Heroism and Its Most Fundamental Aspects

Saint of the Day, November 11, 1989

 

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“A Roman and Apostolic Catholic, the author of this text submits himself with filial devotion to the traditional teaching of Holy Church. However, if by an oversight anything is found in it at variance with that teaching, he immediately and categorically rejects it.”

 The words “Revolution” and “Counter-Revolution” are employed here in the sense given to them by Prof. Plinio Corrêa de Oliveira in his book Revolution and Counter-Revolution, the first edition of which was published in the monthly Catolicismo, Nº 100, April 1959.

Original audio in Portuguese

 

My dear friends, with or without an “H,” heroism is a wonderful thing! I am pleased to accept your request to talk about this topic.

What exactly is heroism?

You have discussed the heroism of the Crusaders, religious figures, martyrs, and many other types of heroism. What do all these forms of heroism share in common? For example, consider the heroism of martyrs. What do this kind of heroism and that of the Crusaders have in common? Some might say they are almost opposites because Crusader heroism involves fighting, killing, facing death, struggling, and exerting force; in contrast, a martyr’s heroism involves shrinking back, waiting for death, not retreating from it but not actively moving toward it. Some move forward, while others don’t, but none retreat! What is shared between these types of heroism? And what is shared between this heroism and religious heroism?

Scenes of heroism and TFP

 

A very beautiful scene from the displayed slides shows a monk giving orders to his subordinate. The latter, with his head bowed, receives them to carry out. There is also a beautiful scene of two religious figures dressed in white — I believe they are from the Cistercian Order. One is kneeling, while the other stands and speaks. The kneeling one kisses a part of his superior’s habit as the latter gives him orders, consoles his soul, or reprimands him. In any case, he kisses the habit of the person speaking to him as a sign that he accepts the order, consolation, or reprimand. This is the complete sacrifice of his soul to God. His whole life is a life of obedience. When we are told to do something, it’s usually because we don’t like to. After all, there’s no need to tell someone to do what they like; they will do it anyway. So, living in obedience means doing what you don’t like.

What is heroic about that? What do such different forms of heroism—like that of the great Charmagne, riding across Europe from Santiago de Compostela, two hours from the Atlantic Ocean, to the banks of the Rhine, then onward to the mouths of the French rivers through which the Normans entered, and finally down to Rome through Lombardy—have in common?

Then comes the question everyone greets with a “wow!” What is the heroism of the TFP? The TFP scenes shown here are some of the most beautiful. Of course, just taking part in a beautiful scene doesn’t require heroism. Why is there heroism in participating in a beautiful scene when you are part of the TFP?

What is the common element shared by all forms of heroism that you notice when studying them?

What heroism consists of

Heroism consists of the following:

Everyone faces tough tasks in life that they often must tackle with effort. Because these tasks are hard, there’s sometimes hesitation or even genuine dislike in doing them. Still, one must push through. However, the motivation isn’t just to fulfill a duty. Instead, it involves choosing to develop the habit of consistently doing it, which gradually turns into doing it with joy and satisfaction because of the sense of overcoming oneself, taking action, and repeating it. This perseverance is a form of heroism.

For example, think of a young man your age. Not all of them enjoy studying, but they know they must do it. So, he develops a habit of studying until it becomes second nature. Deep down, he still dislikes it and continues to dislike it, but because it’s his duty, he does it again and again, creating a sense of freshness in his soul, a breeze of clear conscience, and a feeling of duty fulfilled. This gives him a sense of his own honesty and integrity, making him feel good about himself. Moreover, somehow, he feels that a light from God surrounds him, rewarding him already here on Earth for his efforts.

The more difficult it is to do something, the more heroism consists in getting into the habit of doing it, so that, although difficult, it becomes second nature. There, complete renunciation, total dedication, and heroism take hold. One example is our lives as TFP members, volunteers, or supporters.

We practice the virtues that our times detest.

