Laughing all the way to the bank

Laughing All The Way to the Bank


Dan Brown must be laughing all the way to the bank.

First, there is the windfall that he is certain to receive from his book “The Da Vinci Code,” of which six million copies have been printed so far. There is likewise the celebrity status that he gained overnight just by this one book (his first success after a string of ho hum flops). There is also the certainty that the Person he horribly slandered will NOT lift a finger to defend Himself, much less zap Brown to an eternity in hell for his infinitely malicious lies. There is also the certainty that His followers will NOT take Brown to the gallows nor burn him in the stake. In fact, I am sure His followers will even pray for Brown’s conversion, at least ask God that Brown continue to live until he has begged God for forgiveness for his indescribable offense.

Yes, Dan Brown is wreaking havoc on the Church, leaving in his wake a wide swath of devastation which would make all previous heresies (including that of Martin Luther) look like a Boy Scouts’ powwow.

But if the Church is now reeling under the weight of Brown’s rampage, we Catholics have no one else to blame but ourselves.

First, the likes of Brown are in a manner of speaking like maggots. Maggots exist only when there is carrion. The Da Vinci Code, like the other Brown books, wouldn’t have gone no farther than the dustbin of history had every one who fancies himself a Catholic only tried to really learn his faith.

The sad fact is, perhaps only 10% of all Catholics in the world, Filipinos included, really know what the whole thing is all about, opening ourselves wide open to the lies of Dan Brown.

Ask at random any Catholic to whose conception the “immaculate conception” refers to and he will tell you it’s Jesus’. Ask any Catholic who came first, God the Father or God the Son, and he will tell you it’s God the Father. Ask any Catholic if he goes to confession and he will probably answer “Oh, I do it all the time, directly.”

We are in such a mess that if we are sued in court for being Catholics, the prosecution will not have enough evidence to convict us.

So what can we do about it, issue our equivalent of a “fatwah,” hold bloody riots all over the world against Dan Brown and perhaps Sony Pictures? Of course, not. That would not be what our Founder would like us to do.

One thing which every Catholic will have to do is simply to learn his faith by heart. Those who already know should take it upon themselves to help instruct others. Those who as yet do not know should take it upon themselves to go to their parish church, each one bringing along a dozen others to listen to the those who already know. Every parish must make it its most urgent business to instruct. Being preoccupied with the coming fiesta is commendable, but let the more important things be tackled first.

Just a reminder. We must have recourse to the guidance of a priest. (And to our dear priests: please try to be on top of everything.) Likewise, we should use extensively the book Catechism of the Catholic Church and the various papal encyclicals and instructions. Let’s tune in to EWTN, check out Zenit on the Internet. In everything, let us NOT rely on our own interpretation.

Dan Brown and Sony will have to reckon with God for what they have done to His beloved Son. In the meantime, let us take measures to avoid ourselves being swept into the lies of these two. Let’s start today.