President Obama’s commencement address at dear old Notre Dame last Sunday has sure kicked up a lot of dust in the blogosphere! My goodness, you’d’ve thought Satan himself had journeyed to South Bend and offered the wobbly Catholics out there an opportunity to “dialogue” on the efficacy of alcohol, dope, concupiscent sex, and the slaughter of the innocents.
While many true Catholics across the country are rather depressed about this entire, unseemly, affair they can take some measure of pride that not all Catholics at Notre Dame are “wobbly,” or confused, or apostate. No siree! Take for example the Notre Dame philosopher/novelist Ralph McInerny.
Dr. McInerny is the Michael P. Grace Professor of Medieval Studies and the writer of not only the Andrew Broome series, but also the Father Dowling mysteries as well. He’s been teaching students, recalcitrant and otherwise, at Notre Dame since 1955. And, oh yes, Ralph McInerny is a former Marine!
Dr. McInerny’s comment over at The Catholic Thing ( A House Divided ) is the finest criticism of the Enlightened One’s visit I read and reveals the thinking of a brilliant scholar and a professing Christian. What I really liked about the essay was that McInerny eschewed the inclination to couch his words that, for some reason, many academics employ. His was a direct assault in the manner of the Marines at Iwo Jima.
McInerny concludes with the cogent argument that the Big “O’s” visit to Notre Dame University, our Lady’s university, may have ignited an “awakening” and “a possible epiphany.”
I hope he’s right. It’s really a shame to say this but the Church must choose who it is that she will serve, either “ . . . the massive social force of activist dreamers who want to liberate us from our imperfections by locking us in the perfect prison of their phantasy,” or the Son of God? Whadda ya think Fr. Jenkins, a no brainer, huh?
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