If you’re reading this, you’re likely one of the few people who know about the controversy over President Obama’s commencement speech at Notre Dame.
Today’s devotion is for the person who doesn’t know what happens next. I have been reading the Psalms for the past few weeks during my devotional time, and I can’t stop thinking about Psalm 23. You know the one: “The Lord is my shepherd.”
Sit with what that means for a moment. For the Lord to be our shepherd, to actually be guiding each of our steps—waiting for us when we wander, picking us up when we stumble, leading us to refreshing waters that will nourish our souls.
Sheep are totally dependent on the protection of the shepherd. One of my favorite things that I learned about sheep is that the shepherds in the ancient East would sing or call to their flocks of sheep while those shepherds walked close beside and behind them.
And so, because they would sing to them as they walked, the sheep would learn the voice of the shepherd who was guiding them on their path. The sheep would know their shepherd’s voice so well that even if they stopped for water near another shepherd’s flock, all their shepherd would have to do is sing his song, and his sheep would follow.
How much more should you and I know the voice of our Father in heaven?
To the person right now who doesn’t know what happens next … I’m going to be honest with you. I’m going through some things in my life as well, and I don’t know what happens next. I’ve had several months where I just don’t know. What is supposed to happen the next day? I am praying over and over for deliverance, and I’m seeing nothing.
So, what if it’s okay that we don’t know what comes next? What if it’s okay that we can’t see far down the road in our lives?
Almost everyone I know right now is in some type of life transition—raising families, navigating job changes, caring for ailing parents. We are tired. We are overwhelmed. And we are just waiting … waiting to know where we’re going and what’s supposed to happen next.
But what if it’s okay that we don’t know?
If we can learn in this season what it means to stick close to God—to know his voice and be guided by his hand—then I think we may discover that our good shepherd is all we need for what’s next.
Spend some time meditating on Psalm 23 this week:
“The Lord is my shepherd; I have what I need. He lets me lie down in green pastures; he leads me beside quiet waters. He renews my life; he leads me along the right paths for his name’s sake. Even when I go through the darkest valley, I fear no danger, for you are with me; your rod and your staff—they comfort me. You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies; you anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows. Only goodness and faithful love will pursue me all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the house of the Lord as long as I live” (CSB).
Host Bio
Heather Thompson Day is an associate professor of communication at Andrews University in Berrien Springs, Michigan. She is the author of eight books, including I’ll See You Tomorrow and It’s Not Your Turn. Reach out to Heather on X, the app formerly known as Twitter, at @HeatherTDay and on Instagram @heatherthompsonday. Get Heather’s weekly inspirational email delivered to your inbox every Friday night at 7 p.m. EST. Sign up now at: www.heatherthompsonday.com/links.
According to a Pew Research Center’s Forum on Religion & Public Life poll, 52 percent of Americans had heard nothing about “criticism of Notre Dame for abortion opponents for inviting Barak Obama to speak at its graduation and receive an honorary degree.” Among Catholics who attend mass every week, one-third had heard “nothing at all” and another third had heard “very little.”
The criticism of Notre Dame is not a grassroots movement. It is but the recent incident in an elite debate over the nature of Catholic higher education. It is a debate that is difficult to navigate because of the complexities of Catholic social teaching and intellectual history.
At most (but not all) Catholic colleges and universities, there are no religious restrictions. People of all faiths can attend, work, and teach. There is a Catholic ethos and a commitment to Catholic morality and values. It is telling that opposition to Obama is not about his own faith – even among opponents would be acceptable for Notre Dame to honor someone who does not recognize the authority of the Catholic Church so long as the person supports the Church’s moral teaching.
This has raised the question – what is “Catholic” about Catholic higher education?
This debate has become more heated, with groups like the Cardinal Newman Society pressuring Catholic colleges to become more distinctly Catholic, which often means orthodoxy in religious courses and an elimination of groups on campus that support abortion, gay rights, birth control, and other positions antithetical to (some) Catholic moral teaching.
Catholic social teaching, however, is broader than just abortion and sexuality. It does not fit neatly into the red and blue boxes of American politics. Supporters of Obama’s invitation note the importance of social justice, peace (including opposition to Iraq War), and other causes where Obama’s positions are arguably more in line with Catholic morality than those held by President George W. Bush. Notre Dame has said that it is honoring Obama for his “leadership,” not his politics. For Catholics on the left, such as Joe Feuerherd of the National Catholic Reporter, the flap over Obama is a hypocritical political attack by the right. For other groups, like Catholics United, it is an effort to politicize and factionalize Catholics.
The Notre Dame controversy is unlikely to politicize Catholics – few know or care. The most likely outcome will be that, like nearly all commencement addresses, no one in the audience will remember what was said.
Read petition against Obama’s speech here. Read counter-petition in favor here.
For two commencement addresses that were noteworthy for the content rather than controversy, see JK Rowling’s 2008 Harvard address and Steve Jobs’ 2005 Stanford address.
Tobin Grant is an associate professor of political science at Southern Illinois University – Carbondale. Christianity Today interviewed Notre Dame visiting professor Francis Beckwith over the debate.
