Posts Tagged ‘notre dame’

The Notre Dame Scandal reminded me of this story…

Posted: March 5, 2010 by datechguy in catholic, personal
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Years ago I knew a local priest he was an ND Alum and fiercely proud of it, he was known for a tone of speech that just reeked of intellect. I always liked him. He had been particularly kind to me and my then fiancee in a tough spot involving our marriage. His reassurance made our lives easier and I’ve never forgotten it.

About 15 years ago I went to him for advice on a family matter that conflicted with Church teaching. His advice frankly surprised me but he was the priest so I took it. It turned out to be pretty poor advice and I’ve regretted it greatly over the last few years to the point where I felt I needed confession for taking it.

There are times when a Priest can be too empathetic. By looking at a situation from a worldly perspective rather than from the damage of sin a priest can do more harm than good. What must be remembered is that the job of the church is to interdict sin for the sake of the soul. Once one gets in the habit of excusing it then it becomes easier and easier. I would imagine it is a regular temptation that any priest or religious must face.

It reminded me of the UK TV show Cracker staring Robbie Coltrane. There was an episode where a woman due to guilt over an abortion combined with her husband’s frequenting prostitutes set her on a killing spree of hookers. When confronted by the priest she talked about how to tore her to get her abortion particularly since there WAS enough money to support another child if the husband wasn’t spending it on women. The priest interjected that he had been supportive of the decision to abort and the character of the woman said something that stuck with me and still does:

“I didn’t need you to be supportive, I needed you to tell me NO!”

A lot of times in life we know what the right thing is but it is very hard to do it. We don’t want to face the music or the sin in question is one of our favorites, or it involves something we really want badly. The sacrament of confession allows us both the Sacramental support of Christ in resisting sin but gives us the human reinforcement of the priest to keep us in the right direction. If one goes regularly that reinforcement is even stronger.

Saying no to oneself is one of the most difficult tasks a person has. When the church helps one do this it is a source of sanctifying grace. When it chooses to go with the flow for the sake of ease it not only harms the person in question it harms the entire body of Christ.

This is why this type of thing is so bad. Temptation is always around us, it is the Church’s job to help us resist rather than take the easy way out (giving in). As Christians we owe it not only to ourselves but to others to help resist things we know are wrong no matter how much they might feel right at the time. At times it can be a rough duty, but as we must carry it.

That is the difference in a nutshell between the narrow path and the wide one.

Choose wisely!

Update: Miss Attila Gets it.

Liberalism is all about the free exchange of views…

Posted: March 4, 2010 by datechguy in catholic, internet/free speech
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…unless those views make the wrong people uncomfortable.

It this was a secular organization that would be bad enough but that it is Notre Dame it boggles the mind. The quote from American Papist seems apt:

“Truly the late great Professor Ralph McInerny was correct in his styling of Notre Dame’s ‘truly vulgar lust’ to be accepted by the secular academy and the secular world.”

Read the e-mail exchange and the column that it was over. If it column sounds familiar if you read this blog it should be, and his logical conclusion is the same secular argument that I’ve been making for years on the subject:

Personally on a religious level I can’t support gay marriage but this is not a valid argument for a non-religious person. On a non-religious level it seems to me you can not rationally say that gay marriage is ok and should be legal without also allowing either polygamy and incest between consenting adults. Both have a longer and more accepted cultural history worldwide.

And PLEASE don’t give me the “ick” factor argument about these other things being accepted. Ick is just an argument about culture. It is the same argument that one would have heard concerning gay marriage less that 20 years ago. It is particularly galling when gay people are subject to state sponsored murder in places like Iran and ick is invoked beside Islam.

It is a pet peeve of mine when Catholic institutions try to apologize for being Catholic or run away from Catholic teaching or raise money touting their Catholicism while downplaying it in person. It disgusts me. If you want to be Protestant, be Protestant, if you want to be secular be secular, but don’t pretend to be Catholic when you are not.

Let’s finish with two quotes: The First from Professor’s Rice’s letter of response:

In a university that claims to be Catholic, I am not willing to restrict my presentation of Catholic teaching to a format that treats the authoritative teaching of the Church as merely one viewpoint or “side” among many. If you require that future columns of mine on homosexuality comply with a format such as you propose, it will be inappropriate for me to continue writing the column for the Observer.

