As these last few weeks of 2010 hurl themselves against the gates of the New Year, I feel a bit like George Bailey counting down the seconds to closing time, knowing that if he can just keep the doors of the old Building & Loan open for a few more moments Mr. Potter will have failed to run him out of business. I don’t think I’m letting any cats out of the bag when I admit that The Remnant came closer to losing that battle this year than ever before.

There are various reasons for this, of course, not the least of which is still the good ol’ Internet, whose steely cyber knives are proving deadly efficient in slicing and dicing newsprint into confetti. That and the economy managed to sink ships much larger than ours. And yet, Deo Gratias, we’re still afloat.

Recently, while on an airplane somewhere over the Atlantic I was struck by the realization that what looms largest in the path of Catholic restoration is not first and foremost rampant Christophobia or even anti-Christian presidents and legislators—faithless leaders of faithless men. Our fiercest foe is the damnable apathy that has become the hallmark of the Catholic people. Not much sleep is being lost in Catholicland these days over the fall of Christendom, the denial of the rights of God, the eradication of Catholic identity, or the international rejection of the social Kingship of Christ.

Apathetic and jaded, we, like the rest of the “enlightened” ones, tend to give little thought to the reasons why God put us on this earth. Reduced to wage slaves in computerized salt mines, most of us spend every waking moment laboring just to keep that bit of turf we’ve managed to mortgage to the hilt here in Utopia. Enslaved people who fancy themselves free wouldn’t even try to escape. So it stands to reason that--enslaved by liberty--apathy has become our lot. Besides, we’re still eating... a lot! And football and NASCAR are bigger than any circus ever conceived of in ancient Rome.

Anyway, it was the middle of the night, seven miles up. Properly anesthetized by trace amounts of radiation and dangerous doses of airplane food, we were securely fastened into our in-flight entertainment consoles. Surrounded by a virtual galaxy of twinkling stars from several hundred personal monitors, a comical vision of myself suddenly came to mind. I was dressed as a flight attendant and coming down the aisle with a stack of Remnants under my arm.

There was an announcement on the overhead: “Ladies and gentlemen, in a few moments Remnant editor Michael Matt will be coming through the cabin with a complimentary copy of The Remnant—America’s premier traditional Catholic newspaper. This is part of Delta Airlines and our One World sky partners’ Catholic Identity Project.”

The scene is so preposterous it’s positively Hitchcockian: There I am, navigating the usual tangle of feet and elbows and service carts, attempting to deliver my pitch to 350 passengers wearing headsets. Some have already put on their sleep masks. The rest are staring blankly at screens, watching movies, playing video games, or reading books that glow in the dark—thirty thousand feet above the clouds. (If Orwell only knew the half of it!)

With a half dozen of those tiny booze bottles rolling across the tray tables in front of them, a couple of good-natured fellows in the first class cabin take note of my approach. One slaps me on the back as I pass: “Go get ‘em, tiger”.

I’m now moving through a cross section of modern society—black and white, Christian and Moslem, American and European—some blind to the truth, others deaf to it, most indifferent to it, all hypnotized by little lights moving through hundreds of millions of pixels.

Together we rocket through the night—no hell below us, above us only sky—and there am I, pushing my boulder up the hill: “Remnants! Get your Remnants. Read all about Christ the King and the old Latin Mass.”

All the world’s a plane, and all the men and women on it really couldn’t care any less.

Well, most couldn’t, and that’s just the point. The hope of the world is in the remnant of Christianity. I was on my way to Estonia to give a couple of lectures to Catholics that certainly do care. My in-flight dream sequence notwithstanding, there is a remnant left, selected out of grace and scattered throughout the world—even in Estonia. Insignificant in number, but on the side of Michael’s angels, Christ’s apostles, the Coliseum’s martyrs and the rest of the little giants that changed history.

In Estonia, incredibly!, I would discover survivors of the Protestant Revolt, the Enlightenment, the Russian Revolution, the Cold War, even the infernal columns of Vatican II. After all that Catholic-bashing firepower, there are still a couple of thousand Catholics left in that tiny country. How did they survive? They don’t think of themselves as heroes— just the Catholic remnant of a country long ago annexed by the Soviet Union. In nearly every country in the world, such sons of David still stand in mighty Goliath’s path, readying their slings, praying their beads, confident that in the end the Immaculate Heart of Mary—not the New World Order—will triumph.

As that infernal Order rises up so too does the remnant. And unless the world ends first, it appears that even The Remnant newspaper will survive 2010 when it should have been driven out of business months ago. Mr. Potter lost this fight, even if the rematch is scheduled for 2011. And what a rematch it’s shaping up to be.

