The Return to Order Moment

A War against the English Language has been going on for years. The Merriam-Webster dictionary says that the word “doublespeak” was first used in 1952 and defines it as “language used to deceive, usually through concealment or misrepresentation of the truth.” The founder of the International TFP Movement, Professor Plinio Correa de Olivera, used the word “talismanic” to describe words that deceived because their meaning subtly changed over time. An example is the word “dialog,” which once meant a simple conversation between two people. Now, it often refers to a largely imaginary debate between those on two sides of an issue. In many American schools, teachers have abandoned teaching grammar and the definitions of many words. In our newspapers, leftists do everything that they can to manipulate language to suit their predetermined goals. Listeners who wish to examine these essays in their original formats may use these links - https://www.returntoorder.org/2022/12/radical-english-teacher-calls-grammar-racist-and-cripples-student-minds/, https://www.returntoorder.org/2023/01/associated-press-redefining-language-in-its-push-for-abortion/, and https://www.returntoorder.org/2023/01/three-academic-skills-that-children-must-have-and-schools-ignore/. Thank you for listening.

The Sexual Revolution began with contraception. Then, it spread as revealing clothing became popular. Later, many people began to accept the idea that men and women could live together without being married. That acceptance added fuel to the idea that procured abortions should be legalized. Then, the idea that homosexuals should be able to express their preferences openly became popular. From there, it was a small step toward so-called homosexual marriage. A single question promoted each of these disastrous steps. “Why should I care about the private decisions of other people?” At each step, a brave few answered that question. “It destroys the individual, the family, and society.” And each time, the sexual revolutionaries hired lawyers, went to the courts, got what they wanted, and went on to the next step. Now the battlefield has shifted to the realm of so-called Transgenderism. Once again the battle is engaged. The revolutionaries head for the courts and legislatures, invoking the same arguments that have carried the day so many times. And we are here, carrying the banners of decency, morality, tradition, and family. Why do we do it? Because our loyalty to Our Lord and Our Lady DEMANDS it! So, we march into the Transgender battlefield and boldly speak in favor of all that the revolutionaries are trying to demolish. Listeners who wish to examine the essays in their original format may use the following links - https://www.returntoorder.org/2019/07/this-is-what-will-come-after-the-transgender-revolution/?PKG=RTOE1762, https://www.returntoorder.org/2020/09/how-the-transgender-revolution-is-destroying-schools/, and https://www.returntoorder.org/2018/10/the-sexual-state-a-report-from-the-battlefield/. Thank you for listening.

Today’s podcast will be somewhat shorter than usual as we bring to you an important article by author, scholar, and longtime TFP member, Luiz Sérgio Solimeo. Traditional Catholics have viewed with alarm Pope Francis’s habit of confusing the issues surrounding homosexual inclinations and practices. In this essay, Mr. Solimeo examines the entirety of Francis’s pontificate and the confusion that he has created on an issue that demands clarity from Church leaders. Mr. Solimeo’s essay is heavily footnoted. Listeners can use this link, https://www.returntoorder.org/2023/02/pope-francis-increases-confusion-on-the-homosexual-sin/?PKG=RTOE1764, to gain access to the essay in its original format and examine Mr. Solimeo’s sources of information.

The set of ideas known as Classical Liberalism took shape between about 1650 and 1800. French, English, and Italian philosophers tried to create a moral system that they saw as natural – as opposed to supernatural. It was a system that rejected God and the Church. For the next three hundred years, that system gained popularity. By the sixties and seventies, it had mutated into cries of freedom, liberation, and “do your own thing.” Now, another philosophical system is replacing Classical Liberalism. Its proponents refer to it as “post-modernism.” The currently popular name for it is “woke.” This podcast will discuss the process and implications of this transition.. Listeners who wish to read the essays in their original format may use these links - https://www.returntoorder.org/2023/01/the-death-of-live-and-let-live-liberalism/, https://www.returntoorder.org/2023/02/the-double-standards-of-modern-campuses-that-defend-islam-yet-attack-christianity/, and https://www.returntoorder.org/2023/01/ex-trans-individuals-speak-out-no-such-thing-as-a-transgender/. Thank you for listening!

In the modern world, the old title, teacher, has been replaced with the word educator. There are a number of reasons to reject this change. One is that it is applied to so many people who do not teach anyone. Those are the people that WE call educrats and educationists. To be more specific, “educrats” are the people who hang around school board administration buildings as well as the state and federal departments of education. These are the people, some of whom have NEVER been classroom teachers, that tell teachers what to do. Educationists inhabit another world, that of the ivory tower. They are the education professors who think that they can teach young people to teach. Again, many of these have never taught children. The educrats and educationists attend conferences and come home convinced that they can fix the school systems’ problems. Until now, their so-called solutions have fallen flat. Those efforts cannot succeed because they are based on faulty premises. This podcast examines some of the mistaken assumptions within the educational community that doom those efforts to failure. To read these essays in their original format, the listener may use the following links - https://www.tfp.org/stanford-universitys-forbidden-words-list-spotlights-leftist-hypocrisy/,https://www.tfp.org/william-barr-explains-how-education-was-destroyed-in-america/, and https://www.tfp.org/always-little-late-plight-modern-education/. Thank you for listening.

