American Marxism: No Justice, No Peace

A New York City police officer reflects on the Culture War in which the police are on the front line and which is increasingly becoming a hot war.

From One Peter Five

By Charles Cadenas

One would be well within his rights to wonder why a cop would ever use in his title a phrase more commonly associated with the Marxist group of criminals known as “Black Lives Matter” (BLM) to make a point, so allow me to explain.

I readily admit the truth of the principle: St. Thomas teaches that peace is the fruit of justice. The obvious difference is how one defines justice – the Catholic conception and the Marxist conception are diametrically opposed.

This reality was made manifest on the occasion of the funerals of slain NYPD Officers (now Detectives, posthumously) Wilbert Mora and Jason Rivera. I had the honor of attending Det. Rivera’s funeral, but was back on patrol for Det. Mora’s.

Anyone familiar with New York City knows that 5th Avenue is one of the loudest and busiest around. We arrived in the snow and shut it down to complete silence with a sea of blue thousands strong, honoring our fallen brother. We listened to the heart-wrenching speech of his widow, came to attention, and gave him one last salute as the casket went by. For fellow traditionalists a pleasant (if such a day can be pleasant) surprise was hearing the silence pierced by the Requiem Aeternum chanted by the choir as he left St. Patrick’s Cathedral. It is incredible what even one small echo of tradition can do in an otherwise non-traditional rite, for I know chills went down many spines at that moment besides my own, and not because of the cold. It’s a moment I’ll never forget.

I’ll also never forget what else I heard that day and afterwards.

Empty platitudes from traitorous politicians, utter contempt and vilification from social elites, and scorn and ridicule from the hoi polloi.

See Mayor Eric Adams: “We reflect on his bravery. We remember his sacrifice. We will protect our city.” How is that going to work when your officers are under the most ridiculous constraints in using force, and under the current bail reform system? Or when you wanted them to be the jackboots for a tyrannical medical regime; at its worst resulting in the arrest of a minor for failing to produce a vaccine ID card? Or enforcement of mask mandates? And more gun control rhetoric? Really?

Here’s more: Susan Sarandon and Democrat Assemblywoman Yuh-Lin Niou comparing us to Nazis and fascists on Twitter for our show of solidarity, and the latter calling us a health risk for not wearing masks.

And then there’s NYC “actress” Jacqueline Guzman saying the following in a TikTok video: “We do not need to shut down most of Lower Manhattan because one cop died for probably doing his job incorrectly. They kill people who are under 22 every single day for no good reason and we don’t shut down the city for them.”

That this sentiment is fairly widespread amongst our countrymen is probably breaking news to nobody, but here’s the bottom line: this occasion illustrates that we are already in a cold civil war in the United States with witting or unwitting Marxists who do not share our beliefs, values, or morals, and who despise us. True – not every one of my fellow officers in that crowd are devout, practicing Catholics. But even today, approximately 75% of the members of the 35,000 strong NYPD are baptized. If we want to legitimately contest the growing darkness that is not at all interested in “dialogue,” is disgusted by our remaining presence on earth, and would prefer to blot us out completely, we cannot neglect the role of this demographic in the battle.

The Marxist’s concept of justice is the worship of the self, the public promotion of chaos and vice, indulgence towards sin and criminals, and the right to remake reality itself in their own image. Their justice is man making himself god, not God made Man. It is the spirit of antichrist.

What does this have to do with us, the Mystical Body? Well, what is our concept of justice?

We ought to say with the Church that justice is rendering to each their due; starting of course with Almighty God.

Do we really give Him that? We owe the Blessed Trinity, in justice, our whole lives. Not only did He create us from nothing to share with us His infinite happiness, but He is constantly holding us in existence such that if for one split second, He forgot us, we would instantly return to the nothingness from whence we came. Is this profound reality truly as impactful on our life as it should be? It is far too easy to give Him His due on Sunday, and live more conveniently for ourselves the rest of the week. Especially in a world where it is so difficult to infuse the Christian spirit into our work and our relationships, surrounded as they are by the flood of modern paganism.

The above does not even begin to address how much further we are in debt to Him for our Redemption from sin, for which Our Lord Jesus Christ died the most heinous of deaths, paying the price with every last drop of His Precious Blood.

