d) HISTORY SEEN THROUGH THE EYES OF FAITH

"Divine Providence weaves the links of this chain"

It is a law of the philosophy of history that great events of humanity are not only the effect of events that came before them but are also the cause of events that come after them.

In a word, we have here that chain of cause and effect that is none other than the principle of causality in the historical order.  Divine Providence has woven the links of this chain and directs them toward the ends It has in mind.

It follows that to want to do away with the great realities of our day, which are only the result of the preceding ones, and to do away with them either by doing nothing or by a systematic a priori opposition does not make sense, to say the least.  If Napoleon I had wanted to bring France back to the times of Louis XVI or of Clovis, he would surely not have been Consul or Emperor.

If, on the contrary, without overlooking what the times have produced, we distinguish between what is good and what is evil in them and try to bring humanity back to the laws of morality and justice with the arguments that once before converted the world, then we might reasonably hope that the events making history will be purified of the dross mixed in with them and be channeled toward the true good of humanity.³⁴

"The secret of the patience of the cross"

When we see the weeds growing luxuriantly in the field of the great father of the family, we are more frightened than the apostles on Lake Genesareth at the onset of a storm.  Like the servants in the parable, we would like to uproot the weeds at once so that the wheat might not suffer.  We are afraid God's plan will be destroyed and the ungodly will triumph.  How we deceive ourselves with our futile fears!  Everything is in God's hands: this is a truth of faith.  God is the primary cause and human beings the secondary causes, albeit intelligent and free.  But secondary causes would not be free if they could not abandon God's plan and follow another.  God could stop these people and punish them on the spot.  If God does not do so, St. Augustine gives us a brilliant reason why he does not, a reason that is entirely worthy of God's goodness: "evil people live either so that they might amend; or they live so that, because of them, good people might become better."  Human efforts can never thwart the plan of God.  We can be sure that God lets people operate as long as they do not thwart his divine plan of victory for the Church and help it instead.  Yet, as soon as people obstruct this plan, God, in the twinkling of an eye, changes scene with the mysterious means he holds in his hands; and, in an instant, Balaam becomes a prophet at the service of God.  How many happenings in the world look accidental and yet are dispositions prepared by God, who, when we least expect it, knocks down and overturns all the castles in the air built by people, who considered them eternal (...).  God knows when to build and when to destroy.  At the right time he builds and he destroys.³⁵

"The moments of his grace are not always the moments of our impatience"

Absolute master and sovereign giver of his graces, he showers them on us from the heights of the sacred mountain of Zion, whenever and howsoever he wishes.  We need only stand at the foot of the mountain, humbly and patiently accepting them from his generous and munificent hands.  He is our father and loves us with immense love.  He cannot but be moved by the misfortunes of his children.  When he does not answer our request at once, it is because the moments of his grace are not always the moments of our impatience. 

But, with the munificence of his gifts, he will surely make up for the delay that made us weep and sigh.  So nothing should uproot confidence and perseverance from our heart, no matter how long God seems to be delaying his help.

We must show that, if God wants to test our faith, we are ready to stand the test with generosity; that we put blind trust in the infallible promise of Jesus Christ himself, who said the powers of hell will never be able to prevail against the Church ‑- "the gates of hell shall not prevail against it" ‑- that, come what may, the Church will triumph and that this triumph will be at once the fruit and reward of our confidence and prayer.  Indeed, he who trusts unfalteringly in God and is anchored to heaven hopes against hope itself.  When Christ wants, he will command the winds and the sea and, at once, the storm will subside and there will be a great calm: "and a great calm came over the sea."³⁶

"Men of little faith, why are you afraid?"

So, the triumph of the ungodly should in no way dishearten good people, those, I mean, who are faithful to Christ and the Church, because God's way of dealing with the Church is always so infinitely wise, in as much as he never separates the present from the future and from eternity.  Even his seeming abandonment of the Church is simply an act of his love.  Hence, the Church's life is a life of immortal hope, a hope that can never be dashed.  Foolish indeed are those who try to attract to themselves men of science, men of power and wealth, as well as the proletarian masses, in order to exploit science, power, wealth and even the use of force itself to tear down the edifice built by Christ on earth.  They are almost ready to congratulate themselves over their success.  How foolish these people are.  But equally foolish are those who in the midst of the ebb and flow of countless human events get angry, become disillusioned and almost lose confidence in divine Providence!  0 men of little faith!  Why are you afraid?  A clay vase, struck by an iron rod, shatters into a thousand pieces: this is the image the Prophet uses to show the ease with which God destroys the enemies of his work.  No, do not be afraid.  Glory and ignominy, pain and joy, anxiety and peace, life and death, curse and blessing, everything is in God's hands.  He rebuked the sea and all was calm.  Social cataclysms, that turn nations upside down and throw

kingdoms into disarray, are themselves subject to him.  He has the power to stop them and, when he wishes, turn them around in favor of the elect.³⁷

"Society does not realize that it is working to perfect itself for the Kingdom of God"

We now see society agonizing to produce a new order of things, if I may put it this way.  This poor society does not realize that it is somehow working to perfect itself for the kingdom of the God-Man.  It does not realize it is working to pave the way for the Church's universal victory and help fulfill the unfailing prophecy of Jesus Christ: "have confidence; I have conquered the world!"  Yes, venerable brothers and beloved people, just as the material greatness of the Roman Empire was ordained by God to prepare the way for the religious greatness of the Empire of Christ, in the same way, the frenzy of modern progress and all the efforts of our century, its discoveries, its plans, its undertakings, are all ordained by divine Providence for the absolute triumph of his elect, scattered all over the earth: "everything for the elect" (2 Cor 4:15) (...).