Watch the cable news channels or the television networks’ daily reports and you will often hear the word crisis. Every world event, it seems, is a crisis. A word that once referred to the very worst situations is now used to describe anything unfortunate. As listeners may remember, during the Covid lockdowns, the chance that someone might sneeze in a public place became a crisis. What the news hawks don’t tell you is that there is only one crisis. It is the result of humanity’s revolution against God. In this podcast, Mr. John Horvat explains the true nature of the crisis, how sin is the true cause of the crisis, and how the Holy Rosary is the best weapon against it. Listeners who wish to read the essays in their original formats may use the following links - https://www.returntoorder.org/2022/12/what-so-many-get-wrong-when-trying-to-understand-the-crisis/, https://www.returntoorder.org/2022/11/sin-the-one-influence-not-allowed-to-explain-our-crisis/, and https://www.returntoorder.org/2022/08/yes-the-rosary-is-a-mighty-weapon-against-evil-its-the-solution-not-the-problem/. Thank you for listening.

The Oxford Dictionary defines the word blasphemy as “the act or offense of speaking sacrilegiously about God or sacred things.” By that definition, our world reeks of blasphemy. It is all around us. In fact, it is so common that many people don’t even notice it. This episode of the Return to Order Moment looks at three modern blasphemies - Pope Francis saying that Our Lord was a Communist, the Human Extinction Movement, and an Anglican clergyman who asserted that Our Lord was a "Transsexual." Listeners who wish to read the essays in their original formats can use the following links - https://www.tfp.org/pope-francis-if-i-see-the-gospel-in-a-sociological-way-only-yes-i-am-a-communist-and-so-too-is-jesus/, https://www.tfp.org/the-human-extinction-movement-targets-god-and-you/?PKG=TFPE22339, and https://www.tfp.org/at-cambridge-university-when-truth-is-abandoned-the-worst-blasphemies-are-possible/. Thank you for listening.

One of the primary activities of the American TFP is to warn our society that is destroying itself. We inherited that task from the founder of the international TFP movement, Plinio Correa de Olivera. Professor Plinio was a man of many gifts, including great historical knowledge. His insights were so keen that he could draw lessons that other people, even accomplished scholars, missed. Today, the Return to Order Moment brings you a remarkable talk that Professor Plinio gave in 1970. At that time, the world was in the midst of a social and sexual revolution. That spirit grows more apparent as each year passes. This remarkable essay compares our own social and religious decline with that of the Byzantine Empire's capitol. Some of Professor Plinio’s conclusions will be hard for twenty-first-century people to hear. Even conservatives may be momentarily shocked. However, we live in shocking times. The world needs Professor Plinio’s advice more now than it did fifty years ago.

In our last episode, we discussed two major areas of concern for orthodox Catholics – the so-called Synodal Path and the aggression of Vladimir Putin against Ukraine. This week we will look at other issues that are equally urgent. We hope to inspire you, our listeners, to pursue two courses of action. First and foremost, pray for all those involved in or affected by these issues. Especially, we urge you to follow Our Lord’s command that we pray for our enemies. At the same time, we urge you to become informed about these issues and take action. Our website, www.returntoorder.org is an excellent place to begin. There, you will find analyses that are unavailable from any other source. Then, we ask you to spread the word to friends, co-workers, and members of your parish.

These are tumultuous times in which to be a Catholic. The threats to our beliefs and our ways of life grow ever larger. These threats come from world capitals, the movement that we refer to as “woke,” and from modernist forces within the Church. It is important, however, not to despair as we hear about the implications of these events. We need to rely on Our Lord and Our Lady to guide us through troubled times. In this first part of a two-part podcast, we will take a careful look at the year just past. This week, we will focus specifically on the Revolution in the Chruch and the Russo-Ukraine War.

Genesis 3:14-15 “And the Lord God said to the serpent: Because thou hast done this thing, thou art cursed among all cattle, and beasts of the earth: upon thy breast shalt thou go, and earth shalt thou eat all the days of thy life. I will put enmities between thee and the woman, and thy seed and her seed: she shall crush thy head, and thou shalt lie in wait for her heel.” Anyone who reads that passage knows that Satan, the first revolutionary, has already lost. However, through the actions of his followers – both knowing and unknowing – his Revolution goes on, not because Satan still stands any chance of prevailing, but because his temptations provide opportunities for humans to exercise their free will. We can choose God, or we can join Satan’s Revolution. In our world, that Revolution appears to be formidable. It controls the entertainment and news media, much of the education system, many aspects of government, and even substantial parts of the Church. However, that apparent strength is an illusion. One of Eve’s descendants, the Blessed Virgin Mary, already defeated him through her assent to bear the God-Man, Our Lord Jesus Christ. In 1917, Our Lady herself explained to three children in Fatima, Portugal that Her Immaculate Heart would, indeed, triumph. This episode probes the weaknesses of the Revolution. By attacking the Revolution where it is weak, we can make the weaknesses more obvious, and prevent others from going down the road that leads to chaos and social disintegration. To read the articles in their original formats, please use the following links - https://www.tfp.org/prince-bertrand-calls-for-a-return-to-order-under-our-lady-the-queen/, https://www.tfp.org/a-farewell-to-nancy-pelosi/ and https://www.tfp.org/animal-rebellions-eco-warriors-want-everyone-to-cry-over-spilled-milk/. Thank you for listening.

