Our Culture of Death Needs a Consistent Principle of Life

I am writing this column as Father Lambert and I are watching the initial coverage of yet another horrific school massacre, this time at the Robb Elementary School in the small town of Uvalde, Texas. In just a moment, over twenty precious lives were violently cut short, most of them children in second, third, or fourth grade. And this so soon after the racist mass shooting in a supermarket in Buffalo. May our nation come together in love, prayer, and practical support of these communities – love will only conquer hate to the extent that we members of the human family learn Jesus’ teaching to “love one another as I have loved you.” This kind of love is sacrificial, wanting the good of the other even more than our own good, being willing to sacrifice even some of the things that may be important to us when they stand in the way of following Christ’s command.

Multiple sources attest to the fact that mass shootings happen with regularity in only one country: ours. Clearly our great nation continues to experience a plague of violence that other countries have avoided and cannot be dismissed as “just the way things are today.” As a nation we have an obligation to the soul searching needed for each of us personally to determine what actions we can take to contribute to a Culture of Life over and against the culture of death in which we live.

As Catholics, we have our rich tradition of faith and morals to guide us. In 1995, Pope Saint John Paul II wrote a landmark encyclical called Evangelium vitae (The Gospel of Life), which is all about overcoming the culture of death by a consistent approach to valuing all human life, while we are called by our Christian faith to promote a Culture of Life, it is also a basic ethical principle that applies to the whole human family – not just people of faith. Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger of Chicago used to refer to this consistent ethic of promoting life at all its stages as a “seamless garment” of Catholic teaching. These are principles we need to learn, put into practice, and renew whenever we hear of evil and death threatening the gift of life. Father Lambert does a beautiful job in writing our Prayers of the Faithful each week, especially when he lists many examples of various stages of life that need protection and advocacy. Many of those whose lives are threatened (including the unborn, young children, and many of those with disabilities) cannot advocate for themselves and rely completely on us to be their voice!

As we discern how God is asking us to respond to these increasing acts of mass violence, we know that prayer is our most important tool, but we cannot stop there – we need to put our faith into action in as many ways as possible. Today I challenge myself and all of you to pray about how God is calling you to love these precious victims, their families and communities in meaningful ways. Are you feeling called to offer practical assistance to those communities with a talent you may have (e.g., counseling, community organizing, school system supports, etc.)? Do you know of any resources that could be channeled into helping with recovery & healing? Perhaps you are called to advocate for political change, or to enter into the uncomfortable discussion about guns in our country. Or maybe the Holy Spirit is giving you an idea on how to help students locally who might be feeling fearful every time they hear news like this.

None of us has all the answers, but as we celebrate Confirmation in our parishes this month, we are reminded that the Holy Spirit empowers us with divine gifts to help and strengthen us as we live our faith in the world. God help us to use them!
- Fr. Joe