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Guardini, in his book The End of the Modem Age, commented on the decline of humanity and conceived of it as the downfall of Westem culture. He saw it as an inevitable fate, as a process which we cannot stop. His main concern was how the Church will survive this collapse of mankind, in what form and manner.
But we would like to emphasize once again in the face of this apocalyptic decline of humanity that it is not an inevitable fate, that it can be avoided with God's help by the free intervention of those who see clearly that mankind is on the precipice, and that it is not, as the false prophet Teilhard de Chardin claimed, moving toward Christ the Omega Point in a magnificent process of evolution. It is high time that an ecology of the spiritual realm even on the natural level unmask this terrible error.
But above all, has Christ not redeemed mankind? Can He not halt this hastening toward the precipice by intervening in a way in which we cannot conceive of, but which we may hope for? And let us not forget how many magnificent things still do exist, that the message of God in the sun-filled heavens and in the beauty of nature still survives. Do we not, even today, still meet noble, pure persons, whose being radiates a light which makes us rejoice, men in whom a deep faith, a true love for Christ is alive? Indeed, are there not many saints even today?
No, the terrible decline of humanity, the whole, advancing dehumanization should certainly bring the gravity and seriousness of the situation before our eyes, but our response must not be despair, nor even discouragement, but rather a strengthened faith, an unconquerable hope, a stronger love — and the knowledge of the superhuman task of the holy Church: to save humanity — or at least her own children — from this downfall.
Is our life not a status viae, a state of pilgrimage? Is not hope the fundamental attitude which is characteristic of our status viae? The essence of the status viae is to be directed towards the point of arrival, the status termini, looking toward this with hope. This upward glance does not make us dull and indifferent to that which occurs in the status viae, and to our tasks and duties here. On the contrary, the prospect of eternity, for which we hope, grants us not only true wakefulness to take each moment of our lives seriously, but also the perspective of the true hierarchy of all natural goods, it is this view of things which protects us from viewing the horror of the present downfall as something final and inevitable; for the overwhelming reality of eternity gives us strength, courage, and hope to fight against this downfall.
And above all, we must pray that humanity, instead of hastening towards the precipice, return to true values. But this is only possible if the vineyard of the Lord blossoms anew. And therefore we must storm heaven with the prayer that the spirit of a St. Pius X might once again fill the hierarchy, that the great word anathema sit might once again ring out against all heretics and especially against all the members of the “fifth column” within the Church. “Exsurge, quare obdormis, Domine; quare jaciem tuam avertis, oblivisceris lribulationem nostram?” (“Arise, why dost Thou sleep, O Lord? Why dost Thou turn Thy countenance from us and forget our tribulation?”) Ps. 43, 23-25. Yes, let us urgently beseech God that the vineyard of the Lord be restored to its full glory — let us be filled with the hope which is expressed in the words of St. Anselm: “In te, Domine, speravi: non confundar in aetemum!” (“In Thee, O Lord, have I trusted: let me not be confounded in eternity!”)
