Long before anarchists arrogated his image, I have been fascinated by Guy Fawkes. Fawkes, the English Catholic soldier, was a member of the “Gunpowder Plot” in which King James and the various members of Parliament were to be blown up: it has been a source of interest for hundreds and hundreds of years to people everywhere. Fawkes was captured on November 5, 1605 and the Gunpowder Plot was derailed prior to delivering its blow. The people of Great Britain celebrate “the Fifth of November” every year as a sort of Independence Day by shooting off fireworks and burning Fawkes in effigy. The only independence that was cemented on that day was the English nation’s continued estrangement from the Roman Catholic Church. Why would anyone want to celebrate the torture and execution of a man whose goal was to restore England to its rightful place among Christian nations? I celebrate November 5th -- not for his capture -- but for his moxie. I may (or may not) agree with his tactics, but who can argue with his goals? And he was no terrorist: the target was decidedly political.
Because of the “celebrations” of November 5th each year, the effigy and likeness of Fawkes has lived on -- indeed, he is far more recognizable in effigy that almost any other sixteenth century figure. This likeness has been used in recent times in fiction and in real life to represent those shadowy figures who hate organized government and want to make havoc for us -- the middle class. There is an irony that a Catholic and English patriot (a reactionary by any measure) is now the face of anarchy but these are the nonsensical times in which we live. Guy’s image lives on among the more violent types hanging about the various “Occupy Wall Street” gatherings. Perhaps that is fitting on some level as we are slaves to a distorted monied cabal that is, at its very core, at war with the Catholic state.
On this day, when the now bankrupt (morally and fiscally) Brits blast off fireworks to celebrate his death, I pay homage to this solider. I pray for this soul in this holy month of November -- perhaps he already among the blessed but he may also be in need of prayers to speed him on his purgatorial path towards the beatific vision. Guy Fawkes may have been many things, but he was courageous and he was a true believer from everything I have been able to study. And what has England gained in its four hundred year experiment with Protestantism? It is a state in which Christianity is soon to be outnumbered by Muslims. It is a state that was once known for its collective piety and is now known for its bawdy television programs and alcoholism. It is a state that was also once known for its manners and is now a state known for its drunken hooligans. Truly, whatever conservative element is left in the U.K. should recognize that the path to national recovery must begin with an embrace of the ancestral religion.
Guy Fawkes, pray for your Motherland. Pray that she will rise again as a Catholic nation.
Christendom, pray for Guy Fawkes and his fellow fallen compatriots.
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