Bp. Paul Hewitt
Diocese of the Holy Cross
The more men turn away from their God-given responsibilities, the more women take over. “As for my people, children are their oppressors, and women rule over them. O my people, they which lead thee cause thee to err, and destroy the way of thy paths.” (Isaiah 3: 19) “Behold, thy people in the midst of thee are women: the gates of thy land shall be set wide open unto thine enemies: the fire shall devour thy bars.” (Nahum 3: 13, prophesying the fall of Nineveh) Over two generations of all-pervasive gnostic feminism in the West mean that the culture now tends to: 1. Modify the English language to remove or neutralize masculine references, for a “unisex” modality, thus depersonalizing society. Steward – stewardess become flight attendant. The Biblical understanding of all life subsumed under the masculine is eliminated in language and life. 2. Avoid hard, tough, costly decisions and emphasize “therapy.” 3. Downplay sacrifice and heroism. “Feelings” are what matter. 4. Downplay, and soften, the military. Emphasize domestic spending and safety nets at home. Urge a soft foreign policy of appeasement with enemies. 5. Embrace statism – big government is to be responsible for crises and emergencies. Make the State the paterfamilias. 6. Reinterpret the Constitution and the law and make them flexible to suit current ideologies and agendas. 7. Legalize death for all unwanted life, so that men can shirk their responsibilities, and women can pursue careers and power, unfettered by children and the aged. 8. Legalize divorce on demand. 9. Watch as marriages disintegrate, boys fall behind in school, prisons burst at the seams and more women become impoverished.
When men falter, God sometimes raises up women like Deborah, St. Joan of Arc, Margaret Thatcher, Beverly LaHaye and Mother Angelica. Deborah has to remind Barak that if she goes with him in battle against the Canaanites, the journey he takes will not honor him, “for the Lord shall sell Sisera into the hand of a woman.” (Judges 4: 9). Today God is raising up cohorts of women to fight for life from womb to tomb. These women strengthen the moral fabric by living out Proverbs 31 and by helping men return to their God-given role to lead. God said to Joshua, “be thou strong and very courageous.” (Joshua 1: 7) After His Resurrection, Jesus said to His apostles, “as the Father hath sent me, even so send I you.” (John 20: 21) Patriarchy, for these “sent out” ones, is now redeemed in Christ to be gracious and kenotic. It is the single most needed ingredient in culture today. As Chesterton prophesied years ago, the most radical thing in our time would be Christian fatherhood. Rise up, O men of God! As St. Paul said, “Watch ye, stand fast in the faith, quit you like men, be strong.” (I Cor. 16: 13)
What a sad way to think about your mother and your sisters.
Sad, sad, sad.
Oh, and “paterfamilias?” Don’t you mean “nanny state?” I mean, making the state be the FATHER doesn’t sound like feminization to me.
What a pathetic comment, totally devoid of content. Bp. Hewett’s article is full of thoughtful ideas, and this lame excuse for a comment offers no ideas at all.
BTW, putting the state in the place of the father is definitely a part of the feminist agenda. I devalues and removes men from the family, and makes the government the ultimate provider for women and children, the role that men are supposed to fulfill.
You should really try a little bit harder to have something worthwhile to say.