The Return to Order Moment

What does it mean to say that a man was “a warrior against himself?” The concept is one that is entirely absent in our modern world which teaches us that the most important interest is our own. However, this meditation on the life of Saint Peter Orseo-lo by Professor Plinio Correa de Olivera carries a message that is diametrically opposite to that of the modern world. In it, we see a man who set o...

We live in a cynical world. We are surrounded by those who try to pretend that evil is good – and that the evil that they do is even better. Our leaders do not lead us. They try to figure out what we want and then try to convince us that they want it, too. We are surrounded by people who say that they want to help us, but are only willing to do so if they are paid for their help. We are bombarded...

Often, a light bulb that is about to expire gives a very brief moment of bright light before the darkness comes. Such an occasion may be an appropriate analogy for the woke movement. On one level, wokeness has never appeared stronger. On the other, there are signs that it is losing its potency to dictate the policies of the future. Listeners who wise to read the essays in their original format may...

Years ago, Hollywood was often called “tinsel town.” This refereed to its ability to make something that was artificial appear real. They make their money selling illusions. One of Hollywood’s favorite phrases is “push the envelope.” In other words, the goal is to produce something that is even more shocking than that which came before. However, Hollywood has pushed the envelope as far as possible...

Until recent years, the ability to understand and explain the arguments of an opponent was vital to participation in the public debate. Without such an understanding, an advocate for a position said ridiculous things that prevented them from being taken seriously. Those who promote the positions collectively called woke are proud of their inability to understand their opponents’ arguments. To them...

Of all of the unfortunate aspects of modern life, the style of architecture known as brutalism is, perhaps, the least humane. This podcast defines and examines this horrible trend - one that may be returning. It pays special attention to the soul-destroying nature of brutalism. Listeners who wish to read the essays in their original format may use the following links: https://www.returntoorder.org...

This episode of the Return to Order Moment looks at a modern-day controversy that should be no controversy at all. For centuries, Western Culture accepted masculinity and feminity without question. Such is the nature of humanity that most other cultures accepted it as well. However, the leftist “deconstruction” of society has proceeded so far that it questions the basic building blocks of civiliza...

Despite several clear warnings against Homosexual sin in the Bible, many groups that call themselves religious race to conform to the demands of the LGBT movement. The Catholic Church has resisted. This resistance has earned Catholics the enmity of these so-called activists. These social revolutionaries control most of the media. This combination has sparked a new and very overt form of anti-Catho...

Erratum: At the beginning of the podcast, Mr. Benson refers to "Saint John Hunyadi. While John Hunyadi was a great hero of the medieval Church, he was never canonized as a saint. Our apologies. The nature of today’s Return to Order Moment will, we hope, make leftists react in despair – or at least dismay. This tale will make their hair stand on end, their stomachs to become queasy, and make them s...

Despite their protests to the contrary, there can be little doubt that leftists are targeting America’s children. The evidence is all around us, and the list of offenses against childhood innocence is too long to list here. This episode of the Return to Order Moment focuses on the ways that Christian parents, grandparents, and others should react to the left’s outrageous behavior. Listeners who wi...

Listen to the political dialogue that passes for news, and you will soon hear someone call for “responsive government.” The idea behind the well-worn phrase is simple. One of the virtues of republican government is its ability to respond to the needs and desires of the people who are, presumably, the source of its authority. Unfortunately, in the modern age, government is inclined to resist the pe...

China is a favorite topic of journalists, broadcasters, and pundits. Usually, the conversation revolves around the topic of growing Chinese power. Inevitably, that subject develops into a discussion China’s threat to the rest of the world. Many of those discussions center around the personality of China’s current leader, Xi Jinping. Xi makes no secret of his ambitions. At the same time, he is very...

For centuries, academics taught that the terms “medieval” and “dark ages” could be used interchangeably. One meant the other and vice versa. According to these scholars, the world of the Roman Empire was marvelous. As the Empire fell, the superstitions of the Catholic Church prevailed. Only with the Renaissance did the lights of scholarship shine once again. This version of history was never true,...

