Two days after the 9/11 New York City attack on our country I accompanied the pastor of the Parish of Saint Peter and his associate to the Church located a half block from the World Trade Center. The priests abandoned the historic church (1837) which suffered extensive damage when the landing gear of one of the attack planes landed in its roof. They moved into my rectory about 15 blocks north and east of the Twin Towers.
As we crossed City Hall Park walking up to our knees through the contents that tumbled down from the collapse of the Twin Towers and the other buildings, I could not fathom that such hatred for our country had resulted in the murder of innocent lives and the destruction of property. I thought of my Irish ancestors who came to the United States to escape British tyranny and poverty. They came in the hulls of boats and created a better life for themselves and their future generations. They loved the freedoms of their new country. As I witnessed the destruction and death caused by those foreign enemies of our country, I wept for America
On January 6th I watched in shock the television reports of the rampaging looters and rioters who illegally stormed the Capitol building causing death and destruction of property. Deranged men and women who attempted to overthrow our cherished democracy as they physically violated the Capitol, a building that is sacred to the nation and to our government. As I watched in horror the destruction and death those marauders caused, I wept for America.
As unimaginable as it is, unlike the wicked foreign gangs of 9/11 who came from outside the United States, that D.C. mob of thugs and murderers came from inside our country. Those misguided rioters threatened our democracy and our government. They must suffer the consequences of their actions. They do not represent the majority of us — good and decent men and women of different political parties who may disagree about issues and hold opposing opinions but who do not allow hatred to rule their words and direct their actions. They are not us who love our country despite its flaws.
Let me be very clear that what happened on January 6th had nothing to do with politics. It had all to do with HATRED which recently has been stoked to fever pitch in public discourse and in the media. Even some in the highest positions in our land have spewed its venom and lies. Words and lies have consequences and words and lies resulted in the siege against American democracy at the Capitol in Washington, D.C. on January 6th, 2021.
The following morning during a conversation with Father Hughes, our Vicar General, I said that I hoped the teachers in our Catholic schools and catechists in our parish catechetical programs would discuss with their students what took place on the previous day. Our students need to learn our Catholic values and our Church’s social teachings about the common good and the purposes of government. They need to learn that HATRED is an unacceptable attitude and response. It must be clearly taught that hatred is a SIN. Our students need to appreciate the American genius of “E Pluribus Unum,” out of many peoples, one nation, under God, with liberty and justice for all. Our students must be taught patriotism and to love our country despite its flaws and mistakes.
What a way to begin a new year, particularly after the suffering and difficulties we have faced and continue to face with this dangerous pandemic! We are a people wounded by what this virus has wrought to our way of life and, more, a people morally and spiritually wounded by the divisions among the different groups of people in our country. Let us turn to the Lord and pray with gratitude for the freedoms we so cherish and enjoy which are the envy of many peoples in our world. Freedoms for which men and women in uniform have fought and for which some have given their lives on behalf of all of us. Let us also pray for healing of our wounded national soul.
Our Holy Father, Pope Francis in his Angelus address on Sunday, January 10, the Solemnity of the Baptism of the Lord, referring to the violence in the United States said “Violence is always self-destructive. Nothing is gained by violence and so much is lost. I urge the State authorities and the entire population to maintain a high sense of responsibility in order to soothe tempers, promote national reconciliation and protect the democratic values rooted in American society.”
We members of the Church of which Pope Francis is our leader and teacher of the faith should pay attention to his appeal. Violence is never a solution and always must be condemned.
In the Compendium of the Social Doctrine of the Church, #406, we find this statement: “Our Church values the democratic system inasmuch as it ensures the participation of citizens in making political choices, guarantees to the governed the possibility both of electing and holding accountable those who govern them, and of replacing them through peaceful means when appropriate.” Evidently, the rioters at the Capitol did not share these Catholic values nor this Christian vision of government.
“God bless America, land that I love. Stand beside her and guide her,” sings the stirring patriotic song. That love is best expressed for each of us with full participation in the democratic process; with resolute determination to know the truth about issues we face as a nation; with respect for the plurality of opinions, points of view and political parties. And yes, sometimes with tears.
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