Welcome to the annual Christmas episode of the Return to Order Moment. This year, we bring you a story from the 1892 book Christmas Stories from the French and Spanish, edited by Annette Ogden. The story that we bring you takes place in Madrid and is titled A BIRD IN THE SNOW by Armando Palacio Valdés. It is a heart-rending story about a blind boy cast adrift in the streets of Madrid at the close of the nineteenth century. However, in the midst of all of his suffering, there is a ray of hope to which we all can cling.

The idea of private property is under constant attack. That mere fact should convince right-thinking people how important it is. If private property was a mere social construct, as the postmodernists say, they would leave it alone. They could be confident that the whole idea would just pass away. However, that idea will not pass away. We can see this in the remaining Communist economies, in which people fiercely cling to their few possessions. Supposedly they live in a utopia based on the idea “From each according to his ability, to each according to his needs.” If communism worked, common people could throw away, consume, or give away their possessions. They could rest assured that the state would provide all that they need. Yet they do not. Indeed, each person treasures the few things that they possess – property obtained at great cost to themselves or their families. Those poor people know that private property endows them with the only economic security that they have. In this episode of The Return to Order Moment, Mr. John Horvat discusses the importance of private property, as well as the nature of modern attacks upon it. Those listeners who wish to read the essay in its original format may use this link - https://www.tfp.org/the-postmodern-rejection-of-property-threatens-to-devastate-the-world/?PKG=TFPE22324. Thank you for listening!

On October 11, 1962, the Second Vatican Council began. Over the next three years, it transformed the way that millions of Catholics worldwide practiced their faith. Now, it is sixty years later, and it is time to determine the effects of the Council. That is the goal of this episode of the Return to Order Moment.

The Catholic Church has always been one of the great patrons of the arts. One need only spend time in any Catholic Church or Cathedral – at least those built before, say, 1900 – to experience that fact. One of the great lies of the modern world is the phrase “Beauty is in the Eye of the Beholder.” The goal of this episode of the Return to Order Moment is to expose that lie. To accomplish that task, we want to introduce our listeners to Father Anthony Brankin. This talk is a ringing affirmation of objective beauty and an equally ringing denouncement of the cult of ugliness that so permeates modern art, theater, music, and even the Church. Those who wish to read Fr. Brankin's talk in written form may use the following link - https://www.tfp.org/the-cult-of-ugliness-in-america/. Thank you for listening.

Americans have a peculiar love-hate relationship with the idea of tradition. On one hand, the vast majority still thrill to the flags and high school bands of an Independence Day parade. On the other hand, Americans often see themselves as tradition-breakers. The idea that new-is-better is alive and well in modern America – whether the topic is a blockbuster movie or laundry detergent. Over the last couple of years, tradition has been under assault as never before. The very ideas of man and woman face intense scrutiny. Critical Race Theory seeks to redefine American History. Everyone who is paying attention could add items to that long list. So, it is appropriate that the Return to Order Moment discuss tradition. We are not talking about any particular tradition, but the idea of tradition in general. Mr. Vincent Gorre does that in his remarkable essay, “Tradition: How It Keeps Us Alive and Well.” Listeners who wish to read the article in its original format can find it through this link - https://www.tfp.org/tradition-how-it-keeps-us-alive-and-well/?fbclid=IwAR0BwJLz1jF5sj-4KlcCletMTPKK2i9-Op9FI9fnvhFMHw6OQEr3mrQBoPw. Thank you for listening.

Historical truth is difficult to determine. There are only two ways to discover what happened in the past. We can either read what they wrote or look at objects that they left behind. Everything else is opinion. The people of the Middle Ages left behind many writings and objects. They left their books and copies of those from the ancient world. They left magnificent buildings, especially cathedrals. They left paintings and many objects that they used in everyday life. However, the writers of the first books ABOUT the Middle Ages saw that period as backward. Most writers and artists of the Renaissance loved ancient Greece and Rome. They saw the Middle Ages as a throwback to primitive life. The arrogant Renaissance intellectuals did not realize that EVERYTHING they read about the ancient world had been preserved by the Church during the Middle Ages. One of the reasons that some Renaissance intellectuals hated the Middle Ages is because they hated the Church. Those attitudes continue today. In these two essays, Mr. Michael Whitcraft and Mr. John Horvat discuss the ways that modern scholars are dispelling many "Dark Ages" myths. Ironically, they are not doing it merely to correct the historical record. Nor are they trying to show the Medieval Church in its true light. Their motivations are more about hating the "narratives" popularized by the historians of the last couple of centuries. To read the essays in their original formats, please use these links - https://www.returntoorder.org/2022/10/dispelling-errors-defending-the-church-how-lies-about-the-middle-ages-ultimately-target-the-church/ and https://www.returntoorder.org/2022/06/how-to-see-the-dark-ages-in-beautiful-new-light/. Thank you for listening.

Last week, the Return to Order Moment presented Part One of Plinio Corrêa de Oliveira: Man of Faith and Action. This week, we present the conclusion to this retrospective of a life very well lived, that of TFP founder, Plinio Corrêa de Oliveira. While last week’s episode consisted largely of a biographical sketch, this week will focus on his thoughts and philosophy. In all things, Professor Plinio sought to live his life in complete accord with Catholic doctrine and tradition. That life carried with it a philosophy that this episode will explain more fully. It is the philosophy that motivates his followers in the American TFP and the other 24 autonomous TFPs and kindred organizations on 6 continents. Thank you for listening.

