School shootings are an outward symptom of a greater sickness. This is especially illustrated when comparing the level of violence in the United States as compared to other nations. Yet, there is a solution. Learn the U.S. Bishops' perspective on this dire issue and how we as Catholics are called to respond. This homily was given by Father Mayer on May 29, 2022.
School shootings are an outward symptom of a greater sickness. This is especially illustrated when comparing the level of violence in the United States as compared to other nations. Yet, there is a solution. Learn the U.S. Bishops' perspective on this dire issue and how we as Catholics are called to respond. This homily was given by Father Mayer on May 29, 2022.
This past week I received a phone call from a man distraught about the most recent shooting at the elementary school in Uvalde, TX that took place this past week. He had been watching the news, probably too much news and had been driven to despair and debilitating sadness. Following the phone call as I reflected on my own feelings I realized that as it came to the shooting, apart from a quickly passing pang of sadness and heartbreak, my emotions were pretty even. One more shooting. This had become routine and I would guess that many of you are in the same boat. But as I ponder this experience I have begun to believe that there is something more going on. There are far more to these shootings than people are admitting. These shootings are warnings. They are canaries in the coal mine, tips of the iceberg, public signs of a hidden world swept under the rug.
Here at St. James we have been moving through an Eastertide homily series on the first century book of Revelation and there are great parallels between that world and our own. Prior to the fall of Jerusalem of which the book of Revelation foretells, that city had become one of violence and madness, conflict and miseries. So, also our own country is quickly moving in that same direction it is not already there.
- The book of Revelation was written in around thirty or so years after Christ’s ascent into heaven. It was written just before the city and the temple therein was destroyed by Roman armies in the year 70. According to famed historian, Flavius Josephus, the city, prior to its destruction had become a place of madness, a time unlike anything before in its known history. A place of sedition, of misery, of corruption and thievery. Our Lord had predicted this time. Forty years prior, while he was carrying his cross he saw women on the roadside weeping for him and he turned to them and said, don’t weep for me, but for yourselves. “For behold, the days are coming when they will say, ‘Blessed are the barren, and the wombs that never bore, and the breasts that never gave suck!’ 30 Then they will begin to say to the mountains, ‘Fall on us’; and to the hills, ‘Cover us.’ 31 For if they do this when the wood is green, what will happen when it is dry?” He was saying, that his crucifixion, the violence that they were seeing, was nothing in comparison to what was to come. The years leading up to the destruction of Jerusalem in the year 70 were terrible times for the city. Because of the rejection of Christ, of the peace which he offered, and the direction that this city took, it is no wonder that the city was punished, destroyed it in the year 70, all predicted in the book of revelation.
- In comparing this history of the city of Jerusalem to our own country here in the U.S., we are not far behind, if not already past this level of violence. No nation on earth, except those in the midst of war, have as much violent behavior as we do in our homes, our televisions, our streets. We have far higher rates of murder, assault, rape, and other violent crimes than other societies. Violent crime has quadrupled in the last have century in lock step with our love of guns. In 1950 we had 50 million guns, 200 million by 1990 and nearly 400 million today. And as much as these horrific school shootings grab our attention, the much greater massacre is taking place not in our schools or workplaces or streets, but in our homes. Over 50% of woman are killed by their partners. Millions of children are victims of family violence.
- On top of this, it seems that the only way that we know to respond to violence is with more violence. For years now we have tried to abort the problem away, killing millions of our children in order to address problem pregnancies. Those that make it out of the womb alive we keep busy by filling their minds with endless, violent entertainment, TV, Games, and Movies. By the time they have left elementary school children see 8,000 murders and 100,000 other acts of violence on screens before their eyes. Then when they respond as they have been brought up to respond, we put them in jail, incarcerating at five times the rate of any other country in the entire world! We have a violence problem, a violence culture here in the U.S.
Are there parallels between Jerusalem, prior to its destruction and our country, our beloved united states? Most definitely. Do we deserve to be judged like Jerusalem was judged? Most probably. We are in a dire situation. The book of Revelation was written to Christians in a similar situation to our own. The
How then do you respond to a situation like this? Any can see why it seems so incapacitating, so overwhelming, it is a huge issue, now deeply part of our culture, our way of life here in our country. The school shooting is a public blip of a much bigger often hidden problem. So, what is one to do?
- Legislation does not seem to be working. We fight and bicker and have been able to make little to no movement as it comes to finding a legislative solution to the problem. It would surely be helpful, if more of us as Catholics were onboard with the leadership of our bishops on this issue. It is good to know what our bishops advocate so that we can get on board with them: They have asked for a ban on assault weapons; background checks, regulating gun sales; a federal gun trafficking bill; Improved mental health interventions; and assessment of violent images and experiences in our society. If all of us as Catholics were in union with them, that would be great, but would it truly move the needle when it comes to the culture of violence in our country?
- Perhaps we might remember who we are! We are an Easter people! That we follow our Lord Jesus Christ who was not afraid to take on the violence of the day and from it bring hope and life, resurrected life. He is the one that teaches forgiveness instead of retaliation. He is the one that teaches catholicity, that is bringing different people together into unity. He is the one that shows you how to use suffering to grow in holiness, rather than fueling anger. He is the one that calls us to conversion, to deal with the abuse in our own homes, the violent thoughts in our own hearts. To choose life and turn away from death, from violence. He is the one who calls us to love neighbor to spread his message, to bring people together, to heal and transform this culture around us. Christ’s Church, the Catholic Church, knows better than any other entity that I know about how to bring different sorts of people together in unity.
- The question then is, how willing are you to make changes in your own life? How willing are you to be converted by this message of Christ? What kind of sacrifices are you willing to make? Are you willing to take a look at the amount of your own entertainment and news intake and to ask yourself how it is effecting you? Are you willing to make hard decisions within your own life about supporting the legislative goals of our church as it comes to confronting violence? These are hard decisions. During the time immediately prior to the destruction of the city of Jerusalem can you imagine what it was like? Christ had told his followers that during this time they were to run to the hills, they were to flee the city, but there were your Jewish family members are trying to persuade you to stay and to fight for the temple, to fight for the city, for age old traditions, to fight for your home. The same is taking place in our country. We love this country, but we also love our guns, our rights. How do you respond to the tug, being pulled in both directions.
How do you respond to our culture of violence in the U.S.? You could try to do so through legislation, but that does not seem to be working all that well these days. Perhaps you might look deeper, to your own life, to your own conversion, to counting the cost and following Christ and his way of peace, even when it is hard and painful and requires sacrifice.
We live in a violent nation. This most recent school shooting simply brings to the forefront what was already present. Christ is coming to repay everyone for what he has done. When he is going to come, I do not know, but he will come. In preparation for that day, what side will you be on? When it comes down to it, who are you going to follow? What way are you going to take? Christ and his Church offers the way of life, a way that is beyond this culture of violence, a way of suffering and difficulty, but also a way of forgiveness of charity. “The Spirit and the Bride say, “Come.” And let him who hears say, “Come.” And let him who is thirsty come, let him who desires take the water of life without price.” Amen.