Today, after the Clippings Meeting, I casually mentioned to someone that there’s a lot of talk against discrimination nowadays. If someone is excluded from their group, they face discrimination. This goes against the spirit of our time: no one should be cast aside; everyone deserves to be welcomed and recognized for who they are, and everyone should be treated kindly. The opposite would be being heartless or unkind, among other things. So, the spirit of anti-discrimination defines our era.

However, this favors everything dishonest and shameless, but not those who practice virtue. For example, a young man may become a drug addict, and everyone will say, “Oh, poor thing, he’s a drug addict… He fell into that, let’s feel sorry for him…” But if they find out that a young man is chaste, they discriminate against him! You cannot be chaste!

If someone says, “So-and-so has fallen into communism,” you immediately hear, “Oh, poor thing… How unfortunate… Let’s feel sorry for him… Smile at him to please him and see if we can bring him over to our side. This is apostolate.” Now, if we say, “I’m with the TFP,” discrimination ensues! They immediately shout, “You’re a fanatical anticommunist! Intransigent! We absolutely can’t stand people like that!”

We uphold virtues that our era despises, and therefore, we have a duty to live in a way that makes us detested by our own time. This requires us to adopt a specific behavior that imposes challenging responsibilities and must become instinctive. When this becomes a habit, driven by the desire to face the opponent—“You think you intimidate me, you think you crush me, you think you diminish me? I am standing here, loud and clear, in my full stature; let’s see, I stand my ground!”—doing so in a manner that makes the opponent realize you are ready to fight; willing to face any jeering, mockery, or anything else, with your head held high, as someone used to combat under fire and whatever else. This is heroism!

Heroism involves carrying out a painful duty so completely that it becomes second nature. Our habit should be so ingrained that it feels natural and no longer strange. That is what heroism is.

I will represent everything they hate before them.

This should be done in a way that we do not forget the times when we were not discriminated against, nor envy those who are not discriminated against and have an easier life. I must understand that I, Plinio Corrêa de Oliveira—and any of you gentlemen—have accepted this upon ourselves: today’s world hates the Cross of Our Lord Jesus Christ. It despises seriousness, suffering, logic, coherence, chastity, and faith! Well then, I will stand for everything they hate! I will be the living symbol of everything they despise. I present myself completely as I am. Go ahead, laugh and mock me! Threaten me! Be as rude as you want, but I know how to respond and would not bow my head even if I didn’t. I will assert myself even if I lack talent, skills, have a faint voice, and a small, insignificant presence. I will impose myself because I have made that decision, and that’s that!

Heroism is done in one fell swoop or not at all.

I have become used to being mocked, treated poorly, and despised. I have grown accustomed to people ignoring any good in me. I am used to facing all kinds of injustices, as that is my destiny. Our Lady called me to this vocation. I want it because I understand that the alternative is either to abandon the Catholic cause—betrayed, cast aside—or to bow down, kiss it as one kisses the Cross of Christ, lift it up, place it on my shoulders, and move forward, imitating my Divine Savior, Our Lord Jesus Christ.

Towards the Cross of Christ, one must either run or fly!

Because of this, I should not gradually place myself in the position of an outcast exiled from Earth, which we truly are—make no mistake. Heroism is achieved either all at once or not at all! If a person slowly moves toward something heavy and difficult, they will not reach their goal. Toward the Cross of Christ, you must either run or fly! When you walk slowly toward that Cross, you risk abandoning it and betraying Our Divine Master. We do not want to do that!

We must be adept at combating our capital fault.

This should be noticed even in the smallest details. For example, one of us might notice that they have a very irritable temper, which causes their presence to be a source of disorder in the hermitage or any other environment where they live. This can happen. What should the person do? Decide to have a short temper no longer? If that is all, it is useless. One must resolve to have an angelic temper! Because we can only overcome our main fault by practicing a noble virtue; otherwise, it is pointless.

Saint Francis de Sales was known for his gentleness. As a prominent figure—the Archbishop-Prince of Geneva—when he died, he underwent an autopsy, which was common in the 17th century. They opened him up and found his liver was as hard as a stone. Why? Because he had a terrible temper and controlled himself so well that he was considered the saint of gentleness.