Usually, the Return to Order Moment brings its listeners articles written about current events from a traditional Catholic perspective. Occasionally, we discuss historical events. However, our favorite articles come from the pen of the international TFP movement’s founder, Professor Plinio Corrêa de Oliveira. He was a man with an active mind, totally devoted to the Catholic Church. Professor Plinio was especially adept at relating Catholic Truths to world events. Indeed, many events that occurred after Professor Plinio’s death have confirmed his insights. Professor Plinio passed away on October 3, 1995. A week later, the American TFP released a retrospective of his life and career. We pray that listeners will find it interesting and inspirational. To read the article in its original format, please use the following link - https://www.tfp.org/plinio-correa-de-oliveira-man-faith-action/. Thank you for listening.

Around the nation, people of all political persuasions are preparing for the mid-term elections. The media focus on the House of Representatives, Senate, and State Governors. However, some of the most important elections are those choosing members of America’s school boards. Typically, school board elections are seen as routine and unimportant. However, over the past months, many leaders – and would-be leaders – see them as places where America’s future will be hammered out. In this podcast, Mr. Edwin Benson takes a long look at one of those elections and the harmful role that technocrats play in American education. He concludes by offering nine strategies that school leaders could use if they are really trying to rebuild public support for public schools. To read these essays in their original format, please use the following links: https://www.returntoorder.org/2022/09/parents-win-fierce-battles-against-radical-ideas-in-miami-school-board-elections/, https://www.returntoorder.org/2022/09/hold-public-health-technocrats-accountable-for-their-covid-blunders/, and https://www.returntoorder.org/2022/09/nine-strategies-to-fix-americas-broken-public-schools/. Thank you for listening! Please share the podcast with friends who might be interested in this important topic.

Without question, there are Satanic attacks upon our children. Anyone who doubts this statement need look no further than the presence of “Drag Queen Story Hours” in America’s libraries. Return to Order first heard about these diabolical events in the spring of Two Thousand Nineteen. We instantly began to fight against them. These essays detail the actions that the TFP has taken and the motivations behind them. To read the essays in their original formats, please use the following links - https://www.returntoorder.org/2019/03/how-drag-queen-shows-destroy-childrens-innocence/, https://www.returntoorder.org/2022/05/how-one-drag-storybook-hour-protest-changed-mclean-virginia/, and https://www.returntoorder.org/2022/09/left-wing-media-desperate-to-portray-opposition-to-drag-queen-story-hour-as-abnormal/. Thank you for listening.

Many Catholics who style themselves as traditionalists are calling for sweeping changes to the institution of the papacy. However, as Jose Antonio Ureta explains in this essay, the problem is not with the institution, but rather with Pope Francis, himself. To Read the essay in its original format, please use the following link: https://www.returntoorder.org/2022/09/the-pope-needs-reform-not-the-papacy/. Thank you for listening.

Many people are surprised to hear that the Constitution of the United States is the second oldest written constitution in the world – and that the oldest is that of the State of Massachusetts. Others are astonished to find that the most often cited part of the Constitution – the Bill of Rights – was not included in the original document. These first ten Amendments were added two years after the Constitution took effect in 1789. Another aspect of the Constitution is that it does not say that the Supreme Court decides what laws and acts are Constitutional. The Court assumed that power in 1803. However, that status was so unsure that the Court did not declare another law unconstitutional until over fifty years later. So, the document has always been a bit fragile. Each generation has molded it to fit the spirit of the age. The common conception of the Constitution is under attack again, this time by highly educated - but nonetheless unwise - forces from the left. They seek to impose a new and convoluted form of so-called equality on the nation. To read these essays in their original format, please use the4 following links - https://www.returntoorder.org/2022/09/the-lefts-new-war-on-the-constitution-threatens-the-nation/, https://www.returntoorder.org/2022/09/america-faces-problems-that-refuse-to-be-left-behind/, and https://www.returntoorder.org/2022/09/rediscovering-conservativism-means-returning-to-christian-tradition-not-nationalism/. Thank you for listening

Have you ever discussed the failures of Socialism with a Socialist? It is a frustrating process. No matter what evidence you bring proving that Socialism creates hardship and poverty, the Socialist always says that your example doesn’t describe “real” Socialism. If someone could just do Socialism in the right way, they explain, then it would work. These Socialists exist in all aspects of life. This episode of the Return to Order Moment looks at their failures in both the religious and economic spheres. To read these essays in their original formats, please use the following links: https://www.tfp.org/liberal-catholics-have-lost-the-culture-war-but-refuse-to-admit-it/, https://www.returntoorder.org/2022/08/bidens-socialist-student-relief-scheme-will-make-all-future-student-debt-irrelevant/, and https://www.returntoorder.org/2022/08/a-recession-is-here-both-financially-and-morally-will-america-return-to-the-truth/. Thank you for listening.