We also owe a just due to our fellow men; as the Apostle John says: “If any man say, I love God, and hateth his brother; he is a liar. For he that loveth not his brother, whom he seeth, how can he love God, whom he seeth not?” (1 Jn 4:20).

We must oppose their justice, with ours: worship of God above all things, public promotion of virtue and charity, punishment of sin and criminals (the charitable anathema for the common, and their own good), and the duty to recapitulate all reality in Christ. Our justice is the divinization of man and society through grace, not man making himself God. Are we willing to bleed for this, as He did?

So what do we owe people like those listed above who hate us? We owe them the fiercest and holiest resistance we can possibly give them, so that God might use us to humble His enemies and bring them to nought, for that is what sin and evil deserve – punishment. Nobody can convert without humility. Sometimes it takes a crushing defeat to bring someone to repentance and humility. Ultimately, conquering them would not only be good for the public suffering from their iniquitous rulership or perverse ideologies, and good because it delivers retributive justice upon the wicked, but it would actually also be good for the perpetrators themselves. Refusing to resist by all legitimate means would be a false mercy. We do not owe them merely tough talk, we owe action. What that means concretely for each person reading this is going to be different, but I trust your judgment and the guidance of the Holy Ghost for what it will be. For us cops, it means approaching our work with a renewed fire and zeal. It means administering the justice of God in spite of all the obstacles thrown at us by perverse laws and policies, and conquering His enemies. It means recognizing that on every call for service, we are interacting with people created by God – even if they are not members of the Mystical Body (and thus requiring we treat them as we would treat Christ as far as is possible) they potentially could be, and we ought to try in whatever small ways we can to rescue them from the snares of the devil. We should do it all with the joy of Christian soldiers, who laugh at death and who’s treasures are laid up in heaven.

If we hope to be able to do this, we must of course first give God His due. It is bitter, but we must realize that quite often we get the leaders and the culture we deserve. Our Blessed Lady came down at Fatima to warn us of what would come should we not be converted and do penance – war, suffering, persecutions of the Church, and souls falling into hellfire that otherwise might not have. She did also promise a triumph, but one that would come late. In light of recent events, it appears the consecration of Russia may have happened as she asked, and the much hoped for triumph may be beginning. Without claiming any certainty, one can be optimistic: hoping heaven will honor in some fashion even an imperfect consecration as has been seen in the past.

Regardless, this is no time to watch from the sidelines.

I’m hereby raising the hue and cry: let’s redouble our efforts, confident heaven has heard us and is still listening. Our country and the Church need us. Do penance; make reparation to the Immaculate and Sacred Hearts. Many in our days will still refuse to repent and bring down judgment upon the United States, unless our penance and conversion outdoes their sin. “Where sin hath abounded, grace did more abound” (Romans 5:20). All, no matter one’s profession, can expiate for the sins of our nation and begin restoring the order of justice, so that our country can have peace. As for the punishment of these criminals, that, my brothers in blue, is up to us.

We will not have peace and the reign of Christ our King by Mary’s Immaculate heart, until we do so. “And my people, upon whom my name is called, being converted, shall make supplication to me, and seek out my face, and do penance for their most wicked ways: then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sins and will heal their land.” (2 Paralipomenon 7:14).

Such would truly honor the memory of Det. Mora and Det. Rivera – please keep them and all their own as part of your intentions, that “as sin hath reigned to death; so also grace might reign by justice unto life everlasting, through Jesus Christ our Lord.” (Romans 5:21)

As a final note: it’s no secret that the police especially have become a target for both the political right and the left. The left for obvious reasons, but now the right also because unfortunately, there have been too many incidents of police cooperating in imposing the “Great Reset” worldwide and some dereliction of duty during the summer of riots in 2020. Such actions are a stain on the reputation of what was known as one of “the noble professions.” All I can say is that perhaps now more than ever, we need your prayers and sacrifices.

It seems much of the future hinges on what the military, police, and other first responder classes of society will do in regards to the metastasized corruption in western countries. It is only by divine grace that we will be able to fulfill our duties as we ought. Do not give up on us now, but pray for our conversion. We need it.