Words incessantly pounded into our brains, hearts, and souls by the various mass media organs of our Global Motherland often cannot help but stick-if we seek to protect ourselves from them only in some wishy-washy, merely "conservative" type of defense. And, lo and behold, it was not surprising that just as I sat down to prepare this back cover blurb, the lyrics of a popular song from over fifty years ago, deeply imbedded in my then very vulnerable, unredeemed, "Old Adam" self, popped into my head, begging me to paraphrase them for Traditionalist "New Adam" purposes.
Continuing with this reference to words familiar to me from my unfortunately all too impressionable youth, the answer to that question might still be "if so, I can't imagine why," were I not robbing them now for different much more militant counter-revolutionary ends. For the Catholic Cautionary Calendar is a counter-revolutionary project, designed to nip such a nihilistic response in the bud, offering those who consult it solid reasons for waking up in the morning wanting to know what day it is, care about knowing it, and be eager to utilize that knowledge as an evangelical tool in these dramatic "end days" of the whole self-destructive, long-festering development of the repulsive monster that we call "Modernity."
"Modernity," which claims to be the paladin of all that is good, with individual dignity, freedom, democracy, social order, and peace emblazoned on its banners, has actually been the exact opposite of what it claims to be. "I am not what I am," Iago admits, in Shakespeare's Othello, thereby revealing his Satanic character. Modernity "is not what it says that it is," and, in consequence is similarly diabolical, the enemy of the God "who is what He is," and who, through the Incarnate Word, has given to all of nature the ability to correct its sins, transform itself in Christ, and blossom in all of its true diversity, assisting each and every individual soul to reach eternal union with God in the supernatural realm, for all eternity.
This calendar, which serves as a somewhat whimsical guide to all writings that will follow it, traces the history of the growth of the modern imbroglio and the often "limping," but sometimes quite glorious Catholic labor to fight against its ravages. It works in its humble, Virgilian, Divine Comedy way to introduce those who leave their castles to fight their daily battles against the Devil and for Christ with a Vade Mecum, showing them what they are up against and what they can look to for help in "taking arms against a sea of troubles."
"Does anybody really know what day it is? Does anybody really care?" Yes, indeed! And why? Because each and every blessed day given to us by our loving Creator is an opportunity to fight for "the greater glory of God and Christ the King" against the "world, the flesh, and the Devil."
Viva Cristo Rey!
