I have chosen “assault on common sense” purposefully because it encompasses three areas under attack by this administration and which should cause not only Catholics but all people of good will to raise their pitchforks.  Firstly, this proposed rule is an attack on the Principle of Subsidiarity.  Pope Pius XI best articulated this principle in his 1931 encyclical Quadragesimo anno.  Suffice it to say, the principle runs thus: “the principle by which those in authority recognize the rights of the members in a society; and those in higher authority recognize the rights of those in lower authority.”  I find it hard to believe that Labor Secretary Hilda Solis knows better than the farmer what chores need to be done and by whom.  Likewise, it should cause concern that a centralized state with the power to enforce compliance has reached so far into areas of life so removed and so specialized that its officials–likely with no experience of the areas in which they are meddling–presume to enact uniform standards for all. 

Secondly, this proposed rule is an attack on the family.  Indeed a hallmark of human civilization has been the family business and the family farm.  Fathers and mothers teaching their sons and daughters the family trade and passing down a patrimony and tradition is something that is the preserve of that most ancient of institutions.  How can the federal government presume to meddle in the affairs of the family?  Shall mothers and fathers look to the government to decide whether or not to have their children clear the table, wash the dishes or pick up their clothes?  Is mowing the lawn considered child labor and therefore to be condemned?  Aside from the absurdity of the whole scenario, how does one teach the young to be responsible citizens?  How do parents instill a solid work ethic if not by training their children when they are young?  It should be clear to anyone that the ruling class that holds the levers of power have no regard for the family (or the family business) but sees itself as enlightened and benevolent parents to the unwashed and manure-smelling masses.  Moms and dads are subtlely being instructed to tell their children, “Call me not Father (or Mother), for you have only one Father…and he is in Washington, D.C.”

Finally, the proposal is yet another nail in the coffin–by a secular and technological assault–of any sort of traditional agrarian life.  Precious few family farms remain in a nation that was largely founded by farmers.  Being “green” is one of the fads of the day, except when being green means actually living off the land.  It is curious that the non-commonsensical environmental movement is generally run by people in urban centers with iPads and smartphones.  Indeed a man with a Ford F-150 and dirt under his fingernails from a day of planting and feeding livestock is one who is at best a necessary evil.  An unsavory sort, members of officialdom must meddle in the way he does things so that they are done in a “more humane way.”  Being more “humane,” of course, does not mean more human; nor does it mean more green…unless by “green” is meant “green with envy.”  For that is what this is: envy by those in power that they have not control or a say in every aspect of every human life.   

Nonetheless, the massive momentum of the marriage of the bishops’ conference to the Democrat Party is hard to shake off. Witness the attacks on House Speaker Boehner and Budget Committee Chairman Ryan — both Catholics — by the dissident left. Always dictatorial, they can’t stand it when their faux “authority” is challenged by somebody whom they can’t dismiss as a member of the Klan.

I am especially intrigued by the selective sort of politicking undertaken by the bishops themselves. While Cardinal Dolan insisted in his letter to Ryan last year that bishops teach only precepts, allowing the laity to express their right to work out political issues in detail, a lot of bishops simply didn’t buy it.

Take Bishop Blaire of Stockton, who is Chairman of the USCCB  Committee on Domestic Justice and Human Development. Last August 31, he sent to Capitol Hill a letter insisting that  the USCCB supports full funding for “foreign aid, affordable housing programs, child nutrition, or health care,” endorsing a specific piece of controversial legislation in the name of Holy Mother Church. In his words, “it would be wrong” to oppose his views.

I wrote Bishop Blaire last September, asking him this: “Your Excellency, does your public advocacy of this specific legislation constitute a teaching of the “authentic magisterium of their bishops,’ like Humanae Vitae, to which the ‘faithful are bound to adhere with religious submission of mind” (Canon 753; Lumen Gentium 25)?  Is a Catholic of good will bound by Canon Law ‘to adhere with religious submission of mind’ to your prudential political views?”