If you struggle with patience, strive to develop an angelic temperament. Are you lazy? Are you afraid to fight? Aim to be a hero and a dragon in Our Lady’s service! If you’re too lazy to study, be the first to engage in study in your hermitage and discuss books, etc. Confront your most difficult flaw because we won’t overcome it if we only address it correctly. We must aim for excellence, as if we were saints in that regard.

We are often hesitant to admit our faults, so let us scrutinize our actions with relentless honesty. Let us never consider mitigating circumstances, for we will only acknowledge our faults if we carefully examine each one, analyze them thoroughly, and then say: “mea culpa, mea culpa, mea maxima culpa.” If we are vain, let us never dwell on our qualities or compare ourselves to others. Let us flee from those two things like the plague and seek only, only, and only to go unnoticed. If we are not unnoticed, let us not focus on the applause we receive. When applause comes, we should behave like a fish in its aquarium.

Our humility’s aquarium.

Something that has always impressed me about the aquariums I have seen is the glass tank and the fish. You might think the fish notices you as it approaches the glass and opens its mouth. When you tap your finger on the glass in front of it to see if it will swim away, it continues hum, hum, hum [opening and closing its mouth]… It swims away when it wants, moving as it pleases to the spot it chooses. That is how we should be with applause.

In the aquarium of our humility, we may be applauded, but we should not feel the slightest thrill or joy; instead, we should take it as if they were applauding someone else. Why? Because this is how we must proceed if we enjoy applause. This is heroism!

Saint Anthony Mary Claret, a holy model of heroic humility

In the 19th century, saints like Saint Anthony Mary Claret, founder of the Congregation of Missionaries, Sons of the Immaculate Heart of the Blessed Virgin Mary, were prominent figures. He served as an archbishop, was Patriarch of the Indies, and a well-known speaker. A Catalan Spaniard from Barcelona or its surrounding area, he was of short stature but possessed a powerful voice that captivated audiences with his sermons. After preaching in one place for several days, he would often walk to a nearby town. Carried away by the enthusiasm his personality inspired, people would follow him halfway to the next town. Drawn by his reputation, the residents of that town would come out to greet him. As a result, both groups would head toward each other singing, and Saint Anthony Mary Claret would receive praise from those he was leaving behind as well as from those he was meeting.

People had a justified admiration and deep devotion for him, so much so that they secretly enjoyed—without him noticing or knowing—cutting pieces of his cassock or taking a button here and there. Then they wouldn’t let him pray because they always wanted to talk to him.

As a result, those who accompanied him arranged a wooden square so those outside couldn’t touch him. By walking in the center of the square, he could quietly pray in peace because the people couldn’t reach him. God, Our Lord, performed miracles, seeing his humility in the face of this admiration.

Once, while visiting a place, he told the crowd: “You are listening to my sermon negligently and patronizingly, so you will be punished because the dome of this church will collapse on you!” Boom! The dome fell… People died… You can understand the admiration this caused, but at no time did he give in to this widespread enthusiasm.

At one point, he met the queen, or rather, she met him and decided to make him her confessor. Queen Isabella II of Spain was a liberal figure who led a very bad life. She was not the wife of any king, as she had inherited the throne herself; her husband was the Prince Consort, a position similar to that of the Queen of England’s husband today. He was already an archbishop; she appointed him confessor and obtained from the Holy See the prestigious title of Patriarch of the East Indies, which granted him many honors. He then began to frequent the court, and the entire scene changed. He lived in very noble episcopal robes, jewelry, lace rochets, and wore a magnificent pastoral ring amid an environment of great luxury.

As a spiritual director, he agreed with the queen on some issues. We don’t know what they were. When the queen did not follow his advice, the first thing he did was to quit: “Your Majesty, do not count on me to be the confessor of someone who does not take the Sacrament of Confession seriously, so I resign.” He then left and began to lead a secluded life in a convent or a similar establishment. Some time later, the queen summoned him again and eventually accepted some of the great good he had done for her.

