Study Catholic History!

Don John of Austria

I love Christopher Check! He has a wonderful CD about the battle of

Lepanto. It begins with a discussion of Catholic history and the reason we Catholics in America are so ignorant of it. It's because we've been raised with British, Protestant history. So all the important events that shaped western civilization as impacted by the Church are ignored. 

When I was home schooling I remember checking out a history series from a Protestant publisher Abeka that taught about the Protestant religious "awakening" in America but said not one word about the Spanish Catholic explorers in California and Florida. You could read about the "first" colony in Massachusetts, but nothing about the Spanish colonies founded 100 years earlier.

Children are taught about the defeat of the Spanish Armada, but know almost nothing about Henry and Elizabeth's suppression and stealing of the monasteries. Catholics know almost nothing about the slaughter in the Vendee by the French Republican troops during the French Revolution or the genocide of Armenian Catholics by the turks in the early 20th century. As Hitler said, preparing for his genocide, "Who now remembers the Armenians?" And, of course, the Battle of Lepanto, the most important naval battle ever to take place, is a big blank for many Catholics.

My husband and I just traveled to West Virginia and back to attend the 80th birthday party of Larry's sister. What a wonderful family reunion! Traveling gave us the opportunity to listen to the Lepanto CD twice. I know I've posted about it already, but some things are worth repeating.

I couldn't help thinking how much studying and reflecting on the great battles for the faith can influence us today as we face another assault on Holy Mother Church. Can we not have the same zeal and commitment to prayer and sacrifice as Don John of Austria and the members of the Holy League who, at the urging of Pope Pius V, saved Europe from the onslaught of Islam. Had those courageous men not fought we could all be slaves of Islam today just like the Christians captured and chained to the oars to row the sultan's galley ships. One of the most stirring scenes in Chesterton's poems about the battle is the freeing of the galley slaves.

Of course, an Islamic caliphate may still become a reality in the U.S. since we are being infiltrated by a silent invasion. The United States is losing its Christian identity to secularism and Islam. As we watch mosques rise in our own communities (we have several nearby), it would be wise for Christians to understand the beliefs outlined in the Koran and the second class citizenship of non-muslims in muslim countries. 

The Koran is very explicit about the brutal treatment that should be inflicted on "the infidel" and we saw what that means on September 11, 2011. Islam is anything but a "religion of peace." It is a religion of conquest! Keep in mind that the latest attack by Hamas happened on Saturday, the day we commemorate the victory over the Turks at Lepanto. Did they choose that date deliberately just like they chose September 11th, the victory over the Ottoman Empire at Vienna by John Sobieski? Just as the Turks slaughtered their captured prisoners in the 16th century, they continue their gruesome and bloody practices today murdering hostages unmercifully. 

A good lesson in this reality is Christopher Check's Lepanto, The Battle that Saved the West. It reveals the lust for blood of Islam. You can order the three-disc CD set here. It's available in MP3 here. I can't recommend this enough and it would make a wonderful Christmas or birthday gift for any Catholic teen or adult especially history buffs. The third CD is Check reciting Chesterton's poem. I've heard it recited by others, but Check's rendition sends thrills down my spine. He explains the imagery in the poem before his recitation which makes Chesterton's ballad crystal clear. 

I love the beginning of the second stanza when Don John of Austria, the leader of the Holy League and hero of the battle is introduced:

Dim drums throbbing, in the hills half heard, [The drums of the Islamic warriors approaching.] 

Where only on a nameless throne a crownless prince has stirred,  [Don Juan of Austria was the illegitimate half brother of King Phillip II of Spain, Son of Charles V which explains why he is a "crownless prince." He cannot inherit.] 

Where, risen from a doubtful seat and half attainted stall, 

The last knight of Europe takes weapons from the wall, 

The last and lingering troubadour to whom the bird has sung, 

That once went singing southward when all the world was young, 

In that enormous silence, tiny and unafraid, 

Comes up along a winding road the noise of the Crusade.

We face many challenges today that call us to have the heart of the crusaders desiring to wrest the world away from the evil one. It's ironic that as battles rage in the Middle East, our shepherds are talking about women's ordination and blessing sodomite unions and giving Communion to adulterers. 

Catholic warriors must raise the cross in every age. "In this sign you will conquer."

Catholics who love the faith need to imitate the warriors at Lepanto on their knees praying the confessing, hearing Mass, and praying the rosary before the battle commenced. The raised the crucifix on their ships. In the 4th century Constantine had a vision of the cross and heard the message, "In this sign you will conquer." At Lepanto the cross was raised and under that sign and through the intercession of Our Lady, the warrior rescued the Christian West from the Muslims. May we save the Christian world once again through prayer and sacrifice, just as so many saints have throughout Catholic history. Viva Cristo Rey!