Broken Hearts

All around us these days are signs of the sadness of the human soul and the soul of our country where there has been a diminished sense of the saving, abiding presence of God.  Faith calls us to look to God in times of distress.  He will never disappoint.  He is our rock, our fortress, our hope and our salvation.  But in almost all the discourse we hear, there is little if any mention of God.  Without God there will be no peace; without God there will be no healing; without God there will be no future for any of us or for our nation.  God is all and all.  To him be the glory, not to us, but to Him, all praise and glory for ever and ever.

So many hearts are breaking in these days and so is mine.

My heart breaks for George Floyd, a man robbed of his life by the brutal and senseless actions of a police officer in full view of others.  A callous act of evil with no intervention by other officers standing by who seemingly could have stepped in to prevent his death.  Philosopher John Locke said that evil exists because good people do nothing.   That has happened time and time again in history.  We mourn the loss of a man whose life was taken without mercy and without regard for the law.  We pray for George Floyd and his eternal rest.

My heart breaks for his family, another family, now victims themselves as they mourn the loss of a son, father, uncle, and friend.  How do they make sense out of such a violent act of hatred that has destroyed a man's life and devastated their family?  We pray for them in their grief and despair that God's love will bring healing and strength to their wounded hearts.

My heart breaks for our African American brothers and sisters, and for people of color in our nation.  They have carried on their shoulders the weight of bigotry, prejudice and hatred which so often rears its ugly head in people all around them.  They are our brothers and our sisters, precious in the sight of God and our sight.  Yes, black lives matter.  All people are created equal.  There are no differences in the Body of Christ; all are one.   There is no place in the human heart for prejudice, intolerance, bigotry, or bias. Each of us must be committed to root out the sin and evil of racism from our hearts and the from the fabric of our nation.  Times like this only magnify how far we have to go.  

My heart breaks for all victims of prejudice, hatred and violence in our country and there are many.  How easily human life is tossed aside when it is not convenient or wanted. Every day, we mourn the loss of tens of millions of unborn children whose lives have been brutally murdered through the evil of abortion.  As Pope John Paul II said on his visit to the United States, "the greatness of a nation is in direct proportion to the protection given to the least of its citizens."   And despite the outcry that some might give, it must be said:  All lives matter; every human life matters.  God has created each and every person in his image and likeness, with dignity and rights.  No one can take upon himself the right to take an innocent human life for any reason.  Human life begins at conception and as a nation we must work to protect the lives of the unborn, our children and youth, persons with disabilities, the elderly, the sick and dying, immigrants and refugees, the poor and those in need. 

My heart breaks for the many good and faithful members of our law enforcement community.   They too are devastated by what happened to George Floyd.  As a result, so many of our police officers continue to be under attack, victims of hatred, abuse, name-calling, disrespect, even violent acts of murder.   These are men and women who put their lives on the line every single day in sacrifice for the good of others.  They respond to our 911 calls, they protect us from harm, they provide the enforcement of our laws that prevents chaos from reigning all around us - at the constant threat to their own lives.  There are bad people in every profession, but that doesn't tarnish those who serve our communities with honesty, valor, bravery and sacrifice. Now is not the time to turn against the brave men and women in law enforcement or take away the means they have to protect us.  We pray for our officers that God will keep them safe from harm and we thank them for their service.

My heart breaks for the innocent victims of the violence, the looting, the destruction of property and lawlessness in which some people are now engaging. Many people are protesting but doing so peacefully.  Everyone in our country has a right to speak their mind and to have their voices heard.  But we must do so civilly, respectful of others and in conformity to the law.   We must condemn and never allow people to derail those protests by acts of destruction and violence.   How many innocent people have suffered loss of property, their livelihoods, even enduring physical harm and death?   Catholic moral teaching has long asserted that the ends never justify the means.  We cannot use lawless, evil means to achieve a good end.  That is always and everywhere sinful and wrong.   Those who engage in such acts of destruction must be held accountable for their actions. We pray for peace, for justice, for calm in these times of turmoil. 

My heart breaks for our country, torn apart by the tragedy of these times.  No longer does there seem to be a common vision for what we must do and where me must go.  Dialogue and cooperation are things of the past.  It is easier to disparage others, to denigrate those in authority, to tear apart rather than to build up.   We need statesmanship, civility, a sense of common purpose, and moral leadership. We must work to foster a desire in each of our hearts to do what is right and just, to unify not destroy, to work together with those with whom disagree for the greater good. We need to reclaim our faith in God and seek his grace through prayer and penance.   Saint Paul said as much in his exhortation to the Philippians in the earliest days of the Church. His words are even more appropriate for the challenges we face in our times:  "Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is gracious, if there is any excellence and if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things. Then the God of peace will be with you."