Look at his detachment! He goes from being a small, popular preacher to a confessor to the queen, the Archbishop Patriarch of the Indies. He reaches the peak of his career. Yet, from the moment he could no longer fulfill his duty, none of that mattered to him: “See you later, I’m leaving.”

It’s heroic! Now, why is it heroic? Because human nature tends to do the opposite: flatter the queen to gain money, jobs, and positions, while hearing her confessions more or less. He would go to hell and wouldn’t be the great saint he is. But men tend to go to hell; there’s nothing extraordinary about that. He fulfilled his duty heroically to the end! He acted immediately as soon as the need for resignation arose: “I don’t want this anymore! See you later!”

I’ve given my life to be tied to the same column where Our Lord Jesus Christ was scourged.

Let’s see how these cases apply to a TFP member. Can he be a hero in school or college? Can he be a hero at a birthday party with his family? Yes, he can be a hero everywhere! But what does it really mean to be a hero?

It means to show who you are and what you believe so that, in a conversation, you dare to say: “I do not think so because the Catholic Church thinks like this and that, and since I am a Catholic and support the Church’s views, I think like Her. Look here: this is it!”

Many people might find this strange and talk about it, so we must remember: I have sacrificed my life to be chained to the same column where Our Lord Jesus Christ was scourged. They may think I’m foolish and call me an idiot. I will keep in mind Our Lord Jesus Christ, crowned with thorns, with the cloak of madness they put on Him and the cane of foolishness they gave Him. They crowned Him with thorns and wrapped Him in a cloak of mockery and laughter to show that He was a fool who called Himself King. To complete the royal costume, they gave Him a bamboo stick as a scepter. Thoroughly flogged, He sat on a log until they took Him to the Cross. But He did what He had to do!

Our Lord challenged those of His time.

In the life of Our Lord Jesus Christ, you find heroism at every moment, practiced until the end. He opposed those people—a transgressing crowd—from whom came the handful of Jews who formed the initial core of the Church. They are glorious people for all time, and they are Jews, but the rest are a cursed people! Through Divine intelligence, He knew perfectly well that all those people were against Him, but He continued on His way, teaching, preaching, and performing miracle after miracle, even as He saw hatred rising against Him.

His attitude challenged those people, so to speak. For example, consider the famous passage from the Gospel where He said of the Eucharist: “Unless you eat My flesh and drink My blood, you will have no part with Me in eternal life.” The people present did not understand it. Imagine hearing a man say, “Unless you eat my flesh and drink my blood, you will not share in eternal life.” What would you understand? Yet He had performed such miracles and displayed such virtues that it was impossible for them not to realize that He was the Man-God and would fulfill this in some mysterious way. They should accept this as truth because He was the Man-God. He therefore challenged those people. Many withdrew, and His small group diminished. What was His response to this?

He turned to those who had remained faithful and asked, “Aren’t you also going to leave?” In other words, He challenged them! And St. Peter said those beautiful words: “Where shall we go, Lord, if only You have the words of eternal life?” In other words, that small group took up His challenge and became the Apostles.

First of all, pray.

My dear friends, it seems enough has been explained and repeated. Now, we need to focus on how to apply it practically. First, we must understand that when we want to persevere, we don’t aim to spend just a year, a month, a week, or a day in the TFP; we want to dedicate our entire lives to it. We must take this intent seriously and work to make it a reality. These are not just empty words but commitments to be fulfilled. Do we lack the courage to do so? We should ask Our Lord Jesus Christ, through Our Lady, to grant us strength. No one can do this without divine grace’s help.

So, we must ask for this help, and Our Lady will obtain for us from her Divine Son the grace—that is, a created participation in the uncreated life of God. With this strength, we will have the courage to face everything and resist. And if we pray and pray, we will end up practicing the things we find utterly impossible.

Pray like Our Lord in the Garden

You have an example of this in the Garden of Olives. Our Lord saw the Passion approaching. In view of all He was going to suffer, foreseeing all the sins that would be committed against Him until the end of the world, He began to “tendere et pavere”—to feel boredom and dread. “Et mæstus esse”—and to feel sadness.

