22nd Sunday In Ordinary Time, Aug. 31, 2014

Written by Fr. Fitz Thursday, 28 August 2014 14:13

VIOLENCE! iN today's Gospel: Jesus began to show his disciples that he nust go up to Jerusalem and suffer...and be killed" MT 6:21

And here in Arizona, a 9 year old whose hapless parents took her to a shooting range, accidently kills her instructor with an Uzi automatic weapon...

Yes,  her parents said shooting an automatic weapon was on her "bucket list! 

Jesus lived in a violent age, but he was not inundated with it at age 9. Three hours on the cross was enough. Today, children are inundated with images of violence: video games, TV, movies are Bang! Bang! Bang! So much so that a 9 year old chid's fervent wish was to go to a shooting range and fire an automatic weapon. When the range owner was asked if he would reevaluate his age policy, he said he would confer with the NRA!

Good luck.

Violence in every age is a reality. The Romans used nails and a sword on Jesus. Today, guns are the preferred choice. And around guns has arisen a cult. They actually are objects of worship!  

So much so that a nine year old girl woud put as a cherished desire the opportunity to fire an automatic weapon, and her "out to lunch parents" would honor her desire. There is a gun culture in America which raises guns to the status of idols.

Guns possess glamour. And on Easter, interestingly enough, we promised to reject not evil per se, but "the glamour of evil."

And yet, we know sometimes it seems they are needd for self defense. It would apparently be so in dealing with the murderers of ISIS. But this should be as a last resort. Today, our children are so inundated with images of shooting guns, it can easily seem like a way of life, a glamorous pursuit.

The explosions of violence all over the world, can easily drown out voices calling for restraint, calling for dialog, calling for a cessation of arms. One such voice is that of Pope Francis. Here 

are his words:

"Peacemaking calls for courage,

much more so than warfare.

It calls for the courage to say yes to encounter,

and no to conflict;

yes to dialog, and no to violence;

yes to respect for agreements

and no to acts of provocation;

yes to sincerity,

and no to duplicity.

All this takes courage. It takes strength and tenacity."

Pope Francis