The first quote implies that he knows the second.

Whoever is ashamed of me and of my words, the Son of Man will be ashamed of when he comes in his glory and in the glory of the Father and of the holy angels. Luke 9:26

My youngest son is going to be of college age in two years. If you are the president of a Catholic College that is ACTUALLY Catholic I’d love to hear from you. Consider that an open invitation.

Update: The Curt Jester is unhappy too.

Update 2: “In the Land of Believers” is being touched on today at Morning Joe. It is a good parallel.

Another indirect proof

Posted: May 1, 2009 by datechguy in catholic, opinion/news
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The Souter resignation does several interesting things.

First of all of course President Obama is going to pick a liberal jurist to the court. With the more of Sen Specter there is absolutely no chance of blocking it even if they wanted to. He could pick Ward Churchill or Bill Ayers and we couldn’t block him.

It is inconceivable that this pick will not enrage and energize conservatives and republicans. If I wrote the worm turning post today it would be the newest item.

Second of all it demonstrates that elections matter! John McCain was not the ideal candidate but I held a sign for him for 7 hours on election day and I’m proud of it. If you are a conservative that stayed home or voted for President Obama remember if this liberal pick stays on the court for 30 years…you helped do this.

Third of all in terms of an indirect proof. This is going to highlight the pro abortion credentials of President Obama in the strongest terms possible. It is the single biggest disaster for Fr. Jenkins at Notre Dame that could happen. This highlights the unsuitability of President Obama for ND. It also puts Doug Kimec and the phony Catholics at Catholics United in the limelight, what will they say.

This is the type of thing that God does, he gives people opportunities to aid in their salvation. A situation is given where people have a chance to make the right choice. Catholics United, Doug Kimec, Fr. Jenkins and even President Obama have all been given the chance to do the right thing. That chance is a gift from God (all those ND Rosaries didn’t hurt either)

What is done with that chance is where the rubber meets the road.

Update: Legal Insurrection via the green room says president Obama’s candidate for the court might be blockable by republicans after all. Thanks to …Arlen Specter

Now this is interesting. Specter could allow a nominee out of committee if Specter was a member of the Republican minority, but as part of the majority, he’s just another vote. Here are the other Republicans: Orrin Hatch, Chuck Grassley, Jon Kyl, Jeff Sessions, Lindsey Graham, John Cornyn, and Tom Coburn.

The weak link is Lindsey Graham, who was a member of the Gang of 14. If Graham says the course, the Republicans may not be able to stop runaway spending, military retrenchment, and an interrogation witch hunt. But Specter may have handed Republicans a gift.

Has Specter’s changeover become official? Can republicans pull him from the committee because of his announced change. It will be interesting to find out.

“Why not throw a pig roast in Mecca?”

Posted: April 29, 2009 by datechguy in catholic, opinion/news
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At the American Papist a poll went up concerning the best solution to the Notre Dame situation. I left the following comment:

The actual best solution would be for the Whitehouse to find a reason why they can’t attend and pull ND’s fat out of the fire.

Imagine my surprise to see Kathleen Parker echo me:

Obama might consider following Glendon’s lead. Although he supports choice, the president also recognizes the moral complexity of those decisions. Out of respect for pro-life Catholics and their beloved institution, he should politely bow out.

This of course assumes a respect for something beyond his own self importance. Parker seems to be very taken by Glendon’s act:

Here on planet “What About Me,” principled people are so rare as to be oddities. Thus, it was a head-swiveling moment Monday when Mary Ann Glendon, the former U.S. ambassador to the Vatican, quietly declined Notre Dame’s Laetare Medal.

Kathleen Parker hasn’t been very right lately, but she recognizes an act of principle when she sees one.

Politically the president must be thanking his lucky stars for Sen Specter, the 100 days to distract public attention from Mary Ann Glendon. There is nothing like the shock of reality (planes over NY) to make people see things for what they are, and reality is the biggest danger to the political future of the current administration.