The pressure of all this was so intense that He even sweat blood. Today, doctors study this phenomenon, and it is widely known that extreme stress can cause capillaries to rupture, resulting in blood loss through the skin, commonly called “blood sweat.” It is a well-known fact among doctors. He sweat blood. Then He felt a mismatch between His strength and the enormity of what He had to endure. And He offered that sublime prayer: “My Father, if it is possible, take this cup away from Me,” that is, this cup of pain to drink. “But if it is not possible, let Your will be done and not Mine.”

I don’t know of any painter who has dared to depict this scene. An angel descended to Him. Which angel? Was it perhaps St. Gabriel, who announced His birth to Our Lady? Or was it St. Michael, who defeated the devil—and was there to give the necessary strength to Our Lord, the Great Victor over the devil? I don’t know either. The fact is, an angel descended and handed Him a chalice with a mysterious drink that provided Him strength for everything else. He drank, His strength was renewed, and He adopted a mindset whereby, when His executioners arrived, He walked up to them and offered Himself for imprisonment. You know the rest… up to the top of the Cross.

“Oportet orare e numquam deficere” – It is necessary to pray and never lose heart.

So, we must start by praying. If you do not pray, you will not achieve anything. Pray often! And pray, even if misfortune strikes you and someone falls into sin. Pray because Our Lady is the refuge of sinners. Those who sin find her to be the solution to their problems, even when they are sinners, because she is the Mother and Protector of Sinners. Therefore, pray to her. Never doubt that she will help you, because she always will in every situation. Do not stop praying. Our Lord has this saying: “Oportet orare e numquam deficere!” It is necessary to pray and never give up! That is what must be done.

Pray, pray; pray, pray… Never stop praying in your struggles, troubles, or shame. Grace will come, and you will gain courage. With courage, start by thoroughly analyzing your faults. You must ask Our Lady to show each of you your defects, relentlessly. Do not seek mitigating circumstances. Focus only on the fault. Do not think: I did such and such, but I had a mitigating circumstance. Leave the mitigating circumstances aside. Focus on the fault. If you do not identify your fault, you will not reach Heaven.

Once you fully recognize your fault, say: What I heard Dr. Plinio say, and what the Catholic Church recommends, is that I should do the opposite of my fault. In the area where I have a fault, I need to excel and practice the opposite virtue magnificently. Ask for strength and begin immediately. Then you will become heroes. I guarantee even the youngest enjolras have the chance to be heroes like the most veteran; it is simply a matter of following the advice I have given. It is not my advice, but that of all good moralists. Anything progressives recommend is flawed. This is the traditional morality of the Church. And that is what you must do.

Special trust in Our Lady

Before closing, I want to emphasize one point. From my personal experience, I can say that I wouldn’t be here now if I hadn’t prayed a lot, especially to Our Lady, with special trust in her. I lived my life according to her will through the strength she provided. I believe that if you want to say the same about yourselves when you reach my age, you need to be ready to add:

It was not I who won, but God who won in me. He did not win in me because of my prayer, but because I prayed through Our Lady. Through Our Lady, I can do everything. This is the testimony of a whole lifetime.

With that, my friends, our meeting is over.

Heroism at São Francisco Law School in São Paulo

Between 1925 and 1930, I attended the São Paulo Law School as a student. It was very organized, and there was considerable pressure on Catholic students. As a Catholic, I noticed this and kept those who pressured me at a distance. However, they could see perfectly well that I was chaste, because São Paulo was a small city and there were relatively few places of perdition. It was easy to know whether a person frequented them or not. Thank God they never saw me in such places, so they wondered.

My way of being was a first attack against the impure.

I decided that as I enter college, I will likely face a lot of persecution and must be ready to fight. If I have to fight, I won’t wait for them to attack me; I will take the initiative and make my first move. I’ll start by confronting them! I won’t be a bully, but I will carry myself with a serious, polite, and educated demeanor. I’ll treat people respectfully and politely, but with a self-assurance that shows I’m ready to stand up to anyone in any situation, so they’d better not mess with me.

