Like a Champion

It’s really a shame that higher education has moved to a position of discriminate discourse within our society.  Once having the potential of a wellspring to “actively and purposefully cultivate civic values in students and provide them with the practical skills necessary to address the pressing problems of the day. In short, its purpose is to provide service to society and to the commonwealth,” – Benjamin Franklin.

Over the course of the weekend the president of the University of Notre Dame released comments, in part saying, “In this fractious time, let us remember our highest calling is to love.” thus distancing the great university from former Head football Coach Lou Holz, due to the coach’s comments at the RNC convention. Coach Holz stood to defend the right to life, and commented about those who claim to be Catholic, yet violate the catechism of the faith.

When men become afraid to speak the truth in times of unrest for fear of further fracturing the stability of society, then anarchy has already won. Men are not inspired by any type of love that they must hide behind, it is not life-giving, not truthful.  Pope Benedict XVI said: “Truth comes to rule, not through violence, but rather through its own power.” We must always beware of those who want to create as C.S. Lewis wrote: “Men without chests and expect of them virtue and enterprise.”

Catechism of the Catholic Church 2258:  “Human life is sacred because from its beginning it involves the creative action of God and it remains forever in a special relationship with the Creator, who is its sole end.  God alone is the Lord of Life from its beginning until its end: no one can under any circumstance claim for himself the right directly to destroy an innocent human being.”

Catechism of the Catholic Church 2261:  Scripture specifies the prohibition contained in the fifth commandment: “Do not slay the innocent and the righteous.”  The deliberate murder of an innocent person is gravely contrary to the dignity of the human being, the golden rule, and to the holiness of the Creator.  The law forbidding it is universally valid:  it obliges each and every one, always and everywhere

Higher education seems to place itself upon the high place it chooses. Historian John Hardin Best, explained the view of Ben Franklin on higher education, Commenting on the founding father’s usual pungent style, [Franklin] noted that Greek and Latin were the “quackery of literature.” Further, he wrote that they were the “chapeau bras” of learning, like the hat carried by an elegant European gentleman [sic], a hat never put on the head for fear of disarranging the wig, but always carried quite uselessly under the arm (Best 1962).

Coach Holz spoke boldly and bravely with words that were inspiring and truthful, powerful words that defined a memory of a gentleman standing strong amongst his men in south Bend, Indiana; with his “hat” trimmed purposely on his head and the interlocking “ND” proudly displayed. A man from whom we all could expect both virtue and enterprise.  “Play like a Champion today.”  Ain’t it so!

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