For several years, Pope Francis was a sort of mystery. Often, his statements are unclear. Sometimes, he would write something, and then a few days later would say something that opposed the written statement. That tendency made people scratch their heads and wonder which statement reflected his real opinion. As time has passed, Francis’s actions have answered many such questions. This episode of The Return to Order Moment will look at three of those actions. We will look first at the Pope’s recent tour of Canada. Then we will consider the welcome that he accorded Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi in Rome. Finally, we will examine his curious support for the atheist and communist government of Cuba. In each case, Pope Francis displays his affection for leftist positions in opposition to the traditions of the Catholic Church. Listeners who want to read the essays in their original formats can use the following links - https://www.tfp.org/on-pope-franciss-mea-culpa-in-canada/?PKG=TFPE22269, https://www.tfp.org/pope-franciss-warm-welcome-to-nancy-pelosi-a-not-so-subtle-message-of-support-for-abortionists/, and https://www.tfp.org/pope-francis-calls-cuba-a-symbol-of-what/. Thank you for listening.

One would have to live in near-total isolation to have missed the fact of Queen Elizabeth II’s death on September 8, 2022. The news media of the world turned toward a castle in Scotland when the Queen passed away and spent hours describing her life story in detail. Some coverage has been respectful. Other reporters have leaned toward the lurid. However, very little, if any of the coverage has described the Queen’s role as one of the last symbols of a once-nearly universal system – Monarchy. The mission of the Return to Order Moment is to relate important events of the day to universal and eternal truths. So, today, we will discuss the importance of both monarchy and Queen Elizabeth II. To read the articles in their original format, please use the following links: https://www.returntoorder.org/2022/09/we-mourn-the-queen-as-we-imagined-her-to-be/, https://www.tfp.org/who-cares-about-the-british-monarchy/, and https://www.tfp.org/st-louis-ix-crusader-a-statesman/. Thank you for listening.

Ever since the early sixties, the left has largely had its own way when it comes to public policy. The ball got rolling with the Supreme Court under Chief Justice Earl Warren. It accelerated with Lyndon Johnson’s Great Society. The Sexual Revolution and the anti-Vietnam War protests took these issues to the streets. The Reagan Administration stalled this so-called progress but did little to roll it back. During the presidencies of Bill Clinton and the elder and younger George Bushes, the liberals scored minor victories but were really just treading water. Then the dam broke as Barack Obama took a more radical direction. But now, the liberals have to deal with real defeat when it appeared that they were about to win big. They don’t know how to handle it, and resort to panic. To read the articles in their original format, please use the following links: https://www.returntoorder.org/2022/08/post-roe-panic-grips-abortion-industrys-lap-dogs-in-the-press/, https://www.returntoorder.org/2022/08/yes-the-rosary-is-a-mighty-weapon-against-evil-its-the-solution-not-the-problem/, and https://www.returntoorder.org/2022/08/why-are-france-and-spain-all-in-knots-over-the-necktie/. Thank you for listening.

The late Andrew Breitbart once said, “Politics is downstream from culture.” In other words, fixing the culture will fix the politics. Today’s episode is going to focus on the building block of culture, the family. The place of the family must be restored, or else society is doomed. That truth can be seen in three aspects of America's society - the epidemic of fatherless children, the number of "easy" divorces, and the malfunctioning foster care bureaucracy. Listeners who wish to read the articles in their original format are encouraged to use these links: https://www.returntoorder.org/2022/06/a-fathers-day-reflection-bring-back-the-father-and-the-shooting-will-stop/, https://www.returntoorder.org/2022/07/how-we-got-the-99-divorce/, and https://www.returntoorder.org/2022/08/expanding-foster-care-to-include-social-justice-issues-is-child-abuse/. Thank you for listening.

Pope Francis called his recent trip to Canada a “Penitential Pilgrimage.” In so doing, he called into question the sacrifices of innumerable priests, brothers, nuns, and laypeople who gave their efforts, and in some cases their lives, to bring Christianity to all corners of the world. In doing so, he sacrifices our Catholic Heritage to the spirit of the age. He has done this before, most notably in his attempts to restrict the use of the Traditional Latin Mass and his Amazonian Synod in 2017. Who can forget his desecration of Saint Peter’s Basilica with the infamous Pachamama idol? This podcast contrasts the effects of Pope Francis's Canadian trip with true Catholic Heritage, as represented by the heroic Christopher Columbus. To read these essays in their published format, please use the following links - https://www.returntoorder.org/2022/07/how-pope-franciss-canadian-trip-undermines-the-traditional-catholic-concept-of-the-missions/?PKG=rtoe1631 and https://www.tfp.org/the-catholic-spirit-of-christopher-columbus/. Thank you for listening.

Over the centuries many great saints have fought for the church. Some, like Saint Paul, spent years on missionary voyages to plant Christianity in new lands. Others, like Saints Bernadette and Therese, the little flower, spent their adult lives secluded in convents. It is good to reflect on the lives of the saints and to choose one or two for special devotion. However, focusing on the Saints can also become a kind of trap. Their virtues are so great that we can despair of ever reaching their level. It is vitally important for all Christians to reflect on the fact that God has a unique plan for their lives. You and I were born when we were because God’s plan for each of us can only be accomplished in this generation. It is vitally important for all Christians to reflect on the fact that God has a unique plan for their lives. You and I were born when we were because God’s plan for each of us can only be accomplished in this generation. To read the essays in their original format, please use these links - https://www.returntoorder.org/2022/07/its-time-for-americans-to-pray-on-the-50-yard-line/, https://www.returntoorder.org/2022/07/supreme-courts-roe-ruling-being-used-to-fight-transgender-ideology/, and https://www.returntoorder.org/2022/07/parents-win-battles-to-remove-obscene-materials-from-school-libraries/. Thank you for listening.

