A young man just turned 18 years, purchased two assault weapons, dressed in body armor, and critically wounded his grandmother.  Soon after, he crashed his car in front of a Texas elementary school and entered the building where he killed 19 children and two teachers.  He was shot to death by police. Twenty-two human lives snuffed out by gunfire.

One week ago, I wrote the community about the shooting in Buffalo. I wrote how we have become numbed because these incidents happen with horrific frequency.  Our government leaders are paralyzed due to partisanship on both sides and an unwillingness to compromise on both sides.  We can lose hope quickly when these horrors continue to happen with no end in sight.

Catholic moral theology can enlighten us on the primacy of the sanctity of life.  Abortion gets the most attention because it involves a staggering number of persons.  Other issues deserve attention as well.  The protection of our children is one of our highest responsibilities in respecting the sanctity of human life.  This priority far exceeds the interests at stake regarding gun ownership, background checks, bans on assault weapons, and outlawing of body armor.

As I suggested previously, partisanship has greatly complicated reaching compromises and finding a way to articulate the common good that applies to all of us.  Catholic moral teaching always stresses the common good – which always outweighs individual freedom.  Partisanship, divisiveness, and civil strife are all tools of the devil.  The devil’s purpose is to dehumanize us – to separate us from the dignity given to us by our Creator. 

We must not lose hope.  We must not give up on finding and securing the common good.  We must not assume the devil has the last word, because he does not.  If you need help with this, read the entire Book of Revelation, particularly the last two chapters.  If we continue to fight and deepen our partisan divides, we will play into the devil’s hand.

Jesus did not leave us at the Ascension to our own devices.  He sent the Advocate, the Holy Spirit, who will lead us to the Father.  Pray that our nation finds the courage and the will to do everything possible to protect God’s children—it is our most sacred responsibility.              Fr. Gary