May 2004 - The Goose, the Duck, and the Peacock

Someone walks by with such a ridiculous gait that at each short step its whole body seems to be dislocated. Who or what could it be? Alas, this singular specimen is not found in the farmyard, but amidst human beings, due to a particular fashion of dressing up in long and tight skirts. As such attire makes it impossible to walk normally, one or more long slits are required, thus not only increasing the absurdity of the fashion, but also stressing its licentious side, demeaning the wearer and making her no more than a cause of scandal.

Dear Friends and Benefactors,

Someone walks by with such a ridiculous gait that at each short step its whole body seems to be dislocated. Who or what could it be? Alas, this singular specimen is not found in the farmyard, but amidst human beings, due to a particular fashion of dressing up in long and tight skirts. As such attire makes it impossible to walk normally, one or more long slits are required, thus not only increasing the absurdity of the fashion, but also stressing its licentious side, demeaning the wearer and making her no more than a cause of scandal.

Some, preferring the inharmonious gait of the duck to the seemingly outraged one of the goose, do not hesitate to wear extremely short skirts or tight pants. These not only expose them to certain ridicule, but also provoke many dishonest desires which should not have been enkindled.

It falls to the man – who is not to be outdone in this preposterous desire to show off – to play the role of the peacock, strutting about in his foolish pride, parading his male arrogance! We have thus to en­dure the grotesque spectacle of tight-fitting clothes or sporting outfits that reveal the body and take us back to the worst ages of decadence, when men adorned and exposed themselves in the same manner as women of loose morals.

As ridicule has lost all its corrective power, we shall not go on in this vein, although in more nor­mal times the simple reference to these animals would have been sufficient to provoke a reaction of com­mon sense: "castigat ridendo mores" – by mocking its defects, morals may be set aright. But as the evil is so deeply rooted in modern souls, this simple recourse to common sense is likely to be useless.

Thus, we want to call your attention to the real danger of these fashions, which have no any other purpose besides pandering outrageously the senses. These fashions can be, both for those who are en­slaved by them as well as those who allow or favor them, an occasion of grave sin, because they tempt their fellow men.

These clothes stress the sensual side of the person, and thus lose their primary aim, which is to defend modesty, that noble virtue that emphasizes the beauty of the soul. They become a sign of – and an invitation to – sensual pleasure. The clothes we wear are a constant reminder of our condition as sinners, for God Himself clothed our first parents after their transgression. Our clothes, far from being an incitement to lust, should be a protection against our native weakness, and an aid to remain faithful to the role that God has assigned us because of our specific nature.

The august mission of transmitting the precious gift of life falls to the woman, and she cannot be comprehended but in the beautiful light of her maternity. The delicacy of her soul and body are indispensable for the fulfillment of man. A child, from his tenderest age, must be nourished by stability, harmony. On becoming an adult, he will then respect that majesty which constitutes the force of virtue, and will be able to elevate his soul above any equivocal feelings.

As even our traditionalist ranks have been penetrated by feminist propaganda, there is the need for a profound and salutary reflection on the role, greatness and beauty of the Christian woman: heiress of a long line of holy women, she is called to be an apostle of the good news of the Resurrection, as her predecessors were.

We must answer the facile but persistent objection that pretends that when we talk about morals, we seem to take issue with woman alone. Some disgruntled spirits even suggest that this is only a barely veiled contempt for women. It is not so. We simply note that, because of her natural delicacy, a woman is habitually more at risk than a man to be affected by the dangers posed by fashions. In this domain, the old adage also applies: "corruptio optimi, pessima," the corruption of the best – the beauty and greatness of woman – is the worst. The Freemasons who have launched these foul fashions from their advertising agencies, have understood well that by force-feeding man these sensual displays, they pervert man's heart and distract him from his proper end, which is the contemplation of God.

The ploy has wholly succeeded. Man's sensual appetites, inflamed by this perpetual solicitation, exercise upon him an abject tyranny that reduces him to no more than the slave of his basest instincts. From that point on, he is incapable of fulfilling his role as chief and guardian of the sanctuary of the family, and the virtue of force no longer shines upon his brow.

Naturally selfish, he does not know any more the joy of giving himself, and finds in all his vain pleasures the nourishment for his sterile quest of himself. Incapable of rising above himself, he revels in this morbid pursuit of his own satisfactions by adoring himself to excess. Huddled upon himself as a mor­tally wounded beast, he cannot be faithful to his role as father, which is but the necessary reflection of the divine Paternity that watches constantly over each one of us. This man, separated from God by his pa­thetic aspirations, divinizes himself, becoming an object of idolatry in his own eyes and – as he fervently expects by parading himself so conspicuously! – in the eyes of others.

We must note that even among us, although without reaching such repugnant excesses, there can be discerned some preliminary signs of this unsavory deviation. By this, we mean that carelessness which is directly translated into a certain slovenliness in appearance and dress. Imperceptibly, we slide down a dangerous slope, starting from the neglect of some details that seem to us insignificant or old-fashioned, but leading down to the loss of the sense of the deepest realities. It is dangerous to think that we can do without the necessary safeguards that protect us from the outbursts of our wounded nature.

The fidelity to these details is the guarantee of our fidelity itself. We must not think that our pre­sent combat is only of a theological nature. We have the duty to protect the nobility of the virtue of purity, so roughly treated in our age. We must not pretend that we can accept the demands of fashion without fear, because we still fiercely cling to the faith of our fathers. The nonchalance engendered by these fash­ions soon will rub on the soul. When we lose our purity, the faith is diluted and lost, as man cannot live for long in a precarious internal balance, and the soul, as the tree, will always fall on the side to which it in­clines.

Confronted with the filthy torrent of naturalism, always roaring and swelling, we must rise coura­geously and not fear to start a crusade to free souls from the yoke of these licentious fashions which per­vert our chapels little by little and which could easily become a generalized cancer. It is not impossible to give back to man and woman, together with a sense of beauty and elegance, the sense of the God Who has redeemed our souls at the price of His Blood, and Who has the right to expect that we manifest Him by the radiance of our whole being.

May God hear us and may there arise a generation of free souls to give glory to His Name.

In Christo Sacerdote et Maria,

Fr. Yves le Roux

News from the Seminary

    Our old hot-water heater for the main Seminary building had been expensively repaired in the last few years, and it was again threatening to breathe its last. Thus, we have considered a sounder investment to replace it with two new heaters, which are already installed and working wonderfully. We are now waiting (not without some trepidation) for the plumbers' large bill, which will run into approximately US $10,000...Thus, we appeal again to your proven generosity. May God repay you a hundredfold!

    We remind you that the Priestly Ordinations, to be performed by H. E. Bishop Richard Williamson, will take place on Saturday, June 19.