sister organizations in other countries.

We run many other programs and activities including the America Needs Fatima campaign.

We run and staff St. Louis de Montfort Academy, a boarding school for boys grades 7 - 12.

We have a three year college level study course called Institute of Seat of Wisdom designed to teach a young man how to defend Catholic principles in the public square. The courses include Catholic history, philosophy, culture, and so on.

One of the extra curricular activities they do is sword lessons and fencing lessons.

Is it necessary for a knight today to know swordfighting? It is a question asked by many. And, truthfully, a true knight would arm himself against the most pernicious enemy of his time. Since in the heart of the knight is the desire to serve the Church. It is reasonable that the modern knight would be best armed against the current enemies of Holy Mother Church and Christendom.

True, when fighting radical muslims, it may come to physical weapons. However, the greatest threat the Church faces and the one that has done the most damage is modernism, liberalism and secularism. In this respect, a true knight is not one who simply prances around in a horse armed with shield, lance and sword. If he doesn't address the main errors that afflict Christian civilization then he is reduced to showmanship. He may even have all the ribbons of honors but he no longer possess the spirit of chivalry.

A young man who understands this and is prepared to fight the enemy on whatever battlefield would benefit a lot from learning swordsmanship. When done in the right spirit, it will serve as a platform to learn spiritual disciplines necessary in debate and discussion. Above all, it helps reconnect our souls to the virtues practice by the knights of old like honor, dignity, integrity.

Here's a quick video of the last sword lesson we had.

Our instructor is Mr. Roark Mitzell, an weapons instructor for over 40 years. He is the founder and director of The Sword Guild of York. He has enriched our programs with his knowledge and instruction.

Most of the young men studying at our Institute Seat of Wisdom have gone through our Academy or our Summer Camps. The tuition, lodging and food are free but we screen our students thoroughly. It's not for the general public but if a young man has ever wondered what it is like to be a modern day knight, this is probably as close as it gets.

Chivalry for us is not just a man with a horse and a sword. We see chivalry in its highest expression, which is medieval chivalry. The knights then were less amorous, romantic and sentimental. They were warriors at the service of Holy Mother Church and Christendom.

If you know any young man who would be interested in trying out a few weeks of study at our Institute, please let them get in touch with us. Simply send an email to the address attached to this blog.

Knighthood And Damsels In Distress

Chivalry comes in different forms including helping a damsel in distress.

It is inherent to the spirit of Chivalry to help women, the orphans, the elderly, the widows and the defenseless. It is inherent but not its primary and sole purpose.

Already in the lores of St. George, recounted in the famous medieval collection of Catholic stories, The Golden Legend, a maiden in distress is saved by the saint who is usually portrayed as a knight. Maidens in distress being rescued by a hero, preferably, a knight in shining armor, has been a popular theme in literature.

This aspect of chivalry became imbalanced during the Renaissance when knights abandoned their higher purpose for romantic endeavors. The institution of knighthood born of the love of God and His Church thus became deformed. The tales of Don Quixote by Cervantes portrays this. The book is a sarcastic fiction of a doddering knight seeking the good favor of his Lady Dulcinea.

Not only found in fiction but even in real life a Renaissance knight's quest for the favor of a lady was common. So common that St. Ignatius of Loyola, the very founder of the Jesuit order, confessed how, before his personal conversion, he dedicated himself to the pursuit of the favor of a lady.

From the Renaissance to our days, there has been a persistent promotion of this imbalanced expression of chivalry. This was one of the blows to the spirit of chivalry. Because of this, knighthood became identified as amorous, romantic and sentimental. It became a distant cry from the spirit of all the historical personages that forged its very identity: Charlemagne and his peers, especially Roland and Oliver, King St. Louis IX, King St. Ferdinand of Castille and Leon, Baldwin the Leper King, El Cid and so many others.

However that may be, it is always a mistake to throw the baby out with the bathwater. In our case, a young man who wishes to be chivalrous does not need to abandon rescuing damsels in distress in order to correct the imbalances of the Renaissance knights. To rescue the damsel in distress is still a valid expression of chivalry.