So, venerable brothers and beloved people, let us raise our spirits in the midst of our afflictions.  Let us expand our hearts more and more.  Let us hope, but let our hope be calm and patient.  Let us hope without letting up.  The faithful servant who is waiting for his master is not at fault if his master happens to be late in coming.  If, in his adorable designs, God is late in answering us, we must redouble our confidence and rely on the ineffable truth of God's promises, disregarding the judgment of human beings, and surrender ourselves to a boundless trust, disregarding the skepticism of the world.³⁸

"The road to true freedom, true civilization, true progress"

The obstacles that still spring up to challenge God's plan will gradually disappear, and the day will come when all nations will understand where their true greatness lies.  These nations will feel the need to go back to the Father, and they will go back!  What a great day that will be, gentlemen!  What a fantastic day that will be when myriads of people, speaking all kinds of languages with

all kinds of accents -- as happened at the great Council of Piacenza -- will raise a canticle of thanksgiving and praise to God Almighty.  The sun of truth will radiate with greater splendor than ever, and the rainbow of peace ‑- as an eloquent speaker once put it ‑- will arch over the earth with all its most gorgeous colors.  It will be like a triumphal arch, under which the Church, the great reconciler, will pass in triumph, drawing the modern world to itself.  Then society, having become Christian once again, will continue in peace and justice on the road to true freedom, true civilization, and true progress.³⁹

"In America ... there is a special plan of Divine Providence"

As you know, God's great plan is to save all people through his Church, the marvelous creation of his infinite love, his house, his city, his kingdom.  Now, gentlemen, the breathtaking goal, the constant dream, the first and highest ideal of Columbus, was to extend the boundaries of this kingdom by calling new peoples to the light of truth and having them taste the benefits of redemption (...).

When God chooses to do something great, he undoubtedly shows his intentions by the means and instruments he chooses for the purpose.  He wanted and still wants to do something great for America and with America.  In fact, he chose to organize her in such a way that no other continent could match her for vastness, magnificence and riches.  There you have boundless plains, endless and luxuriant prairies, gigantic forests teeming with enormous trees, mountains whose verdant peaks seem to touch heaven, rivers so wide and deep that they flow without ever stopping from one ocean to the other, all kinds of temperatures and all sorts of climates, all types of cultivation and all kinds of agriculture, all kinds of precious goods and all kinds of minerals.  In a word, here in one place are found all the gifts God has divided up among the various parts of the world.

When God decides to open up this vast continent to evangelization, what does he do? He sends what is finest in humanity: he sends heroes and saints, starting with our own Columbus and on down to the last martyr drenching the soil of New England; down to the sons of the venerable John Bosco, who, every day, with their sweat, harvest exuberant fruits of religion and civilization.

This is not all.  On those young nations God lavishes with prodigality

not only the gift of material progress but also the blessings of social well-being.  How is this all happening, gentlemen?  It is happening at the very moment that Asia and Africa are at the height of barbarity for having chosen to withdraw from the salutary influence of the Gospel; at the very moment when Europe, led astray by evil doctrines, is trying to throw off the sweet yoke of Jesus Christ, to live without God.  Anyone can see in this care on God's part, in this predilection, in this largess permeating every facet of America, a special design of divine Providence, insuring that this continent has everything it needs to accept the overabundant population of all races and provide them with all the prosperity and happiness possible here on earth.  At the same time, God wants to insure that this continent has everything it needs to be able to rejuvenate the world at the very moment the world is experiencing decadence.  God is thus opening up to the divine fecundity of his Church an immense field, where she will be amply compensated for the betrayal and abandonment of the nations that refuse to live of her life.

Anyone can clearly see this plan of God.  While the world, gentlemen, is bedazzled by its progress, while men and women pride themselves on their conquest of the material world and rule over nature like its lords, disemboweling the earth, harnessing the lightning, digging canals for the waters of the oceans to mingle, eliminating distances; while nations grow and renew themselves and races mingle, spread or die out; in the midst of the hustle and bustle of these multitudinous activities and not without them, a much grander, nobler and more sublime work is coming into being: the union in God through Jesus Christ of all people of good will.  God's servants who work on earth for his purposes are numerous in all periods of history.  But, during great eras of social renewal, there are more of these people unconsciously working under his orders and for his glory than we can see or imagine.  You must be clear on this point, gentlemen: humanity's supreme purpose is not the conquest of matter through a more or less advanced science, nor the forging of peoples who, from time to time, embody the genius of power, literature, science, government or riches.  No, the purpose is to gather all people into one in God through Jesus Christ.

