Notre Dame Response

ND vs. USC…CB

 

In 1977, the Notre Dame Fighting Irish defeated the University of Southern California Trojans in an epic battle. It was literally epic, because the Irish came out of a wooden horse, took the field and defeated the enemy. Now they are fighting again, but this time against a more formidable and eternal opponent. And let’s hope they lose, or rather, that they win, for to win this battle, they must lose it.

This is World Non-famous reporter Nate Gotcher. Today I’m following the interesting and controversial story of President Barack Obama’s visit to the University of Notre Dame and the student response commonly known as NDResponse.

            Now, the controversy doesn’t arise from the fact that President Obama is visiting Notre Dame, but rather that he is speaking at the commencement and receiving an honorary Law degree from the self-same University. But of course, you all know all this, since it has been covered pretty thoroughly by the media…or maybe you don’t.

            The focus in the media for the past couple of weeks has been on the Pro-life activists coming to South Bend and Notre Dame to protest Obama’s visit. Yes, NDResponse has been mentioned, but the focus in the media for the past couple of weeks has been on the Pro-life activists coming to South Bend and Notre Dame to protest Obama’s visit. Sorry to be redundant, but I feel your pain. From Randall Terry and his groupies of radicals to other activist groups, they are not necessarily in my good graces. Now I myself am a Pro-life activist. I went to the March for Life 2009 in Washington, and was sincerely impressed and inspired.

            All right…before I go on, I have to say this. True, the Life issues are the most important, and I could get into that, but won’t at this time. The main point is that this is more than the abortion/embryonic stem cell issue, and in fact I’d say almost a different issue all together. And this is where the outside radicals get kind of over the top.

            Yes, Obama is Pro-choice. Yes, he is for embryonic stem cell research. Yes, we as Catholics disapprove and do not want to condone his political views on such subjects, but why specifically do we not want him at the University of Notre Dame giving commencement speeches and receiving degrees? Because the bishops said so, duh, to use a somewhat colloquial term. Yes, the reason they don’t want him there is because of these issues, but for goodness sake, they don’t want him there.

            This is a Catholic issue, it really doesn’t extend out of the realms of the Church, because why would any one else care if we listened to our bishops? Except out of some sort of misplaced regard for obedience to authority or order. Or maybe they just feel sorry for us poor shepherdless Catholics. Didn’t some pope say that the Church was Apostolic, namely under the guidance of the Apostles and their successors? Or is that one of the Marks of the Church found in the Nicene Creed?

            The main thing is that as a Catholic University, Notre Dame is part of the Church and ought to act like it. Some say that they don’t need outsiders defining their mission, and I’d agree if they were talking about Randall Terry, but if they’re talking about the Church, they’re sadly mistaken since they’re kind of in  the Church, thus their mission should be that of the Church.

            A Catholic University should bring the light of the Truth of Christ to the world as only a University can, but if they can’t even follow the Magisterium, where the heck are they going to come up with the Truth of Christ? They can’t share that which they don’t have themselves. In fact, I’d almost go as far as to say that this is a schismatic move, breaking from the hierarchy just as Luther did. What do we need popes and bishops for? I dunno, ask Jesus. He’s the one that built his Church on fallible humans.

            So what if the bishops, as fallible humans, are wrong? Well, I ask you, what if? How are you supposed to know? Are you going to doubt, or trust Jesus when he put these men in charge that they will guide us along the right paths and that things will turn out. I put my faith in the bishops and so I don’t want Obama at ND giving speeches and getting degrees. The bishops say no, so I say NO.

 

Go IRISH!!!!!