In an interview with Carl E. Olson, Dr. Angelo Codevilla, author of the book, The Ruling Class, said:

“The ruling class are society’s ‘ins.’ This class comprises persons in government, those who depend for their livelihoods on government, and whose socio-economic prospects and hopes are founded on government. Thus, it includes most people in the educational establishment, the media, and large corporations. Its leading elements and its major voting constituencies are the Democratic party. But it transcends political parties because any number of Republicans aspire to its privileges and share its priorities.

 

Above all, the ruling class defines itself by a set of attitudes, foremost of which is contempt for those outside itself. This contempt stems from the rather uniform education that the ruling class’s members absorbed from universities and which they developed by living in their subculture. Believing themselves intelligent apostles of scientific truth, they regard others as dumb and in the grip of religious obscurantism. Religion is the greatest of the divides between the ruling class and those it deems its inferiors. Whereas they believe themselves morally good and psychologically sound, they regard others as suffering from psychological dysfunctions and phobias – effectively as bad people. The ruling class does not believe that those outside itself have the right or capacity to conduct their own lives.”

The rest of us, often described as the “country class” or, as the 2016 Democratic presidential candidate called us, “deplorables,” comprise most of our country. Nevertheless, the secular religion of the ruling class has captured virtually all the sources of influence: the media, Hollywood, TV, universities, public schools, etc. At the same time, unfortunately, many religious leaders seem to be tripping over themselves with shameless attempts to ingratiate themselves with this secular religion’s high priests.

In today’s culture, this elitism has seemed to take control, as speech or conduct contrary to the agenda of the elites is suppressed with threats:  threats against reputation, employment, property, and even one’s physical safety. Let’s call it what it is: They are bullies. Operating from moral relativism, which proclaims the end always justifies the means, everything – EVERYTHING! – is on the table for accomplishing the elites’ goal of gaining complete power and control.

Elitism is the temptation of every human being, and we have all recognized it as early as our childhood days when the so-called “cool kids” on the playground would exert their superiority, often by ridiculing those they deemed as “beneath” them. The temptation is to compromise, surrender, or even join ranks with these elites of our day. No! Jesus calls us to be the “mighty influencers” of our culture, to be “disrupters.” We are called not to promote the selfish “establishment” and their power-hungry and godless agenda, but to promote the virtues, morals, values, and ethics of God’s kingdom.

The influence of the elites is strong and, in many ways, we have grown weak. More than any other time, WE NEED EACH OTHER! We need to become UNIFIED! We need to do all we can to spend as much time as possible with others who are striving to GET STRONG in the virtues of God’s Kingdom. Proverbs 27:17 says, “Iron sharpens iron, so one man sharpens another.”

Parishes were always meant to be these epicenters of unity and strength. Parishes simply must work to be the best possible “spiritual gymnasiums” they can be, where those who attend are encouraged, challenged, and instructed in all the ways to become “strong in the Lord and in His mighty power” (Ephesians 6:10). Parishes must be places where we find fellow Catholics who “spur one another on toward love and good deeds” (Hebrews 10:24).

I’m sure you are, like me, long past tired of the ruling class’s mob claiming the moral high ground with their demonically influenced secular religion. It’s high time for all of us to become a force to be reckoned with, UNITED in our resolve to GET STRONG in God’s mighty power!