On March 13, 2013, Jorge Cardinal Bergoglio became Pope Francis. At first, his election was viewed with approval by most Catholics. The idea of a non-European pope appealed to those who thought that the Church needed to accept new points of view. His decision to live in a Vatican guest house rather than the Papal Apartments made him appear to be humble. Pictures of the broadly smiling pope soon ap...

Every day, the modern-day left works to insinuate their ways into all of our lives. That statement sounds alarmist, but we at the Return to Order Moment are ready to back that statement up with specific information. That is the goal of today’s podcast. We see it all around us - abortion, pornography, Satanism, transgender tyranny, euthanasia, and hundreds of other ways. Listeners who wish to read...

As this podcast goes live, we are on the verge of one of the most exceptional days in the Church year, the Ascension of Our Lord into Heaven forty days after Easter. The Ascension fills us with hope. All believers base their lives around the desire that their souls will eventually follow Our Lord into heaven. Mr. Gustavo Solimeo spoke of that hope in this essay, published in Crusade Magazine in Ma...

Natural Law is an often misunderstood concept. Much of that misunderstanding is deliberate. Leftists do not want to understand or consider it. In this essay, Mr. John Horvat considers and explains the reasons that leftists fear and are repulsed by the ideas behind Natural Law. Listeners who wish to read the essay in its original format may use this link - https://www.returntoorder.org/2023/05/why-...

Humanity stands at a precipice. Many have already given their lives into the control of their devices. Our computers and cell phones organize our thoughts, keep track of our schedules, and mechanize our communications with others. The keys to this process appear to be convenience and amusement. Modern people seem unable to tolerate moments of inactivity – even the body and mind’s natural needs for...

For many Americans, the mention of Vladimir Putin brings one of three images to mind. First, there is the voice of George Bush the younger saying, “I looked the man in the eye. I was able to get a sense of his soul.” The second is then-Secretary of State Hillary Clinton offering Putin a cheap plastic “Reset Button.” The third is then-President Obama telling Putin’s associate Dmitri Medvedev that “...

Modern Americans have a complicated relationship with the idea of leadership. We understand instinctively what good leadership is, but that understanding conflicts with our mistaken ideas about equality. At the same time, we enjoy pointing to the mistakes of those in leadership over us – whether that person be a shift supervisor in a convenience store or the President of the United States. So, we...

Pope Francis and his supporters are engaged in a feverish attempt to change the Catholic Church before they pass away and a more traditionalist generation assumes control of the Church. This podcast considers the roles played by Pope Francis and two of his closest allies within the Church in the United States. Cardinals McElroy of San Diego and Cupich of Chicago. Those who wish to examine Mr. Soli...

When Russia attacked the Ukraine on February 24, 2022, there was a wide-spread consensus that the United States should assist the beleaguered nation. Much of that consensus has dissolved. Today, there is a good deal of controversy concerning the United States’ role in the War in the Ukraine. That controversy is unusual in that it cuts across normal party and ideological lines. You can find conserv...

Holy Week is often a difficult time for Christians who need to live their lives in a largely secular society. On one level, we know that this is the most important week of the year. It is a time when our Lenten disciplines reach a crescendo. At the same time, it seems that everyone around us is living their normal lives – and they expect that we are doing the same thing. So, then, how do we observ...

As God created our first parents in the Garden of Eden, He said, “Let us make man to our image and likeness: and let him have dominion over the fishes of the sea, and the fowls of the air, and the beasts, and the whole earth, and every creeping creature that moveth upon the earth. And God created man to his own image: to the image of God he created him: male and female he created them. And God ble...

Complain about the nature and content of a movie, and someone is almost sure to complain, “Get over it. It’s just a movie!” That reaction emphasizes the fact that few people think about the effects of the movie industry on society. The Movie industry’s larger-than-life images take on a power all their own. It also trivializes real dangers. In Hollywood’s make-believe world, all situations can be r...