I make this request in’Charity and respect for the truth’ [CCC 2489] and look forward to your reply.”

I haven’t heard back yet, but I do know that Bishop Blaire had another chance to see my letter yesterday. Stay tuned.

And by the way, our friend Pat Buchanan recounts today the almost unfathomable corruption in the federal government that, he asserts, mirrors the sumptuous appetites and smug sense of entitlement in which the Democrat Party leadership wallows. Let me see… has the USCCB **ever** attacked that corruption? Even Criticized it? Even mentioned it?

A closing thought: just because we observe that the bishops’ century-long alliance (some might call it a marriage) with the Democrat party has profoundly damaged both the Church and the country, we emphatically reject any notion that they should suddenly embrace the GOP. Far from it. Both party establishments are corrupt. Both advocate the smothering of individual charity by the taxing power of the state. Both deny the Catholic principle of subsidiarity and debauch that of solidarity, leaving it as a husk that smacks more of the foul stench of Karl Marx’s class consciousness than of the sweet fragrance of unity that abides in the Mystical Body of Christ.

No, we espouse the independence of the Church from all political parties. Yes, we must demand that our voices be heard in the public square, but let’s let them ring freely, without being shackled to the ball and chain of loyalty to any party dominated by the City of Man.

WFF Board Member Christopher Manion’s latest in Crisis Magazine.  An excellent piece.

It was left for Joseph to show us for the first time the perfect way to die.

Graciously God let him know that his work was done. Jesus was almost ready to enter His public life; in that the humble carpenter would play no part.

He obeyed the voice of God in death as he had obeyed that voice in life. But for him the voice had no terrors.

As Joseph lay on his bed, Jesus and Mary were close to him. His head rested on the virgin breast of his untouched bride. His hand rested in the firm grasp of his foster Son. Jesus was speaking gratefully of what Joseph had done for Him. Mary was saying a loving thank-you. His thoughts were being lifted up . . . . . . and up and up toward the heaven that lay ahead and the glory that comes to those who have done their simple duty well:

Jesus and Mary followed their beloved protector to his grave.

In his place in glory the whole Church has sought him, called him its faithful guardian, and known that from his powerful intercession favours past counting fall upon the world of men and women, whom he regards as his beloved sons and daughters.

To Joseph in Heaven we say:

The Prayer of Saint Joseph.

O God, who in your ineffable providence was pleased to choose blessed Joseph for the spouse of your most holy Mother, grant we beseech you, that we may be worthy to have him for our intercessor in heaven whom we venerate as our protector on earth. Who lives and reigns with God the Father in the unity of the Holy Ghost, God, world without end. Amen.

(Copyright 1947 Daniel A. Lord, S.J. Nihil Obstat: John M. Fearns, S.T.D. Imprimatur: Francis Cardinal Spellman, Archbishop, New York)

The earnings of a labourer provide the food for the creator of heaven and earth.

Into the little carpenter shop comes the young Jesus, apprenticed to a trade. Joseph guides the hands that guided the course of the stars; he teaches the maker of sun, stars, and planets the craft of making tables and chairs for peasants and yokes for oxen.

The Trinity looks down to the lovely trinity of earth — Father, Son, and Holy Spirit beautifully mirrored in Joseph, Mary, and Jesus.

Modern Christian homes receive their design and pattern from this model.

Modern Catholic marriage is here given its lovely example.

Childhood learns obedience as the young Jesus obeys the commands of his parents.

The hearts of Mary and Joseph create a union close and dear and intimate and utterly beautiful; together they live and think and plan and work for the Child, who has been given into their keeping.

Their’s was a beautiful family.

Remembering the happiness of Joseph in Nazareth, we pray:

The Prayer of Saint Joseph.

