Today, again the great Litany, the supplication is heard from the house of the Lord: the solemn procession reappears in the streets of the city, and in the quiet lanes of the country. Let us take our share in this sacred rite; let us blend our voice with that of our mother, and join the cry that pierces the clouds:Kyrie Eleison! Lord have mercy on us!
Let us think for a moment, of the countless sins that are being committed, day and night; and let us sue for mercy. In the days of Noe, all flesh had corrupted its way; but men thought not of asking for mercy. The flood came and destroyed them all, says our Saviour. Had they prayed, had they begged God’s pardon, the hand of His justice would have been stayed, and the flood-gates of heaven would not have been opened. The day is to come, when not water as heretofore, but fire, is suddenly to be enkindled by the divine wrath, and is to burn the whole earth. It shall burn even the foundations of the mountains; it shall devour sinners, who will be resting then, as they were in the days of Noe, in false security.
Persecuted by her enemies, decimated by the martyrdom of her children, afflicted by numerous apostasies from the faith and deprived of every human aid, the Church will know that the terrible chastisement is at hand, for prayer will then be as rare as faith. Let us, therefore, pray; that thus the day of wrath will be put off, the Christian life regain something of its ancient vigor, and the end of the world not be in our times.
There are even yet Catholics in every part of the world; but their number has visibly decreased. Heresy is now in possession of whole countries that were once faithful to the Church. In others, where heresy has not triumphed, religious indifference has left the majority of men with nothing of Catholicity but the name, seeing that they neglect even the most essential obligations without remorse. Among many of those who fulfill the precepts of the Church, truths are diminished. The old honesty of faith has been superseded by loose ideas and half-formed convictions.
A man is popular in proportion to the concessions he makes in favor of principles condemned by the Church. The sentiments and actions of the saints, the conduct and teaching of the Church, are taxed with exaggeration, and decried as being unsuited to the period. The search after comforts has become a serious study; the thirst for earthly goods is a noble passion; independence is an idol to which everything must be sacrificed; submission is a humiliation which must be got rid of, or, where that cannot be, it must not be publicly acknowledged. Finally, there is sensualism, which, like an impure atmosphere, so impregnates every class of society, that one would suppose there was a league formed to abolish the cross of Christ from the minds of men.
| by John Ritchie | ||||||||
| Wednesday, May 20 2009 | ||||||||
That same enmity between good and evil played out during the 2009 commencement exercises at Notre Dame. As Air Force One touched down in South Bend on May 17, thousands of pro-life Catholics lined the streets leading to the main gate of the university. Dotting the sidewalks for miles, they prayed the Rosary, held signs and protested the university’s scandalous decision to honor President Obama, one of the most outspoken pro-abortion politicians in American history. Trucks displaying pro-life messages constantly drove past, while an airplane circled above pulling a huge pro-life banner in the wind. The issue not only divided the campus but the entire nation.
Given the glaring incompatibility between Catholic moral teaching and the sin of abortion, it is not surprising that 83 Catholic bishops and millions of faithful Catholics prayed and petitioned so that the university of Our Lady would reverse its disastrous decision. In fact, Archbishop Raymond Burke qualified the invitation as a source of “gravest scandal” and emphasized that “Catholic institutions cannot offer any platform to, let alone honor, those who teach and act publicly against the moral law.” However, the leadership of the university preferred compromise over integrity, political correctness over truth, and prestige over principle.
Members of the American Society for the Defense of Tradition, Family and Property (TFP) and students of the Saint Louis de Montfort Academy joined thousands of protesters outside the gates of the university on Sunday morning. Their peaceful demonstration had a specific goal: to make reparation to God and His Blessed Mother for the current scandal as well as for the sins of abortion, embryonic stem cell destruction and same-sex “marriage.” During the protest, a statue of Our Lady of Fatima was present at the main gate carried by a TFP honor guard dressed in their ceremonial habits. “Why Does Our Lady Cry?” was the title of a TFP flier distributed to passersby. On its cover was a photo of the International Pilgrim Virgin Statue of Our Lady of Fatima, the statue that wept miraculously in New Orleans in 1972, only months before the legalization of abortion in America. Graduates Refuse to Attend Graduation Abortion is non-negotiable. No amount of dialogue or intellectual sophistry will change that fact, which explains why dozens of brave Notre Dame graduates decided not to attend their own graduation ceremonies. They refused to participate in an event which betrayed the Catholic identity of their university. These principled students acted with honor and were recognized at an alternative ceremony on the South Quad sponsored by ND Response, a coalition of 11 student groups, which drew nearly 2,000 people, including Bishop John D’Arcy and other prominent speakers. The major media downplayed this event of course.
These graduates, wearing mortar boards, then made their way to the Grotto where they recited a Rosary lead by Fr. Frank Pavone. After the Rosary, a reception was held for them at the State Theatre, featuring Fr. John Corapi and Ambassador Alen Keyes. As graduates and guests streamed into the building, members of the TFP pipe band welcomed them at the entrance with patriotic music. Motivated to Continue Although the golden dome of Notre Dame was tarnished by scandal, good Catholics nationwide are motivated to continue opposing the Culture of Death and working to restore moral values with ever more vigor and dedication. “I hope the reaction not only continues but keeps growing – more people need to wake up,” said a local South Bend resident who protested the commencement. Although the scandal has caused untold spiritual damage, faithful Catholics turn to the Mother of God, who crushes the serpent’s head, certain that she will guide and help us in these days of great confusion.  | ||||||||
The following text is that of the TFP flier to be handed out at the Notre Dame protest in South Bend on Sunday, May 17.
