Yes, Church militant

Yesterday, I called attention to the *fact* (and no one disputes the *fact*, even if it was reported by the Washington Times inter alia) that the U.S. Army, in an official publication, placed the Catholic Church in the same category as al Qaeda and other terrorist organizations.  I continue to think that this gross and pernicious falsehood is worthy of outrage, condemnation, and protest.  I have been criticized for being "militant." I resemble that remark, because I do indeed believe that the Church here on earth is *called* to be militant.  But, as any educated person knows, the Church is called to be militant not in the ways of terrorists but, instead, by faithful preaching and living of the Gospel and by the ardent and devout celebration of the sacraments.  A culture that appropriates the Gospel and exudes the graces of the sacraments will be one in which the peace of Christ reigns, and it doesn't get better than that.

I readily admit that I continue to be impressed by the lack of *outrage* that the Army is not being held accountable for this lie. This is easy to analyze, despite what some of my critics say.  Either the categorization came, as the Army implausibly contends, from *outside* of the chain of command, or it came from within the chain of command.  If the former, then we should be outraged at the lawlessness in the Army.  If, as is overwhelmingly more likely, from within, then the question is this: *where* in the chain of command was this allowed? encouraged? required?  *Wherever" it came from, it should be condemend and repudiated from the top.  Bureaucratic government, such as we have, is not an excuse for lies and falsehoods.  There must be accountability.  One might speculate -- and it is only speculation -- that this bureaucratic categorization was launched as a trial balloon.

And this brings me back, finally, to the issue of the bishops' silence.  Our Church is under attack (and not just by the Army), and the Church militant, led by the hierarchy, must respond and defend the rights of Christ's Church.  But if the hierarchy can't be bothered, then the lay faithful at least must insist that the U.S. government -- whether in the Constitution, statutes, or bureaucratic action -- not lie about the nature of the Church.  Is that too much to ask?     

The thief comes in the night, which is why I am unimpressed and unmoved by Bob Hockett's instruction to "dial it down."