If we had to find a date to say when the sexual revolution began, August 18, 1960 would be a good place to start. That day, the first contraceptive pill went on sale in the United States. That marked the beginnings of mass society’s acceptance of a separation between the marital act and procreation. Certainly, there were those who led immoral lives before 1960, but they were both obvious and few. Communities shunned the promiscuous. Gradually at first, but with increasing speed as the sixties rolled out, virtue and responsibility in the sexual realm were replaced by self-gratification. “Do your own thing” and other, more vulgar, slogans marked the rise of widespread immorality. All around us lie the victims of the sexual revolution. Among them are the 60 million Americans that never lived because of abortion. We can see it in the fact that very few families are unaffected by divorce. We can see it in the number of unloved and unmarried young women who deliberately become pregnant in order to have a baby who they can call their own. We can see it in the gang culture that has become a part of life in most cities – large or small. To read these essays in their original format, please use these links - https://www.tfp.org/12-million-fatherless-boys-need-urgent-rescue-from-calamity/?PKG=TFPE22242 and https://www.tfp.org/the-feminist-war-on-fatherhood-book-review-of-the-new-politics-of-sex/. Thank you for listening.

Henry the Eighth is getting a historical make-over. For centuries, the English king was most often a figure of ridicule. The only thing that most people knew about him pertained to his deplorable marital history. However, some historians are reconsidering his role in English history, looking at him in a far more favorable light. They paint him as a figure who made England stronger abroad and more unified at home. Even his horrible record as a husband is explained away as necessary to maintain the Tudor dynasty and stabilize England by providing a male heir. There is another interesting – and ironic – facet of Henry’s rehabilitation. Some try to present him as a pioneer of the modern idea of separating the Church from the State. For the “woke” historians, the Catholic Church is high on the list of oppressors. Therefore, they are quite willing to praise a tyrant, as long as he fought against the Church. This episode of the Return to Order Moment looks at Henry VIII from a different vantage point – that of his victims. Specifically, we look at two of those victims – both better men than Henry. They are, in fact, both saints – Saint Thomas More and Saint John Fisher.

Modern American culture is falsely egalitarian. Once men wore suits to baseball games. Now everyone dresses as if they were about to go on a tramp through the woods. There are many situations in which work clothes are appropriate. No one wears a tuxedo to do heavy yard work. That is reasonable. People in many trades need clothing that is as tough as the work that those people do. However, when one enters a fine restaurant, many of the patrons are dressed in the same overly casual way. How did such a state come to be? Why are so many people dressed in ways that make them look ugly? Why does society reject the idea of being well and modestly dressed? If listeners wish to examine the essays in their original format, please refer to the following links: https://www.tfp.org/dignity-and-distinction-for-both-great-and-small/, https://www.returntoorder.org/2016/04/emperor-wearing-pajamas-decline-dress/, https://www.returntoorder.org/2016/04/emperor-wearing-pajamas-decline-dress/, and https://www.tfp.org/not-today-satan-t-shirts-are-like-playing-with-fire/?PKG=TFPE22237. Thank you for listening.

For generations, the press depicted Wall Street as a group of greedy men ready to do anything to make a profit. Even today, pieces of that reputation remain. In fact, modern leftists cannot decide whether to applaud or hiss when they see a radical billionaire. The hissing is a remnant of the old attitude toward Wall Street. No one trusts someone who is so greedy that they accumulate that much money. The applause comes because so many of those billions are being funneled into leftist causes. Indeed, it seems that Wall Street’s biggest players are trying to destroy the system that made them rich. Why is this happening? How is it happening? This episode of the Return to Order Moment addresses these important questions. To read the essays in their original format, please use the following links: Why is the Financial Sector Destroying Corporate America? We Must Stop the ‘ESG’ Tyranny (returntoorder.org), How Wall Street Is Building an Abortion Apartheid Regime - Return to Order, and Can Anyone Tell Me: What Is a Loan? - Return to Order. Thank you for listening.

One current trend in the academic pretense called Critical Theory is to re-examine the heroes of the past and shoehorn them into precast Marxist molds of oppressor and oppressed. One of the victims of such re-appraisals is Saint Junipero Serra, who some refer to as the founder of California. The State of California acknowledged as much when it placed a statue of Saint Junipero in the U.S. Capitol’s Statuary Hall. However, Saint Junipero was European, white, male, and especially Catholic. Therefore, he is viewed as an oppressor by modernists masquerading as historians. One symptom of this academic arrogance was the toppling of a thirty-foot statue of Saint Junipero in San Francisco during the madness of the riots of the summer of Two Thousand Twenty. Similar acts of vandalism took place in Sacramento, Santa Barbara, and Los Angeles. This episode of the Return to Order Moment takes a more scholarly look at Saint Junipero. We do so through the work of the late Dr. Bartomeu Font Obrador. Dr. Font Obrador had special insights into Saint Junipero’s character because of his scholarly work, but also because he had a deep knowledge of the place where Saint Junipero was born and raised – the Island of Majorca – and its unique culture.