O God, who in your ineffable providence was pleased to choose blessed Joseph for the spouse of your most holy Mother, grant we beseech you, that we may be worthy to have him for our intercessor in heaven whom we venerate as our protector on earth. Who lives and reigns with God the Father in the unity of the Holy Ghost, God, world without end. Amen.

(Copyright 1947 Daniel A. Lord, S.J. Nihil Obstat: John M. Fearns, S.T.D. Imprimatur: Francis Cardinal Spellman, Archbishop, New York)

Yet as this faithful carpenter and saint made smooth the ways of his Lord, worked for His comfort, and knelt to adore Him, Herod plotted the destruction of this Child, whom he looked upon as a possible rival for his throne.

Herod had tried to turn the Magi into messengers of death, but these wise men had on a warning from God, through the star-lighted night found their way to the true new-born king and went home by a different way. Failing this, Herod sent his soldiers out to kill the Child and end the threat to his brief and pitiful power.

Another visit of an angel, and Joseph is moving through the night, leading the ass that carries the sacred burden of Mother and Child.

Eyes alert for danger, staff gripped tightly against possible threat, feet tirelessly striding forward, a few coins in his purse, his locked shop left far behind him, Joseph travels the glorious and ignominious road to exile.

But God had chosen well when He chose this protector of Mother and Son. The journey was safe, the exile comfortable, and the return happy and secure.

To Joseph, guardian of Jesus and of Mary in danger and in exile, we say:

The Prayer of Saint Joseph.

O God, who in your ineffable providence was pleased to choose blessed Joseph for the spouse of your most holy Mother, grant we beseech you, that we may be worthy to have him for our intercessor in heaven whom we venerate as our protector on earth. Who lives and reigns with God the Father in the unity of the Holy Ghost, God, world without end. Amen.

(Copyright 1947 Daniel A. Lord, S.J. Nihil Obstat: John M. Fearns, S.T.D. Imprimatur: Francis Cardinal Spellman, Archbishop, New York)

To Joseph it was a day of the brightest light and the deepest shadows: a blazing sky and a chilly cave; the presence of angels and the cold shoulder of the villagers; faith and sorrow; intensest joy in the Infant and grief that he could give the Infant only a stable and straw and his ineffectual service.

The story of Joseph and Christmas is dearly familiar to us.

It was decreed that they leave the comforts of home and journey to Bethlehem. The doors of the crowded inns were slammed in his face. He quested through the night until he found the cave and prepared it for his bride and for the coming Child.

His was the joy of hearing the song of the angels and watching the procession of the first adorers. His was the pain of seeing Mary shiver in the cold darkness and of remembering that they had been forced to leave in Nazareth the cradle that he had made with such loving care.

He was the first sentry in the court of the new king, His first man-at-arms, His prime minister, His treasurer, the faithful disciple of the master, who had yet to speak His first word.

To Joseph at Christmastide we say:

The Prayer of Saint Joseph.

O God, who in your ineffable providence was pleased to choose blessed Joseph for the spouse of your most holy Mother, grant we beseech you, that we may be worthy to have him for our intercessor in heaven whom we venerate as our protector on earth. Who lives and reigns with God the Father in the unity of the Holy Ghost, God, world without end. Amen.

(Copyright 1947 Daniel A. Lord, S.J. Nihil Obstat: John M. Fearns, S.T.D. Imprimatur: Francis Cardinal Spellman, Archbishop, New York)

The visit of the angel brought an end to Joseph’s problems.

The Child whom the lovely Mary carried was the Son of the Most High. He had no earthly father, for God Himself was His Father. The Holy Spirit had wrought the wonder in Mary’s body.

Over Joseph there came in a rush the realization of what his marriage meant.

He among all men of earth was to be the guardian of the Mother of the Saviour.

Upon him would rest the responsibility to protect the Christ Child, to provide His home, to watch over His childhood, to lead Him into the safe maturity that would be a prelude to His public life.