In fact, God has done and does everything for his Word, Jesus Christ.  Hence, everything he has done for the new American continent he has done for his Christ.  Christ has done everything for his Church.  America, therefore, can be called the heritage of Christ.  It is

the promised land of the Church.

If people will not obstruct God's plan, the time will come, gentlemen, when all nations will have on that continent numerous communities, rich, law-abiding, God-fearing, prosperous communities.  While preserving their own national heritage, they will be politically and religiously united.  This land of blessings will foster inspiration, develop principles, and unleash new, mysterious forces that will revitalize the New World, teaching it the economy of true fraternity, true equality, true liberty, and true progress.  Then, I am sure, Christ's great promise will be fulfilled: there shall be but one flock and one shepherd.⁴⁰

"Gathering all people into one family"

God wants it!  This was the cry of Pope Urban II.  This is the cry of his worthy successor Pope Leo XIII.  God wants it!  He wants nations to remember they are Christian.  God wants reason to be reconciled with faith, nature with grace, earth with heaven, the works of creatures with the rights of the Creator.  God wants labor and capital, freedom and authority, equality and order, fraternity and paternity, conservatism and progress to recognize each other and help each other in harmonious counterpoint.  In a word, God wants all elements of civilization -- sciences, letters, arts, industry, every legitimate interest, every legitimate aspiration -- to find encouragement, guidance, help, nobility, and divine consecration in religion, in the Church and in the papacy.

In our days, as in those of the Crusades, we find the Pope sitting erect on his throne, surrounded by the veneration and affection of hundreds of different peoples.  At that time, his name was Urban II; today his name is Leo XIII.  But, really, he has only one name: his name is Pope.  From his lips come the words that heal nations.  At all times, his power is the same: a power that is generous and beneficial to all.  He watches over our century, which is coming to an end, just as he watched over the last years of the 11th century.  At that time, to save society from Islam which was threatening it, the Pope rose before the popular masses and here launched the first Crusade.  Today, to save our civil family from the socialism threatening it, the Pope gets in touch directly with the Christian masses and promulgates a crusade against the subversive sects, a crusade in favor of the workers, and,

lastly, a crusade that sums up and crowns all the others, the holy crusade to gather all people into one family.  God wants it!  And, without doubt, the will of God will be fulfilled.⁴¹

"Jesus Christ is the real progress"

The Catholic religion is most perfect in its dogmas and its moral teaching.  It does not need to add or change anything.  It stands firm with a sublime immutability.  In the Catholic religion is found the way, the truth, and the life.  Every step of civilization taken on this way is a real blessing.  Outside of it there is no civilization, only barbarism.  But you must know, my beloved children, that religion is immutable, not immobile.  So you can well understand what a gross calumny the children of the world raise against religion when they say it does not encourage humanity in the pursuit of modern progress.  To these people I will say: if progress is real, if it is wise and Christian, the Catholic religion not only encourages it but takes the lead in promoting it. 

Our Catholic religion, you see, has a 2000-year-old history.  It makes common cause with your programs by setting up schools and educating the common people.  It makes common cause with your educational efforts by educating children in a Christian way.  It makes common cause with your industries by castigating idleness and preaching the need for work.  It makes common cause with your arts by erecting churches and mausoleums.  It makes common cause with your bravery by motivating and blessing the genius of war. 

There is no question that immobility denotes death, that it enslaves and benumbs.  Immobility is a corpse lying in the tomb.  But this is not the nature of the Catholic religion, which is immutable, for immutability goes hand in hand with free activity.  Immutability coexists with God, who is the most active of all beings, because, dearly beloved, whereas nothingness is indeed immobile, God, who is the fullness of being, is immutable: "I am the Lord and do not change."

Progress in the arts, progress in the sciences, progress in industry, no, this is not the progress our Catholic religion condemns.  In fact, our religion considers it a crime to oppose this kind of progress, in which she sees the hand that created all things.  The kind of progress to which our religion is eternally hostile is any increase in crime, in

blasphemy, in thefts, in suicides, in error, in dissension, in licentiousness, in impiety, in egoism; in a word, progress in godlessness (...).

Real progress is not a showy display of new roads, new machines or new systems.  All this is the ornament, the exterior veneer of civilization.  But this is not civilization, it is not progress.  The real progress of a people consists in its education.  But authentic education, education that civilizes all aspects of life, consists primarily in the development of the intellectual and moral faculties and in the development of the heart and formation of the spirit; in the development of the heart, so that it may cherish goodness; in the cultivation of the spirit, so that it may prevail against matter (...).

Jesus Christ is the author of progress.  Indeed, real progress has no purpose other than Jesus Christ: Jesus Christ, living in human beings; Jesus Christ embodying himself in humanity and embodying humanity in himself; Jesus Christ gradually extending and lifting himself in space and time; Jesus Christ the center of all harmony that is restored, all beauty that regains its freshness, all greatness that becomes greater.  Everything that is most true, everything that is most holy, everything that is perfect must come forth from and go back to him, for Jesus Christ is the beginning and the end, as well as the link that joins the two.⁴²