He says it so much better than I

A few days ago I mentioned that my latest piece at Pajamas Media seemed to raise a lot of Christian hackles. My intention had never been to offend or to – as some commented over there – be a “progressive in disguise – (what silliness!). I have been, particularly through Lent, trying to develop and articulate an that we Christians are being ‘way too “earthbound” and over-worldly in the way we process and engage in politics.

I was not calling for anyone to “shut up.” I was not suggesting by any means that Christians disengage from politics. I was simply saying – as I have before – that the Holy Spirit needs room to work, and that we need to take the long-view of things; stop looking to ourselves for answers and victories because the world has its own prince. I have been meaning that we need to look a little more trustingly at our supernatural, rather than natural, connections.

Well, thank heavens, reader S (who wishes to be anonymous because he fears being called a “right wing extremist”) has managed to state my case better than I ever could, in this email, which I reprint in part, with his permission

Ms. Anchoress,
Yesterday, I read with interest your latest column for Pajamas Media on giving the Holy Spirit room to work. It confounded me and made me realize that my mind and creativity, like those of many others, had been too earthbound when it came to battling our culture. I completely agree with your assessment…some things (occasionally evil things) have to happen before other things (occasionally wonderful things) can come to fruition. As you say, the Crucifixion had to precede the Resurrection. I do not understand those who think you were calling Catholics to passivity with your reasoning. I recognize that you were asking us to try to see the world, its problems, and potential solutions with the eyes of faith. I get it.

Last night and this morning, I thought more about Notre Dame – and that downright stupid document from DHS – and I began to wonder what supernatural tactics would look like in the battle against these two things in particular. Then on the way to work this morning, I was listening to a Scott Hahn CD. His topic was understanding the Biblical foundations of the teaching of Mary as the Ark of the New Covenant…Today, I heard Hahn retell the story of Joshua conquering Jericho, how the Israelites processed around the city once for six consecutive days – then seven times on the seventh day – led by Levites, who were carrying the original Ark of the Covenant, which contained pieces of manna, the bread from heaven given to the Israelites as food for their journey through the desert. Then after blowing their trumpets, the massive walls of Jericho fell … thanks to the work of the Holy Spirit.

The Israelites did not attack Jericho head-on in a conventional way but chose instead the mystical path and gave the Holy Spirit room to do His work. Hearing Hahn retell that story today – of all days – was very poignant for me in light of reading your article yesterday.

I pray that the confused and hurt students and alumni of Notre Dame are considering a similarly supernatural course of action to protest the current injustice on their campus. Perhaps they, too, can find some holy priests to lead their procession. I imagine them holding aloft an image of the Ark of the New Covenant, under her title of Our Lady of Guadalupe, who contains in her womb the Bread of Life given to all men as food for their journey through the exile of this world.

I’m thinking Eucharistic processions all over the country would be pretty stupendous, wouldn’t it? And what would the press do in that case, with no “crazy right wingers” to caricature? You can’t caricature the Holy Eucharist. You can’t caricature a procession of quietly praying people.

Anyway, this reader truly “got it” and he said it so well that I wanted to share it with you. I think as long as Christians try the “worldly way” – using the tactics of leftist activism and depending on a cynical media to somehow report (over the air) on them fairly, they are doomed to defeat. They’ll use up a lot of energy, and the prince of the worldly and the air will still overwhelm because well, he rules the worldly and the air.

But if we go on faith – and that means purely on faith – with deep trust…well…someone once told us we would be able to move mountains. Nothing he ever said in scripture was meaningless. The Israelites had faith; they tumbled a wall with a trumpet blast.

And in truth, going purely on faith? MUCH more difficult than adopting the “worldly” way because we can’t see anything happening. We can’t touch what is happening, we can’t get feedback.

All we can do is trust, walk, pray, and keep at it while the world says we’re foolish.

I don’t expect anyone to take me seriously, but I just had to get that out – it’s been churning inside me like a fire – and S has helped me explain it! Thank you, S!