Friday, June 24th, Two Thousand Twenty-Two can be seen as one of the great days of American History. That day, the Supreme Court announced that it was reversing the disastrous Roe versus Wade decision. Even before the announcement, the left-wing misinformation machine cranked into high gear. Such a strategy is ultimately counter-productive because people will eventually discover that they have been deceived. However, the left has lied for so long about so many things that they have lost the ability to distinguish between true and false. They follow the Marxist doctrine that any act is moral if it promotes the revolution. The Supreme Court's landmark decision places the ball squarely in the right wing's court. However, it will not stay there for long. Those who would defend life cannot afford to repeat the mistakes of the early seventies and allow the left to take control of the issue once again. This podcast discusses three aspects of that struggle - the lessons to be learned from the left's reaction to the decision, the new importance of the various states in the conflict, and the implications of the left's abandonment of their feminist allies. To read these articles in their original formats, please use the following links: https://www.tfp.org/five-crucial-lessons-from-the-uproar-over-roe-v-wade/, https://www.tfp.org/getting-rid-of-roe-is-only-half-of-the-battle-michigan-is-on-the-front-lines/, and https://www.tfp.org/why-the-pro-abortion-movement-is-leaving-feminists-behind/?pkg=TFPE22227. Thank you for listening.

Modernism is a difficult term to define because it has so many parts. No definition could possibly sum up all of the errors contained within it. Fighting against it is rather like playing a game in which one defeats an adversary – only to have another arise. The fight against Modernism includes tearing down its component parts – relativism, indifferentism, post-modernism, the so-called woke agenda, and so on. While this is necessary, it can never totally defeat the thing itself. Like removing a weed from a garden, crushing Modernism requires digging out the root. Today, the Return to Order Moment presents an essay about the man who defined and fought against Modernism during the early twentieth century. Mr. Ben Broussard discussed the crucial role of Pope Saint Pius X.

Most parents and students spend little time thinking about school during the summer. That is a mistake because this is the time that school boards and administrators plan the programs that they will implement in September. Many of those programs are more about indoctrination than they are about education. Three examples of that indoctrination make up the body of this podcast. Listeners who wish to see the written versions of these articles can use the following links: https://www.tfp.org/new-yorks-mosaic-curriculum-is-shrouded-in-mystery-the-time-to-protest-is-now/?pkg=TFPE22215, https://www.tfp.org/hempfield-high-schools-drag-show-enrages-parents-protecting-their-childrens-innocence/?pkg=TFPE22215, and https://www.tfp.org/six-steps-radical-school-boards-will-be-taking-this-summer-and-how-you-can-defeat-them/?pkg=TFPE22215. Thank you for listening.

From one perspective, it may appear that liberalism has never been stronger. The woke world can, indeed, be described as liberalism on steroids. Ultra-liberals rule America’s schools, news media, entertainment, and almost every other cultural institution. Their influence appears to be as solid as the Rock of Gibraltar. However, just as Gibraltar is riddled with small caves, leftist domination looks far stronger than it is. In fact, the ultra-liberals seem to save their most vengeful attacks for liberals who aren’t sufficiently radical. Indeed, there is good reason to believe that the whole liberal order, built up over centuries, is collapsing. What can we expect? What can we hope for? How can we help to make our hopes into reality? To read the articles used in this podcast, p[lease refer to the following links - https://www.returntoorder.org/2022/05/as-liberalism-crashes-where-should-we-look-for-solutions/, https://www.returntoorder.org/2022/05/the-whatever-mentality/, and https://www.returntoorder.org/2022/04/why-is-bidens-sec-waging-war-on-american-energy/. Thank you for listening.

Today, the Return to Order Moment discusses the relationship between the two men who are, perhaps, the Catholics about whom Americans have heard the most – Pope Francis and Father James Martin. Father Martin is best known for his advocacy for homosexuals within the Church. His very public stand openly violates Catholic doctrine but has been applauded by Pope Francis. This attitude has far-reaching implications for the Catholic Church. In this podcast, Mr. Luis Sérgio Solimeo, a noted Catholic author and scholar considers those implications. Those who wish to examine these articles more closely, as well as the footnotes can use the following links - https://www.tfp.org/father-martin-smiles-at-the-sin-of-homosexuality-and-pope-francis-thanks-him/ and https://www.tfp.org/progressive-clergy-intend-normalize-sin-sodomy/. Thank you for listening.

Our nation is beset by many challenges. Some of them are big enough that they threaten the nation’s very existence. From both the right and the left, there are calls for secession – literally to tear the United States apart. The idea is that the red states and the blue states have so little in common that they should just split apart. This so-called solution is simplistic. It can never work. At the same time, the left is trying to eliminate the Electoral College. That would place undue power in a few large cities and take many small states out of the process of electing the president altogether. Accomplishing either of these goals would be disastrous.

Today, we are bringing you success stories, which is the reason that we titled this episode Victory Laps – Remembering and Celebrating Success Against Socialists, Leftists, and Modernists. Anyone who watches the so-called mainstream media can tell that the left is losing and that they know it. As their position deteriorates, their language becomes more outrageous. They hope that the excess of words will convince both their enemies and followers that they are winning. We present four examples of leftist loss to the forces, including the American TFP, that work to defend traditional values.

Many modern historians dismiss the work of great men. Real history, they claim, arises from the everyday experiences of the common people. Certainly, the everyday lives of people are important. However, this theory of history overlooks the fact that a few great people have influenced history far beyond that of millions of the common people. One of those great men – perhaps the greatest of the great men – is Charlemagne. Charlemagne was far more than a fantastically successful military leader in the mold of Alexander the Great or Julius Caesar. Charlemagne picked up the political pieces of the ancient Roman Empire, welding them into a new empire that would last for a thousand years. In so doing, he also protected the Church. In October of 1972, Professor Plinio Correa de Olivera spoke of Charlemagne and his role in history. Today, The Return to Order Moment brings you that talk.