The home? Joseph had only the house of the carpenter to offer. The food of the Son of God would be plain. The clothes He wore would be those of a laborer’s child. But Joseph silently vowed that the Christ should never want for a heart to love Him, for hands to serve Him, for feet to run His errands, for a back to shoulder whatever weight God would let him bear.

Joseph and Mary smiled upon each other and together waited for the coming of the Son of God, the Saviour of the world.

To Joseph, guardian of Mary and protector of the Infant Saviour, we say:

The Prayer of Saint Joseph.

O God, who in your ineffable providence was pleased to choose blessed Joseph for the spouse of your most holy Mother, grant we beseech you, that we may be worthy to have him for our intercessor in heaven whom we venerate as our protector on earth. Who lives and reigns with God the Father in the unity of the Holy Ghost, God, world without end. Amen.

(Copyright 1947 Daniel A. Lord, S.J. Nihil Obstat: John M. Fearns, S.T.D. Imprimatur: Francis Cardinal Spellman, Archbishop, New York)

While marriage for him was the beginning of a high honour, it was also the beginning of a new pain. While it added to his royal dignity, it was also the occasion of poverty, patience, exile, obscurity, confusion and wonderment.

For at once he found that his virgin bride was with child. What could this possibly mean? He wanted to think her stainless, but what of this clear evidence? He was confused and bewildered. And while it was distasteful to a man of his simple reticence, the law of his people demanded that he put her away.

Since Mary herself did nothing to enlighten him (for she was, according to at least one reliable legend, committed by God to secrecy) his confusion gave way to grave doubt, and doubt in turn gave way to firm, honourable resolve to take action.

Many Theologians believe that Joseph was such a just and humble man that his distress was caused by the fact that he perceived himself to be unworthy of the honour and responsibility of being the custodian of the chosen mother of the Saviour and it was for this reason that he agonised over his decision to separate from Mary.

What a period of suffering and suspense this must have been to Joseph. In His own good time, God would reveal the wonders of the Incarnation of His Divine Son. But to prepare his soul for so great a miracle, God chose to cleanse his heart in suffering.

Remembering his trial and suffering, we pray:

The Prayer of Saint Joseph.

O God, who in your ineffable providence was pleased to choose blessed Joseph for the spouse of your most holy Mother, grant we beseech you, that we may be worthy to have him for our intercessor in heaven whom we venerate as our protector on earth. Who lives and reigns with God the Father in the unity of the Holy Ghost, God, world without end. Amen.

(Copyright 1947 Daniel A. Lord, S.J. Nihil Obstat: John M. Fearns, S.T.D. Imprimatur: Francis Cardinal Spellman, Archbishop, New York)

But God in His providence had greater designs for Joseph than mere abstinence. He chose Joseph, the just man, for the delicate mission of sheltering Mary’s virginity and at the same time being her loyal spouse and guardian of the Incarnate Son of God.

Legend tells us that he was selected by a miracle: The barren rod that he held in his hand blossomed with lilies. Perhaps. But surely his soul was bright with joy when he knew that God had given him to be the partner of his life the rose of Sharon, the stainless lily of Israel, the flower among all the flowers in God’s garden.

He accepted his bride and his new responsibility with the determination to make her happy, to keep her safe, and in her company to carry out whatever were Gods plans for their future.

So Joseph and Mary were married, and they established the holy house of Nazareth. There they lived most exemplary lives.

To this strong and pure protector of Mary we pray:

The Prayer of Saint Joseph.

O God, who in your ineffable providence was pleased to choose blessed Joseph for the spouse of your most holy Mother, grant we beseech you, that we may be worthy to have him for our intercessor in heaven whom we venerate as our protector on earth. Who lives and reigns with God the Father in the unity of the Holy Ghost, God, world without end. Amen.

(Copyright 1947 Daniel A. Lord, S.J. Nihil Obstat: John M. Fearns, S.T.D. Imprimatur: Francis Cardinal Spellman, Archbishop, New York)