I think you know what hazing is. There was terrible hazing at the law school. I realized that if I were subject to hazing they would persecute me especially for being Catholic and keeping my chastity, so I was faced with a choice: either go to the hazing, which would be horrible—they might even take me to a brothel by force, and I would confront them publicly on the street, at Praça da República or anywhere else, during the day, which would be dangerous, or I wouldn’t go and start attending college only when the hazing was over. If I failed to attend, it was customary for the person who skipped the hazing ritual to be hazed much worse than the others the first time they set foot on campus.

Hazing me? It would be a monumental mess!

I entered college looking normal, confident, but defiant. I walked through a kind of internal cloister heading for my classroom at the end of it. I saw no one who knew me, so I figured things were going well. Then, an idiot “friend” of mine started calling out: “A freshman! A freshman!” to get the others to gang up and haze me.

I recognized his voice and didn’t look back. I didn’t speed up, but kept walking calmly, with a look and attitude that suggested if they played a prank, it would cause a huge mess.

I entered the classroom, where I could breathe a little and focus on other matters while the professor spoke some nonsense at the lectern.

Suddenly, a bell rang, signaling the end of the class. Now I had to retrace my steps, and they might be waiting to catch me. I didn’t leave too far ahead or too far behind others, but positioned myself in the middle. As we left, I didn’t talk to anyone. Some students must have been determined to play a prank on me, but I acted a certain way—and Our Lady took pity on me—so nothing happened. I reached the other end.

AUC, the first Catholic association at the Law School

As I became more accustomed to attending law school, I began to explore and stir up controversy. Near the school, there was a café where students would gather to chat after classes. I went there too, to cause trouble. I started speaking out against communism. There was a classmate and fellow student who was a communist, known, for some reason, by the nickname they gave him—Pasha. I don’t know what became of him, if he died… However, he probably joined the Communist Party. When he saw me criticizing communism, he would stand next to me and start arguing. I would engage in earnest debates, calling myself a Catholic and attacking him from a Catholic perspective, calling him an atheist. These were quite unusual things to do in law school.

As my colleagues saw that I was cruising for a bruising, they got into the habit of going to the café to see me argue with Pasha.

Two or three, maybe five, Marian Sodality members entered the school when I was in my third year, so I called them at the Marian Sodality center, not at the school, and said:

There are five of us, and we live isolated from each other. (I didn’t want to say it, but some of them didn’t dare to wear the Marian pin. I wore mine.) “Let’s form a group called ‘Catholic University Action,’ AUC. We’ll ask the Chancery for permission to operate and set up a recruitment center for Catholics within the Law School. You’ll wear your pins as well.”

We agreed on the recruitment system and started implementing it. Only a few people joined. When I saw the group had grown a bit, I suggested, “Let’s publish a small internal newspaper at the school called ‘The AUC,’ a Catholic newspaper that tells it like it is!” Some sighed. I said, “Yes, sirs! I’ll stand at the main entrance alone and distribute it. You go to this entrance; you, to that entrance; and you, to that other door. The college has many entrances. Do you accept? All right, then.”

On the appointed day, just after the newspaper had been printed, I went to the college feeling worried. They were there with a large bundle of newspapers they had picked up at the workshop. I took a good portion of the newspapers from them and stood at the college entrance where students arrived by car, brought by their families. Some were wealthy boys and had chauffeur-driven cars. It was the entrance used by important people, and I stood there to greet them.

The surprise

As they got out of their cars, I would say: “Here’s the Catholic university students’ newspaper. The Catholic university students’ newspaper!” I was prepared for anything, even for them to make fun of me, surround me and snatch the newspapers to burn them in the middle of the courtyard. To my surprise, everyone accepted the paper and did not throw it on the ground. Some thanked me. Others even stopped and spoke for a little while. Overall, it was well received. Thus, the first organization of practicing Catholics was launched at the Law School. A step had been taken.