September 11 is a day when we remember the victims of terrorism, especially the 2,996 Americans who were killed by the unthinkable al-Qaeda attacks of 2001. But the “war on terror” abroad has only seen new faces of terrorism find footholds in our cities and neighborhoods, tearing Western civilization apart from within instead of without. If terrorism is defined as an act of intimidation for political or ideological ends, the reality of terrorism extends to cultural pressures and even attacks that don’t involve crashing planes into towers. And many American Catholics are too afraid to push back.
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As Catholics devoted to truth (hopefully unflinchingly), we are under near-constant coercive pressure to accept what is deeply false, threatened with social and professional excommunication at every turn in the name of ideology and politics.
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When we hear the Lord’s Name taken in vain, do we ever say in return, “Blessed be His Holy Name”? How many times do we bend the knee in silent submission under the godless, woke banners and progressive approvals in everyday life? What blind eyes are turned on psychosis-affirming slogans and advertisements? How often do we shy away from denouncing climate change as a hoax of market manipulation? Or pause before saying abortion is murder? Or cringe to call the war in Ukraine a civil war that America has largely fueled and has no business fomenting?
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hat aggressive Catholic attitude should give no philosophical or societal quarter in the attack against reality and religion, even if giving no quarter draws looks, insults, or shock. The concern shouldn’t be for what may be considered proper or politically correct. Despite the disturbance, Catholics should resist these terrorisms with a fervor that cares more for what is right than what is acceptable and keep the national spirit of 9-11 alive for the sake of the truth.