By Julian Kwasniewski

But first a note: from Robert Royal: Brad Miner's rich account yesterday of art in Rome and today's somewhat light-hearted recommendations for what to do in this silly season in the Church remind us that, though we are always in a spiritual battle and confronted with serious controversies, we have to live as a redeemed people for whom God's goodness, truth, and beauty are still present in our world. At The Catholic Thing, we've always strived to bring you that fullness of the Faith without neglecting more painful matters. You can click here, for instance, to listen to our latest podcast with Francis X. Maier on the U.S. bishops' annual meeting last week.

And while you're at it, please don't forget also to click the Donate button. We're in the midst of our year-end fundraising. And it's up to you whether we can continue to bring you the full range of things we do in the coming year. It's easy. Fast. Tax-deductible. Just a click. Do it. - Robert Royal When not in Rome, don't do as the Romans do. Even when in Rome (these days), don't do as the Romans do. The recent Synod ought to have at least temporarily disproved the old adage, which came from St. Ambrose's advice on fasting, which eventually became a maxim of ecclesiastical law.

And now Mr. Kwasniewski's column.

These days, however, I'm sure St. Ambrose would have a different opinion. Nearly fifty years ago, John Senior described how the faithful were struggling "in the face of an indescribable silliness" in the Church. What he would say of the Synod's deliberations.

Silliness, according to the Oxford English Dictionary, is used to describe persons "lacking in judgement or common sense," who are "characterized by ridiculous or frivolous behaviour," and whose actions might have "a comical appearance" and cause "amusement or derision."

The Synod seems to be a tour de force of what it means when an assembly is "lacking in judgement or common sense," whose actions cause "amusement or derision." Yet for all the bellyaching of the conservative media - most certainly justified - what do we, in fact, do?

Because at the end of the day, the silliness is not at all harmless: it's parasitic, as Randall Smith so nicely pointed out in his submissive updating.

So what do we do, on the ground, when parasitic silliness isn't just "what's done" in Rome but might be forced down our own throats? In fact, what do we do when the "discerning" of the synod turns into deciding "what it means to be Catholic now"?

Turns out that "what it means" is that "anything you can discern, I can discern better." Why? Well, because you believe the truth is relative, while I've got tradition - and logic - on my side.

So, on the ground, here are seven things we can do to fight off the parasitic discernment-deciding which seems to want us to rob us of our humanity and Catholicity. In fact, I have a "synod checklist" for what I've discerned is the silliness we need today.

Number 1: Practice subversive acts of kindness.

You know, like telling people that truth is an absolute, and buying them coffee, and even praying for them. I love the idea of accompaniment. . .with a twist: accompaniment to beauty. What if we were to accompany people to the symphony, to the art gallery, to the Scott Hahn reading group, or adoration chapel?

Number 2: Pray some cozily archaic and rigid prayers.

Speaking of prayer, it's high time we brought back our favorite little Divine Office books, said some Rosaries, and maybe even do a Novena. Wouldn't hurt if it were in Latin. Or Greek. Or Old Church Slavonic. Or even from the Book of Common Prayer. All tastes are welcome here. This isn't to say formulas are the only way to pray; but they exist for good reason.

Number 3: Read some dodgy books.

The mind needs exercise, and won't always recognize truth if it doesn't see evil as well. So it's time to go to your bookstore and purchase some dodgy literature by authors like Machiavelli, Rousseau, Nietzsche, and Orwell. While you...