Religion and culture are undeniably linked. However, some say that religion is a part of culture, and others say that culture grows out of religion. Those who argue that religion is merely a part of the culture are really saying that there is no true religion at all. Religion, they assert, is dynamic and must change when the cultural climate changes. At the TFP and Return to Order, we take the opposite position. Insofar as the Catholic religion defines the relationship that connects us to Our Creator, it comes before all other connections. Therefore, when Catholicism and culture clash, Holy Mother Church must prevail. This episode of the Return to Order Moment considers the implications of that clash. Thank you for listening.

One of the many unfortunate fruits of the so-called “Spirit of Vatican II” was something called “Liberation Theology.” A product of the overheated period after the disruptions of the late sixties, this school of thought promised to reconcile Catholicism and Socialism. Of course, such a reconciliation is impossible in that no one can reconcile truth and lies. By the early eighties, Liberation Theology appeared to have run its course. However, with Pope Francis, Liberation Theology is back with a vengeance. Many Catholics, however, remain unaware of its dangers. Mr. Julio Loredo never lost sight of this destructive movement. In April Two Thousand Twenty-two, the American TFP was delighted to release the English translation of his book, titled “Liberation Theology – How Marxism Infiltrated the Catholic Church.” Today, the Return To Order Moment brings you three excerpts from this book.

Currently, the world faces many crises. Ukraine still dominates the front pages as Vladimir Putin’s atrocities come to light. So-called transgender athletes deliberately cultivate controversy to advance their absurd cause. The Biden administration gropes and blunders its way from misstep to gaffe to catastrophe on a daily basis. Uncertainty about China’s next move makes predicting the future even more hazardous. In the midst of these squabbles, it is easy to push the pro-life cause away from center stage. This podcast considers three aspects of the continuing pro-life movement. First, we look at a recent pro-life demonstration in New York City. Then, we look at the misleading and erroneous claims of the "Whole Life Movement" and its claims to be pro-life. We conclude with a look at a very precious life that many modern people would argue was not worth living. We will see how profoundly wrong such people would be.

In 1962, the Supreme Court removed prayer from public education in the United States. The result has been disastrous. Ever since that day, the courts have acted as though school students need to be protected from God. This attitude is both dangerous and ironic. The danger should be obvious. Without God’s protection, we are open to every type of evil. This podcast will examine two ways in which that evil has become manifest. That irony is found in the fact that education, as we know it, was designed to bring mankind closer to God. Education should be a search for truth, and God is the ultimate truth. In forgetting that, our schools entered a period of decline. To read the essays in their original format, please use the following links - Education Declined When We Stopped Searching for God (returntoorder.org), Refuting 9 Lies Used to Push After School Satan Clubs - Return to Order, and How LGBT Activists UnErase History to Fit Their Agenda - Return to Order. Thank you for listening.

During the first half of the twentieth century, an anonymous commentator described the importance of culture by comparing the British and the Americans. “An Englishman,” he said, “walks as if he owns the world. An American walks as if he doesn’t CARE who owns the world.” Assurance has always been the hallmark of the American culture. We might be right or we might be wrong, but we were always sure of ourselves. That doesn’t appear to be true anymore. A culture of assurance has become a culture of fear. Too many of us are afraid to say what we think. We are afraid of the growing power of the Chinese, global catastrophe, and a deteriorating economy. Our so-called leaders are afraid to make decisions. This episode of the Return to Order Moment looks at the threats to American culture. It specifically analyzes two very different threats - an unbearably bleak school system and the cruel and demeaning virtual "world" of the Metaverse. To read the essays in their original written format, please use the following links - What Is Culture? All That Enhances the Human Mind - Return To Order, Do America’s Schools Imprison Our Children in the Depths of Despair? - RTO (returntoorder.org), and The Lonely Metaverse: Virtual Heaven or Cyber-Hell? - Return to Order. Thank you for listening.

The media would have you believe that there are only two choices in the race to decide which ideology will rule the future. One is liberalism, which has held sway in the Western world for the last 250 years. The other is Putinism, the self-contradictory set of ideas being advanced by Russia's enigmatic and violent leader. That is a false dilemma because it leaves out traditional Western Catholic Society. To read the article in its original format, including footnotes, please use this link: Liberalism vs. Putinism: A False Dilemma - The American TFP. Thank you for listening.

No event since World War II has so dominated the attention of the world than Vladimir Putin’s invasion of Ukraine. Supposedly learned commentators on television as well as newspapers and magazines use terms like catastrophe, unprecedented and genocide to impress listeners and readers with the importance of these events. However, there is a supernatural element that the pundits do not mention. The most likely reason is that the powers behind the media do not believe in anything that they cannot see or touch. This materialist attitude prevents many from seeing the true significance of the battles over the Ukraine. Today, the Return to Order Moment looks at those supernatural aspects and possible consequences of the invasion. To read the essays in their original formats, please use these links - Are the Russians on Board with the Fatima Message? - Return to Order, Four Points on Why Russia Invaded Ukraine - Return to Order, and Natural Law and Catholic Morals Do Not Justify Russia’s Invasion of Ukraine (returntoorder.org). Thank you for listening.