On
that day the mountains will drip new wine, and the hills flow with milk, all
the streams of Judah will flow with water. A spring will rise from the house of
the LORD, watering the Valley of Shittim. Joel 4:18
While
Jesus was speaking, a woman from the crowd called out and said to him, “Blessed
is the womb that carried you and the breasts at which you nursed.” He replied,
“Rather, blessed are those who hear the word of God and observe it.” Luke 11:27-28
Piety
Father, our families are torn by violence.
Our communities are destroyed by violence. Our faith is tested by violence. We
have an obligation to respond. Violence -- in our homes, our schools and
streets, our nation and world -- is destroying the lives, dignity and hopes of
millions of our sisters and brothers. Fear of violence is paralyzing and
polarizing our communities.
Brother Jesus, help
us to confront this growing culture of violence with a commitment to life, a
vision of hope and a call to action. If a spring of peace will rise, it will
only do so by our actions rooted in your example and teaching, the biblical values of respect for
life, peace, justice, and community and our teaching on human life and human
dignity, on right and wrong, on family and work, on justice and peace, and on
rights and responsibilities.
While much is being
done, more is required. Holy Spirit,
guide us as we work to cut through divisive rhetoric and false claims which
suggest that more prisons are the only answer, more brutality the cure, or more
violence the solution. That path will
not succeed. We can be better than we are when we want peace and work for
justice with a new urgency on the words of Jesus: "Blessed are the
peacemakers; they shall be called children of God." (Based upon Confronting
a Culture of Violence: A Catholic Framework for Action)
Study
Where you sit determines where you stand. From the perspective of the woman sitting in
the crowd, she was observing Jesus and giving him praise for where he came
from. From the perspective of Jesus
standing at the front preaching, he did not want to dwell on the past but to
focus the people more on the present moment (hear the word of God) and the future
(observe it).
Jesus envisioned the reality of a world filled
with future possibilities made manifest by His ultimate sacrifice. As we learn from the prophet Joel, the Lord
is present in our present moment of economic prosperity and political
autonomy. Images of promised abundance
illustrate the harmony and order that Joel expects the Lord to establish in the
future as well…the Promised Land. They
look forward in anticipation. Despite
the fact that our “crimes are abundant,” the Lord forgives us and looks ahead.
Action
Jesus never envisioned the reality of a world
filled with the kind of violence we see every day. Our crimes remain abundant. Our present moment is marked by images of
bloodshed from Chattanooga to Charleston, from elementary schools to colleges,
from Central Asia to Central Oregon. How
will we ever get to the Promised Land?
 |
| Chicago Archbishop Blase Cupich (Anthony Souffle/Chicago Tribune) |
The United States
Conference of Catholic Bishops has consistently called for "reasonable
regulation and controls for guns, especially handguns." It also wants to
ban "assault weapons." After the 2012 murders of 20 first-graders and
six staff members at a Newtown, Conn., elementary school, the USCCB sent
testimony to Congress the following year. "This is the moment," said
the USCCB spokesperson who testified before Congress, "to push for better
gun controls. We want to build a culture of life and confront the culture of
violence." That moment came and went without meaningful action.
Let's be honest.
The Second Amendment was passed in an era when organized police forces were few
and citizen militias were useful in maintaining the peace. Its original authors
could not have anticipated a time when the weapons we have a right to bear now
include military-grade assault weapons that have turned our streets into
battlefields. The Second Amendment's original intent has been perverted by
those who, as Pope Francis recently commented, have profited mightily. Surely
there is a middle ground between the original intent of the amendment and the
carnage we see today.
Archbishop Cupich also points out the irony
that just last month, Members of Congress stood side-by-side to applaud Pope
Francis' call for an end to the weapons industry that is motivated by
"money that is drenched in blood," and to endorse his call "to
confront the problem and to stop the arms trade." Did they think the papal
call was limited to arms trade outside of the United States? He concludes with
this call to action:
It is no longer
enough for those of us involved in civic leadership and pastoral care to
comfort the bereaved and bewildered families of victims of gun violence. It is
time to heed the words of Pope Francis and take meaningful and swift action to
address violence in our society. We must band together to call for gun-control
legislation. We must act in ways that promote the dignity and value of human
life. And we must do it now.[i]
If you need help getting in touch with your
Congressional delegation, then People
magazine has provided a service to all: they published an easy-to-use list
of Members of Congress so you can let them know you want them to take action
consistent with Church teachings to promote a culture of life. As People editorial
director Jess Cagle writes: “Let's make sure they know that from now on,
"routine" responses just won't cut it.”
No comments:
Post a Comment