Our Lady shed tears at the foot of the Cross, how could she not shed tears contemplating the Passion of Holy Mother Church today?
Our Lady cries when she sees how secularism has declared open war on the Catholic Church and Christian morals in our nation.
We see this in the increasing expulsion of the Faith from the public square in America. It is found in the efforts of activist judges and opportunistic legislators who are placing marriage and same-sex unions on the same footing.
We see this in the many new appointments of notoriously “pro-choice” officials who favor abortion on demand and American funding of this “slaughter of innocents” in foreign countries.
Our Lady Cries Seeing the Church under Attack
Our Lady cries seeing the recent uproar in America and around the world over Pope Benedict XVI’s statement against the use of condoms as a means of AIDS prevention. The Church was subjected to a media lynching although the Pope only reaffirmed Catholic doctrine and pointed out the inefficacy of condom distribution in the epidemiological battle against AIDS.
Although renowned scientific authorities said the Pope had it right even from an epidemiological perspective[1] the clamor against the Church continues, echoing another from 2,000 years ago: “Crucify Him! Crucify Him!” The Belgian Parliament passed a resolution demanding that the Government officially criticize the Pope for his statement. The Spanish Parliament is discussing a similar resolution, and, although unsuccessful, efforts were made to obtain a similar condemnation from the European Parliament. We are seeing civil authorities and international organizations arrogating to themselves the office of judge over what the Vicar of Christ can or cannot do or say in matters of Faith and Morals. This is a telltale sign of the advance of the most radical Jacobin brand of secularism.
Our Lady Cries Seeing Liberal Catholics Help the Secularist Attack…
However, Our Lady cries most for the faithful who fail to do their Catholic duty and even take positions contrary to the moral law laid down by Our Lord Jesus Christ. Well-known Catholic politicians and leaders have been taking attitudes that are blatantly opposed to Church teaching, thus favoring the enemies of the Church. These place themselves, perhaps unwittingly, on the side of the adversaries of Religion in this Cultural War between secularism and the Faith; a war that would be mortal if one of the contenders, the Church, were not immortal.
…Catholic Universities Giving Honors to Pro-Abortionists
Unfortunately, the list of scandals caused by Catholic persons and institutions is long. This is especially true in Catholic academia where numerous colleges and universities honor pro-abortion politicians and host pornographic and/or homosexual films, plays or programs.
We Protest the Liberal Catholic Dalliance with Militant Secularism
That is why we are protesting today; because one of these honors is being given to a politician who, over the course of his career, has supported numerous pro-abortion initiatives.
We are not protesting against inviting the President of the United States to give the commencement speech at a Catholic university or granting him an honorary law degree. This has been done before. Such honors and respect are proportional to the office of President.
Our protest is against the inviting of and bestowing honors upon a politician openly and consistently favorable to abortion. Such behavior is shameful for a Catholic institution.
Relativism Is Incompatible with the True Catholic Position
Catholic liberals argue, however, that the invitation is extended because of the office, not because of the pro-abortion record. They would separate the man and the office. This relativistic distinction makes the giving of the honor somewhat ambiguous, and thus morally justifiable in their eyes.
However, a university born under the sign of the Cross and placed under the patronage of the Mother of God cannot favor ambiguity. He who died on that Cross was crystal clear in condemning ambiguity: “But let your speech be yea, yea: no, no: and that which is over and above these, is of evil.” (Matt. 5:37)
Our Protest is Also Reparation
In protesting against the scandal at Notre Dame’s 2009 commencement exercise, we wish to console a Mother who cries over the millions of her children lost to abortion. And we wish to console a Mother who cries over her wayward children.
We do our part and offer her our public reparation for the nation’s collective sin of legalized abortion.
We uphold the natural moral law that condemns abortion while protesting that an honorary Doctor of Law degree is being given to one who denies this moral law.
Legal and Peaceful Protest and Reparation
We do this in a peaceful and legal manner as we have done for decades. Our protest, prayer and witness is part of the great reaction that has turned abortion and the defense of traditional marriage into burning moral issues. It has encouraged Catholics of all ages to show courage in proudly defending their Faith before an increasingly militant secularist society.
We especially acknowledge with great joy the over 70 bishops across the nation who have condemned Notre Dame University’s decision to invite and honor an abortionist politician.
For Her Children Are No More
“A voice in Rama was heard, lamentation and great mourning; Rachel bewailing her children, and she would not be comforted, because they are no more.” (Matt. 2:18)
Like Rachel, Our Lady cries for the millions of abortion victims killed in the “slaughter of innocents.”
However, we can console her with our prayers, penances and, above all, our continued struggle—a doctrinal, peaceful, legal, and persevering struggle.
We can do this without fear or trembling, because we have an absolute certainty of Our Lady's victory, since she promised at Fatima that "finally, My Immaculate Heart will triumph!"
[1] Renowned Harvard epidemiologist Dr. Edward C. Green says: "the Pope is actually correct,” in Michael Cook, “African AIDS: the facts that demolish the myths,” Mar. 21, 2009, MercatorNet.com, http://www.mercatornet.com/articles/view/african_aids_the_facts_that_demolish_the_myths/.
