We Must Act

Dear sisters and brothers in Christ,

I set aside the letter I was writing for this weeks bulletin. As I started to write that my hope was that you all had a wonderful holiday weekend, All I could think about was the Highland Park shooting and how that shattered the image of what a 4th of July parade should be. The violence goes well beyond the 7 people who lost their life and their families that are mourning. Well beyond all of those who were wounded by gunfire or the stampeding crowd. Even beyond all those present who will never get those images out of their minds or be free of the nightmares. As the sound of fireworks and brass bands were replaced by the hail of bullets and the screams of those running for their lives was heard across the nation. Not just “one more shooting,” but as Vice President Harris said, “Enough is enough!!!”

I can’t get the image of the little boy who could not go to sleep until his father took him to the police station where they reassured him that the gunman was locked up and could no longer harm him. As a parent how do you make you children feel safe in this world they must live in? Where can they feel safe? Not at school! Not at the movies! Not at church or synagogue! Now not even at a family event like a parade celebrating the birth of our nation!

Let us keep these families, along with the countless victims of gun violence, in our thoughts and in our prayers. Let us pray that we never reach a point where we simply dismiss an event like this as “just one more shooting” and accept it as inevitable. Our faith tells us that ALL life, from the womb to the tomb, is sacred and precious. The question is what are we willing to do, and what are we willing to sacrifice in the practice of that belief. Personally, I believe we can do something about it. I believe we MUST do something about it!!!

In the Redeemer, Fr. Rick