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| May 18, 2006 Edition | ||||
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EditorialMovie release: It is indeed a teachable momentThe release of the movie The Da Vinci Code - much as many people in the Catholic Church abhor it - does indeed present the church with a teachable moment - or even more than a moment. In today's media, that's pure gold. Look how much a commercial costs on the Super Bowl telecast?
The Da Vinci Code has been on the best-seller list forever, so the movie is bound to be well-attended. There are suggestions that Catholics boycott the film - especially on opening weekend. 'Voting' on opening weekend. Barbara Nicolosi of Act One productions has a good idea. She explains that the opening-weekend box office works as a kind of "ballot box" for Hollywood. We all vote with our money. So every ticket we buy counts as a vote. If another movie earns more money on its opening weekend, The Da Vinci Code loses its blockbuster status. She suggests taking families to see the other big studio movie opening May 19: Dreamwork's Over The Hedge. Eric Schiedermayer of the Diocese of Madison's Office of Evangelization and Catechesis thinks Nicolosi's suggestion is a good one. "This is one time we really can vote early and vote often. Let's vote for Over The Hedge on May 19, 20, and 21. It's the kind of message that Hollywood will hear loud and clear," said Schiedermayer. Educating ourselves and others. Besides a boycott, release of The Da Vinci Code offers the Catholic Church an opportunity to educate its own members and the public at large about what the Scriptures and church teachings really say. People are curious about the mix of fact and fiction in The Da Vinci Code. It's up to the church - and committed Catholics - to be clear about what we believe and be ready to share it with others. People of faith should consider The Da Vinci Code as a much-needed vaccine against ignorance, said Thomas Ryan, chairman of the religious studies department at St. Thomas University in Miami, Fla., in a Catholic News Service article. He said of the book that "on practically every page there is falsehood" and "outrageous claims that are completely unfactual." Ryan, who only recently read the novel himself, said, "I am grateful to (the novel) for driving me to learn more about my faith. It raises questions that I need to go and see. I'm a smarter person as a result of it."
Finding authentic teaching. Where can we find the authentic Catholic teaching in response to The Da Vinci Code? There have been plenty of books, television specials, and videos published in response to the book and upcoming movie. Perhaps the best source for Catholics is found on the Web site produced by the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, Jesus Decoded (go to www.jesusdecoded.com). See more information on Pages 18 and 19 of this week's Catholic Herald [some articles online here]. There is also an hour-long documentary called Jesus Decoded available on a DVD. It is being distributed to NBC-TV stations to broadcast, but Madison's WMTV has no plans to air it. Interested people might call the station at 608-274-1515 and ask why they're not carrying it. The Da Vinci Code does indeed present the Catholic Church and its members with a teachable moment. Let's take advantage of it. Mary C. Uhler
Mailbag
Small Christian CommunitiesTo the editor: I was elated to read in the May 4 issue of the Catholic Herald that Small Christian Communities are alive in Beloit. I thank Sr. Judy Aubry for her reference to RENEW. When RENEW and my position as director ended in December 2000, I worried about who would carry out the process. The answer was the Holy Spirit. The answer also was individuals and leaders who saw the importance of continued renewal of their faith through Small Christian Communities. RENEW International materials said, "The RENEW 2000 process was an 'invitation,' not a command, to a spiritual journey to deepen one's relationship with God. RENEW 2000 was a process, not a program, for programs end, but a process is on-going. "The parish, through Small Christian Communities, becomes a 'community' of many small communities, but always returning to the 'one community' which is a whole parish." We need to continue to promote the workings of the Spirit within us and share with others. Congratulations to the OLASCC for sharing their experiences. Continue to listen to the Holy Spirit. Sr. Edith Gorski, Madison Holiness of married loveTo the editor: How come the Catholic faith firmly declares marriage is sacramental at its core by the creative design of the Lord of Life? An abundant contemporary witness is a book Love Letters to My Husband. The letters were written between February 1955 and February 1961 by Gianna Beretta Molla, who was beatified by Pope John Paul II on April 24, 1994. Her earth time assignment from the Lord of Life embraced the years of 1922 to 1962. The letters testify to the holiness of married love wrapped in the purifying graced truth of the everyday human. The book can be a guide to any couple who desire to live their marriage as sacrament. Fr. Robert Buholzer, Stoughton Response to Da Vinci CodeTo the editor: The Da Vinci Code is the best selling novel by Dan Brown. However, the book attacks some truths of Catholicism. The movie, coming out May 19, will probably keep the book's claims in the news.
The novel denies the divinity of Christ and asserts that Jesus married Mary Magdalene. Also, it claims that the church suppressed secret gospels and purposely excluded certain books from the canon of Scripture. I suggest that Catholics who have read the book or listened to TV talk shows consider reading one of the increasing number of books that challenge the book's false claims. One of these is The Da Vinci Deception by Mark Shea. It is a paperback that responds to many claims in The Da Vinci Code from a Catholic position. Also Bishop Morlino's March 9, 2006 Catholic Herald article on the Web site (www.madisoncatholicherald.org) is enlightening. Finally, the Internet offers more. On the weekend of May 20, Jesus Decoded, a documentary produced by the Catholic Bishops to help separate truth from fiction in the book, will be distributed to NBC stations [see update]. Reading, sharing, and listening to Catholic responses to false claims of The Da Vinci Code can help us and others to deepen our understanding of Catholicism. Fr. Don Lange, Madison Notre Dame president wrongTo the editor: In my role as a member of a State University of New York college council, I witnessed a performance of The Vagina Monologues. I also read the script. I was, therefore, profoundly disappointed to learn that Notre Dame University President Fr. John Jenkins has approved performances of the play at Our Lady's University, with the proviso that discussions will take place afterward.
Will the students, parents, alumni, faculty, and guests who see The Vagina Monologues challenge its defense of the lesbian rape of a 13-year-old girl by a 24-year-old woman, calling the sexual abuse "a good rape"? Father Jenkins cannot be unaware of the child abuse lawsuits bankrupting the church. Is Notre Dame so well endowed that it can join the other foolish colleges in promoting lesbian seduction and the rape of children? Copies of this child-abusing, man-hating, anti-woman play are everywhere. If you must know how absolutely wrong Father Jenkins is, read (don't buy) the play at your local bookstore or borrow it from your library. Then don't send your children or your money to Notre Dame. George A. Morton, Hopewell Junction, N.Y.
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