The Obama Administration has reportedly begun shutting down websites it doesn’t like. The Police State has come out in full view, “keeping us safe” in our nation’s airports. Catholic newspapers such as The Remnant have been targeted by the same leftist organization that this month added the Family Research Council—one of the most powerful pro-family and pro-life organizations in Washington—to its list of “hate groups”. Yes, the infamous Southern Poverty Law Center is still at it, only now they have an official representative “advising” Mr. Obama’s Department of Homeland Security. No wonder grandmothers are being assaulted in the airports! Bullying is what these people do best. It’s all part of the dehumanization process so chillingly described in George Orwell’s 1984.

Together with the ADL, the neo-fascist SPLC continues its relentless campaign to eradicate Christianity from the face of the earth, while millions of clueless Christians busy themselves day and night posting photos, funnies and feedback on Facebook, God help us!

Obviously, this isn’t going away. But neither is the Catholic resistance, God willing. Here at The Remnant, we’ve spent the last couple of years developing countermeasures which include: 1) Reducing The Remnant’s dependence on the Internet, which sooner or later will be under total government control. 2) Uniting with magazine editors, homeschool organizations, webmasters, publishers and activists to form a Catholic defense network that will not be bullied into silence. Over the past year, for example, I’ve had meetings with Catholics in France, Austria, Italy, Canada, Estonia and several U.S. States—each offering renewed confidence that the remnants of Catholic civilization are banding together and will not be silenced.

So, in fact we do have a plan of counterattack, which, along with plenty of prayer and hard work, seems to be paying off. The only thing The Remnant still desperately needs if it’s to continue defending the truth and “uniting the Catholic clans” is a little assistance from you.

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To that end, I would ask readers to please take advantage of our Christmas special: $25 for one new gift subscription and $45 for two gift subscriptions. There’s no faster way to expand The Remnant than through the purchase of a gift subscriptions for family, friends, priests, etc. And there’s still time to order before Christmas.

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If every reader of The Remnant were to become an actual subscriber our mail list would triple in size. To help jump start it we’re offering a six-month introductory subscription for just $15. This might also be an attractive gift idea for those who have friends on the verge of becoming traditional Catholics. For just $15 you can now introduce them to The Remnant for six months.

The Church and the Libertarian

If you haven’t already, please order a copy of our latest book  The Church and the Libertarian  by Christopher Ferrara. This book has received rave reviews even far beyond traditionalist circles. It removes the blindfold where politics and economics are concerned, and posits Catholic social teaching as the answer not only to the world’s spiritual problems, but also to the crisis in economics. It would be a great Christmas gift, and it’s available for just $28 from The Remnant (P&H included).

Holding the Stirrup

Another title available at a reduced rate is Holding the Stirrup by Baroness Elisabeth von Guttenberg, which tells the true story of German Catholic resistance to the Nazi Third Reich. As tour guide Jamie Bogle read excerpts from Holding the Stirrup to the Remnant group in Austria this past spring, there wasn’t a dry eye on the bus, so moving is its testimony. The Baroness was a friend of Bavarian stigmatist, Therese Neumann; and the chapters on the mystic are well worth the purchase price, as are those dealing with Guttenberg’s beloved cousin Klaus von Stauffenberg, the Catholic officer who led the failed attempt to assassinate Adolf Hitler (memorialized in the Tom Cruise film Valkyrie). This magnificent book sells for $25, but as part of our Christmas incentive, we’re offering it for just $20. Again, a great Christmas gift, even (or perhaps especially) for young adults.

The Beauty of Thy House

We’re also offering a special rate on Mark Alessio’s masterful work in honor of Our Lady—The Beauty of Thy House, enthusiastically reviewed by noted Catholic writer Charles Coulombe. Order your copy for just $20. Again, P&H is included.

The Remnant Foundation

And please remember The Remnant Foundation. A tax deductible gift is the best way to ensure The Remnant’s survival. As a family-owned business, our overhead is comparatively low, which means your donation will be applied directly to the expansion of the Remnant apostolate—whether through the newspaper itself, the book publishing division, or the RemnantOnline. Not one penny will be applied to anything other than the Catholic restoration project. Please click the Donate link below to help.

Bottom line, our doors remained open in 2010, but just barely. Our writers and staff have no intention of calling it quits, but if this Catholic press apostolate is to see 2012 we’ll need help. With your prayers and generous assistance, along with God’s grace, The Remnant will continue to fight the good fight, regardless of the strength of the opposition. Please give us a hand.

I wish you a fruitful and holy Advent.