Finals week at my alma mater approximately fifteen year ago and another building is closed. Why? “Oh, someone called in a bomb threat,” my friend says with a rather “ho-hum” attitude. “Probably wasn’t ready for his final,” and we rolled our eyes.
In a less desirable part of town a student is robbed and shot. Just another crime. The University responded by putting emergency phones up.
What is different about today? We take bomb threats much more seriously. A gun on campus and a disgruntled student can mean more than a robbery, it can mean thirty dead. Why?
Perhaps it has to do with the cheapening of human life. If you can make one life less valuable, all life becomes less valuable. We kill “those evil people in that country,” we kill some of our criminals, will assist suicide, we abort millions of people sometimes for just not being the right kind of person or as healthy as we would like, through pornography we can learn to treat persons as objects to do with as we will, advertising not only skews what is valuable about us as human beings but humans are also used as objects to sell, and thanks to the myth of safe sex and faulty contraception that often does not prevent births nor prevents illness and/or death, we at least have the illusion that we can use a person sexually and walk away without any consequences or responsibilities AND WE ARE TAUGHT THAT THESE ARE THINGS NOT TO FEEL GUILTY ABOUT. Then why are we surprised when someone solves their problems with guns and death? There is no longer the strong community taboo against even thinking of such methods. If you take all of this into account, Cho’s statements make horribly logical sense. He simply took our secular societal view to its logical end, an end which sees human life as something to be used and death as an answer to problems. Why is anyone shocked?
Perhaps it is a good sign however that on the front page of the PD right next to “A KILLER SPEAKS” is a much smaller headline, “Ban on abortion method upheld,” as many see this form of abortion as far too close to infanticide. Interesting also that it did not say (as it usually does) “Abortion foes win victory” or “Blow for women’s rights.” Is there a possibility that we have seen we have come to far?
In a less desirable part of town a student is robbed and shot. Just another crime. The University responded by putting emergency phones up.
What is different about today? We take bomb threats much more seriously. A gun on campus and a disgruntled student can mean more than a robbery, it can mean thirty dead. Why?
Perhaps it has to do with the cheapening of human life. If you can make one life less valuable, all life becomes less valuable. We kill “those evil people in that country,” we kill some of our criminals, will assist suicide, we abort millions of people sometimes for just not being the right kind of person or as healthy as we would like, through pornography we can learn to treat persons as objects to do with as we will, advertising not only skews what is valuable about us as human beings but humans are also used as objects to sell, and thanks to the myth of safe sex and faulty contraception that often does not prevent births nor prevents illness and/or death, we at least have the illusion that we can use a person sexually and walk away without any consequences or responsibilities AND WE ARE TAUGHT THAT THESE ARE THINGS NOT TO FEEL GUILTY ABOUT. Then why are we surprised when someone solves their problems with guns and death? There is no longer the strong community taboo against even thinking of such methods. If you take all of this into account, Cho’s statements make horribly logical sense. He simply took our secular societal view to its logical end, an end which sees human life as something to be used and death as an answer to problems. Why is anyone shocked?
Perhaps it is a good sign however that on the front page of the PD right next to “A KILLER SPEAKS” is a much smaller headline, “Ban on abortion method upheld,” as many see this form of abortion as far too close to infanticide. Interesting also that it did not say (as it usually does) “Abortion foes win victory” or “Blow for women’s rights.” Is there a possibility that we have seen we have come to far?
9 comments:
What a powerful blog! Thanks Fr. V. This is true on so many levels, society has changed so much of what is pure and innocent. What has happened? How did abortion and assisted suicide become deemed ok by our society and often times rationalized? And people that disagree with these facts are tagged as people that aren't "willing to look at other peoples values and rights." The world that we live in is often times sick and twisted. I pray that things begin to change for the better. God bless.
We changed, H.P. We left that expatriate Dismas to die with his helpless new King, and elect Gestas as well as Barrabas and Co. to lead us to victory (freedom, democracy, whatever) over and over. It's what we know..
Carol
H.B. - Check out Adoro's comments today. She nailed part of the problem.
About 10 years ago my parish had a missionary priest for a few weeks. He clearly and simply explained some of the "controversial" things on this blog and the congregation gave him a standing ovation. Humble man that he was, continued the mass as if he heard nothing. People will flock to hear the truth. The church will burst at the seams to hear such homilies.
Sparky,
And you've heard nothing like it from your parish pulpit since? You would think the then current squatters in the rectory would have noticed.
Thanks for the mention, Fr. V!
This is a wonderful post...I always enjoy your synopsis of a given situation.
There is a big upswing in the pro-life position, because the youth of the world today have recognized the lie of radical feminism that slaughters children with one hand while claiming to be "good mothers" with the other.
I do see signs of hope, but the enemy is fighting hard in its corner BECAUSE of those signs.
It seems so overwhelming when we are confronted by the largely pro-death or simply ambivalently dazed society, so complacent in their acceptance of the murky waters of relativism that continue continue to drench them. It's in the legislation, it's in the rhetoric, and they don't even get the messagein their churches for fear that they might be offended if there is a challenge to their very comfortable thoughts.
What is the Catholic atmosphere like in your corner of the world? Does it trend towards the faithful, or do you see a lot of the morally ambivalent among both laity and clergy?
What do you, in your position, see as a way to work towards resolving that?
Um...I just realized I gave you fodder for a manifesto...
adoro,
you may have given Fr V manifesto fodder, but you also gave us additional food for thought.
i know of a woman who was in law enforcement for a short time ... what she saw and experienced changed her so profoundly, in a good way as it turned out, she had to get out of it ... and is almost contemplative now. the misfortune she witnessed in peoples' lives turned her into a seriously "put you money where your mouth is, honey" and is involved in social justice issues now.
been to your blog a couple of times and will be back.
The fact that God has been pushed out of the schools plays a big part as well. Junior High and High School students often go home to empty houses. Parents feel that at this age children ae old enough to be on their own. However some of the things they deal with at school and in life are very confusing to them. When teachers and other school personnel cannot talk to them about God and morality they are left to friends and other outlets. Just as the Va. Tech killer was left to looking to the Columbine killers as his heroes. We need to be very adamant about putting God back in our schools. Sometimes this is the only exposure some children have.
mj, well said!
Uncle jim ~ thank you.
I think that Fr. V. brought up a topic well worth discussing.
As for your friend, I can see how her experience changed her so much; unfortunately, not every cop undergoes such a conversion. There are only a couple ways one can respond to handling such things, and through God's grace, she found Him. Beautiful.
My experience also drew me to God, but in a different way.
God bless her!
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