This is the case with Matthew Garcia, a senior in Central Catholic High School in San Antonio, TX. He saw a literal damsel in distress and came to her rescue.

As reported by News 4 San Antonio, 9 year old Addie Rodriguez was part of a cheerleading squad when suddenly the fathers joined their daughters in the field and lifted up their respective girls onto their shoulders. This is when Addie found herself in distress. Her father was in training in Travis Air Force Base 1,700 miles away in California. She was the only girl without her dad to lift her up.  More than ever she missed her dad. Seeing the other girls with their dads, the contrast was too much. She began to cry. It was a heart breaking scene. Everyone, including the mother, watched helplessly not knowing what to do. This is an honest to goodness damsel in distress.

Enter our knight in shining armor. Matthew Garcia rushed down the bleachers, leaped over two fences and ran to Addie's side. He knelt right next to her, asked if she was okay and offered to let her sit on his shoulder if she wanted to. She did. Addie was saved from distress.

It is in the nature of the spirit of chivalry to be selfless, caring, and self-sacrificing. This stands in stark contrast to many youth today who are selfish, narcissistic and self-indulgent.

This is proof that, despite the corrupting influence of the modern world, chivalry is not dead. It still lives in the hearts of many young men.

It would be wrong to reduce chivalry simply to the act of rescuing damsels in distress. The highest finality of chivalry must never be forgotten or relegated to the secondary plane. Love of others is good in itself but love of others because of love of God is superior. The more a true knight is consumed by love of God, Holy Mother Church and Christendom, the more he becomes like Christ crucified. For, branded in the heart of every knight is the cross of the crusader.

Either this remains at the core of the spirit of chivalry or it is doomed to be corrupted and deformed by sentimentality and romanticism.

But, for today, hats of to Matthew Garcia. You are a gentleman with the heart of a knight.

The Lone Football Player Who Honored His Country

Connor Brewer, of Millikin University, stands alone in respect of the National Anthem.

Todd Starnes of Foxnews reports on a sole football player standing in respect while the National Anthem was played at the start of the game. Where were the other players? Inside. "respectfully" protesting the National Anthem as a sign of protest to racial injustice in America.

The story reports that on Sept. 24, 2016, a few players took a knee while the National Anthem played. The crowd reacted with outrage. From the context of the report, the players were apparently accused of being anti-American and disrespectful of the sacrifice of our military.

So, for the following game, the whole team decided to stay in the locker room so that their action cannot be understood or construed as "disrespectful."

One football player had the courage of doing the right thing. Alone he stood in the field while the Anthem was played.

Courage is a virtue that only applies to good acts. What Kapaernick did was not true courage which presumes that the finality of his act is good. When participants of the Black Lives Matter overcame the fear of getting caught for stealing, rioting, pillaging, destroying property or attacking police and community, it was not courage but a further aggravation of their irrational act.

Inherent to the virtue of courage is the understanding that a greater and lasting good (grace, merit, eternal salvation) can be achieved or attained by suffering temporal difficulties.

Connor Brewer practiced true courage because his cause was good and honorable.

This case is very applicable to the spirit of chivalry. Many times people reduce knighthood to a fighting class among many other fighting class. Many times Vikings, Barbars, the Romans and even the Muslims are pooled together as all part of a fighting class. Knighthood stands apart from the crowd because of the virtues inherent to knighthood not inherent to the other fighting classes.

Chivalry was not simply a method of fighting. It was a way of life permeated by the faith. Hence, the 10 commandments of chivalry reflected this.

In this sense, Connor Brewer fulfills the 4th commandment of Chivalry; "Thou shalt love the country in which thou was born."

It is difficult to see how the other players are displaying love for the country and respect for our fallen by staying in the locker room. This is the very definition of cowardice. It is the opposite of the spirit of Chivalry.

The boy martyr, St. Jose Sanchez del Rio

St. Jose Sanchez del Rio - A boy martyr for the faith

It has always been our assertion at the TFP Call To Chivalry programs that youth was not made for pleasure but for heroism. This is exemplified so well by a newly canonized "boy" of 14 years whose story of martyrdom is truly inspiring.

