Tragically, we live in a culture of violence and death. The recent mass shootings in New York and now Texas break our hearts, as both adults and children are murdered in the course of a normal day of grocery shopping or attending school by a troubled loner who has embraced some crazed ideological mix of racism, carnage, and/or revenge. The Gospel of Life challenges us to embrace our own human dignity, to build a culture in which every person is welcomed, nurtured, respected, and loved. The Church proclaims the right to life, not only for the unborn, but for every human being, created in the image and likeness of God.
Tag: violence
Prayer and dialogue needed for peace
Almost every day we hear about terrorist attacks, escalating violence, and wars throughout the world.
We wonder whether peace is even possible. And if it is, how do we achieve it?
We don’t build peace by weapons, but by prayer and dialogue, Pope Francis said in a message to a religious peace meeting which opened on September 15.
We’re better than this!
Catholic News Service posted a photo of a Pittsburgh Steelers fan displaying a sign October 28 to honor the victims of the shooting at the Tree of Life Synagogue before the game between Pittsburgh and the Cleveland Browns at Heinz Field in Pittsburgh.
The sign said, “Hatred can’t weaken a city of steel.” It pointed to the killing of at least 11 people and the wounding of six others, including four police officers, during the October 27 shooting at the synagogue.
A Lenten response to violence
It was interesting to see people with crosses on their foreheads in the crowds shown after the school shootings in Parkland, Fla.
Of course, the shootings occurred on Ash Wednesday, so some of the parents and other family members had gone to Mass during the day.
Is there a message for us? The more I thought about it, I think there is.
Don’t publish letters promoting violence
We are deeply saddened that you would publish a letter that promotes violence.
The person who recommends use of automatic weapons to “protect” our churches and schools should not be given access to readers of a Catholic publication dedicated to promoting a message of peace and respect. May Our Lord grant him the wisdom to understand peace and respect.
We all have responsibility in dealing with sexual abuse of girls and women
We’ve been hearing a lot about incidents of sexual abuse of girls and women this year.
It is a difficult subject to talk about, and I think many people want to avoid discussing it. However, I think we all have a responsibility to deal with this issue, especially in our own families.
Problem does not lie with guns but the human beings who use them
To the editor:
This is in response to Mr. Christopher White’s article in the November 23 issue.
One thing that seems lost in all the recent discussion of violence in America these days is that the problem is not inanimate objects like guns — it is the human being that makes a decision to use these objects to harm others.
We must counter hate with love
Perhaps one of the hardest things Jesus told us as his followers was to love our enemies and pray for those who persecute us (Matthew 5:44).
It’s pretty tough to tolerate people we don’t like, let alone love them. But that’s what Jesus told us to do, and he certainly practiced what he preached. He even forgave those who crucified him!
Our country — and indeed our whole world — seems to be filled with racism, hatred, and violence. We all wonder how we should respond.
Why Mary and peace go together
Just before Christmas, we learned of more violence in the world. In Berlin, Germany, a truck drove into a crowd of holiday shoppers at a Christmas market, killing at least 12 people and injuring as many as 50.
This attack came just hours after the assassination of the Russian ambassador to Turkey. The gunman was identified as a Turkish police officer who yelled, “Don’t forget Aleppo. Don’t forget Syria,” after he shot Andrei G. Karlov in the back.
In a violent world, what can we do?
What is this world coming to? Violence is happening everywhere.
We used to think of civil unrest and wars occurring elsewhere — not in our own cities. But now it seems like no one is safe from violence.
Every time I hear about another shooting, I say a quick prayer and feel like crying, “Not again!”
Who is to blame? Is there anything we can do?