Some Thoughts on the Blessed Martyrs of Compiègne from the Apostleship of Prayer, and Me

I post video's from the Apostleship of Prayer quite often because they are topical, pithy and, being produced by a ministry dedicated to promoting the pope's monthly prayer intention, often feature words of wisdom from the Holy Father. Edgy is not a word I would use to describe the reflections prepared by Fr. James Kubicki, SJ and his team out of Milwaukee. They're usually a nice little cup of chicken soup; nutritious for sure, but also pleasant and comforting. This week the good Father has crossed into provocative territory by not merely highlighting the Blessed Carmelite Martyrs of Compiègne, but by suggesting that the Reign of Terror that took their lives could be repeated in our own time.

The French Revolution, which is usually thought of in romantic terms in the popular mind, had it's intellectual grounding in the Enlightenment, a period itself which is idyllically thought of as the birth of the modern rational world. In doing away with monarchy, and the entire established aristocratic order of which the Church was seen as a major part, the revolututionaries were seeking to establish a new order of liberty, equality and fraternity, founded on the rule of reason and science. While I can't vouch for the fraternity part, the other goals of the Revolution are still held up as the guiding principles of contemporary culture. What gets ignored amidst the high minded rhetoric and poetic sentiment is the Reign of Terror. This new age was to be brought about by the liberal use of the guillotine. Those who resisted, or even tried to simply live in passive indifference to the prevailing trend were enemies of the state, and of rational progress. So, quite simply, they needed to be eliminated.

For all the carping about the sins and excesses of organized religion (which usually means the Catholic Church) the New Atheists and their fellow travelers never seem to want to deal with the wholesale slaughter of the French Revolution.  They also go on as if the horrors of twentieth century communism and fascism never happened. They don't want to face that all these movements used reason and science to justify their atrocities.

It is easy to think that such a persecution could never happen here, but remember that France of the eighteenth century and Germany of the twentieth were among the most advanced cultures of their time. The movements that led to their crimes against humanity took hold quickly, almost without warning. In both cases fired by philosophies that put human beings at the center of reality, detached from any higher power that could keep us accountable. We were the judges, the jury and the executioners, all guided by enlightened minds and scientific knowledge. I won't even get into Soviet communism.

We think that we are very different. We act as if we have discovered some new concept. No, it is the same old song that's been sung since the Garden. We believe that we can best decide what is right and wrong without reference to God. How many more Reigns of Terror, or Holocausts or Cultural Revolutions must we endure before we realize that this way leads to death?