Many young people today only think of the pleasures the world offers, the distraction of sports and video games, or the comforts of life. For the most part, there is nothing sinful to do those things. It is even pleasing to see children run and play care-free without the least concern. The contrary is likewise true. It is sad to see them suffer or burdened by concerns. However, not all children have the same inclinations. There are many who are drawn to acts of heroism, regardless of the suffering it entails.

St. Jose Sanchez was one of those boys. He was eager and enthusiastic to serve as a Cristeiro even though he was only a young boy. He was aware of the importance of the Catholic faith for his beloved country of Mexico. He saw the need for more fighters for the Catholic cause. He begged to help in any way he can.

What made this decision so necessary in the judgement of St. Jose Sanchez?

On July 31, 1926, the president of Mexico established the Calles Laws, which initiated tyrannical prohibitions on the Catholic Church. The faithful resisted. Calles retaliated with imprisonment and executions. The faithful took up arms to defend their faith from the oppressive government. The conflict escalated to a full out civil war. It became the bloodiest years of Mexico's history. Millions of Mexicans were martyred.

As it turns out, being a simple messenger gave him the opportunity to be more involved in the fight. As in the U.S. Marines, every Marine, even the cook, is a rifleman. In the Catholic resistance in Mexico, every able bodied man or boy is a Cristeiro.

So it was that during one of the battles, a general lost his horse. St. Jose Sanchez del Rio insisted that the general take his horse because the Catholic army needed him badly. He offered to hold back the government's forces as long as he could. And, he did. He eventually ran out of bullets and was captured by the enemy soldiers.

Many boys at this point would panic, beg for his life and betray his loyalties. Not St. Jose Sanchez. Even through torture he didn't give any single information nor did he beg for his life. They offered him freedom if he promised to stop fighting against the government. He refused. In his estimation, to stop fighting the tyrannical government was the same as abandoning the Catholic cause.

The young martyr perceived his time had come so he wrote a moving letter to his mother that expresses the sense of faith and heroism he had.

This is an incredible affirmation of the holiness of his soul. Intimidation, torture, death were not able to sway his Catholic belief. There are so many instances of heroism displayed by youth in the most adverse circumstances but few as impressive as this young Mexican martyr.

When he died, his last words were; "Viva Cristo Rey! Viva la Virgen de Guadalupe!" (Long live Christ the King! Long live the Virgin of Guadalupe!)

Today he stands as a role model for many youths. He is certainly venerated in the TFP Call To Chivalry programs both as a saint and a hero.

Please read up more on him in this article: http://www.tfp.org/tfp-home/catholic-perspective/saint-jose-luis-sanchez-del-rio-hero-for-christ-the-king.html.

St. Jose Sanchez del Rio, pray for us.

Youth was not made for pleasure but for heroism.

Chivalry was a medieval institution that included the knights. However, the knights promoted in this blog are not the Rennaissance knights which became amorous, sentimental and lost Christ at its center. Chivalry, above all, is represented by the medieval knight. The medieval knight is knighthood and chivalry par excellence. It was born from a deep admiration of Our Lord Jesus Christ and His Most Holy Mother and love for Holy Mother Church.

As such, it is impossible to separate chivalry from the Catholic Church. The spirit of one is born from the other.

The essence of knighthood can be expressed in the words of Our Lord, "No greater proof of love than for a man to lay down his life for a friend." Jesus did exactly that.

Chivalry is the one of the highest expression of the Catholic spirit and because of that it shines, even as maligned as it is by modern historians, as an admirable and enviable institution. What child has never dreamed of becoming a knight? What boy never wielded a play sword to fight an imaginary foe? The impressions regarding knighthood are very ingrained in the minds of Western and Christian mind and have a special place in our hearts.

Unfortunately, the modern world, especially through Hollywood and literature, has done an incredible job in deforming the image of knighthood and consequently of chivalry. Consequently, the boys who desire to be knights have a horribly misshapen image of them.

The primary goal of this blog is to promote the virtues inherent to chivalry with the hope of restoring its spirit in the hearts of the youth.

The secondary goal of this blog is to keep people up to date with our Call To Chivalry programs in the Great Lakes area with news, reports and inspiring stories.

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