Tolerance to a Fault

Standing outside the Catholic Cathedral in Dallas Texas is a statue of the Blessed Virgin Mary of Guadalupe, patroness of this great church. At least there was until it was pried off its base and smashed for the second time since it was brought there by the people of Dallas' "Little Mexico." This statue is more than a sacred icon. It has deep cultural and religious significance for all Catholics, both Mexican and non-Mexican alike. While the event itself is shocking to anyone who is sensitive to and respectful of the many cultures and peoples that make up the nation that is the United States, what is more shocking is the response of Dallas' law enforcement who claim it is not a hate crime.

One need only look at the evidence to see that this was not a random act of violence. Our Lady of Guadalupe is and has been a rallying point for the poor and marginalized since the sixteenth century, and more recently for the Hispanic immigrants to the United States. The Dallas Cathedral was the headquarters for a massive demonstration for the rights of immigrants last year.

Other statues, much more accessable were located next to the statue of the Virgin had random vandalism been the intent. Clearly this was a hate crime. Clearly this wasn't random. This was a premeditated act. The vandals had to bring tools with them that would allow them to chip away at the base of the statue and separate it from its pedistal, free it from its rebar support, and then smash it. Someone was sending a message, and it wasn't "we love you."

Had this vandalism taken place at a synagogue or mosque it would immediately have been labeled a hate crime. There would have been an outcry from religious and civil leaders against the heinousness and evil of the desecration of a religious symbol. Some of the loudest voices would have been Catholic. Instead the only response was, "this isn't a hate crime." Where are the voices of our Jewish brothers and sisters? Where are the voices of our Moslem brothers and sisters? Where are the voices of good and decent people who decry all forms of hatred and bigotry?

The statue of the Virgin of Guadalupe will be repaired. Once again she will stand on her pedistal in front of the Cathedral that bears her name. As the Mother of the Americas she will watch over the people of Dallas, indeed over her children, whatever their faith, whatever their nationality. And she will love them all with a mother's love. Even those who vandalized her statue. Especially those who vandalized her statue.

There but for the grace of God

A friend of mine emailed me today asking for prayers. One of her friends and co-workers was killed by her husband on Friday last who then killed himself leaving two children behind. My immediate thoughts on reading the email were, of the children... Who would care for them? Did they witness their father kill their mother and them himself? What would become of them? My thoughts then turned to the woman who was shot and finally to her husband.

It's easy to feel compassion for the victims of this horrible incident, namely the mother and her two children. But we cannot forget there was a fourth victim, the father.

I think we often forget that the killer in these situations is also a victim. This in no way an attempt to excuse what this husband and father (or others like him) did, nor to diminish the evil of his action. Rather it is an attempt to remember that he must have been suffering greatly in some way to do such a thing. Even the cold-blooded psychopath didn't start out that way.

I do not suggest that this husband and father did not choose to do what he did. He chose to take the life of the mother of his children and then his own life. He chose to leave his children orphans. But he did not get to that choice "out of the blue."

We have no way of knowing what doors our own choices open and close to us. We have no means of answering all the "what ifs." We can only trust that we have made the best choice at a given time and that hopefully we will never be in a place where the only choice we feel we can make is death.

So, when reading the paper or listening to the news reports, remember that sometimes the perpetrator is also a victim-- maybe of circumstances, maybe of external force, maybe of his or her choices-- and try to have some compassion. Because we are all human and are capable of doing horrible things. And each of us can say, "there, but for the grace of God, go I."

Forward to the Past

Fr. John Szada, pastor of St. Vincent de Paul Church in Hanover, PA wrote to his parishioners in the August 19, 2007 parish bulletin:

"[T]he issue of which direction the priest faces is important, historically. In Judaism, the direction of prayer is always to face Jerusalem. For Muslims, the direction of prayer is always to face Mecca. For Christians, especially for Catholics, the direction of prayer has always been to face the East. I wonder how many of our people even realize that. And why might that be important?

"It was to the East that Jesus ascended into heaven. And the angels present that day told the apostles that He would return in the same way that they saw Him going up. Therefore, Catholics always prayed facing the East as a way of waiting for the return of the Lord in glory. And the priest stood with his back to the people, not turned away from them, but leading the entire congregation in prayer. He stood at their head, so to speak, leading the assembly in worship of God.

"Contrary to popular opinion, Mass facing the people is a totally modern invention. It was not the way Mass was celebrated in the early church. And the disadvantage of Mass celebrated this way is that we can too easily forget that the entire Mass is a prayer to God, led by the priest. The danger is that the community can too easily turn inward on itself, rather than facing and anticipating the coming of the Lord.

I find this especially noteworthy since in one of my former parishes they have just installed a marble "altar of sacrifice" that had previously been the high altar in the lower church. Rather than the forward movement they think they are making, they are actually moving backwards. It is clear to me as a priest that celebrating Mass facing the people is not at all desirable. Neither is sitting in a "presidential chair" like some pretender potentate. It isn't about me or any other priest. The Mass is about the worship of God and nothing else. It is the sacrifice of Calvary renewed in un unbloody manner by the fulfillment of the Lord's command to "do this in memory of me."

Over the past forty years or so "liturgists" et alii have been promoting a form of Mass that centers not on divine worship but on man. It is often questionable as to whether the Lord's command is being fulfilled. As a result of this Mass attendance has dropped off drastically. There really is no point to it if these humanistic ideas are to be the focus. One could get their humanist jollies by going to a protestant church or a hoedown.

I was recently at a Mass that exemplified all that is wrong with the modern take on liturgy. The "presider" made himself the center of attention by idiosyncrasies too numerous to mention. Among those that stood out were his theatrical preaching style and his adding/deleting words to prayers common to the congregation. When he tried to be spontaneous he was clearly a failure as shown by his constant repetition of the same phrases and words over and over again. I really wondered what was in his mind and heart. It certainly seemed not to be at rest or peace.

Facing the same direction as the people leading them in prayer, following the rubrics, and reading the texts as they are written give one a tremendous sense of freedom and peace. In many ways it's like riding a bicycle. You do it without thinking about what you are doing. It allows you to give your whole heart and mind and soul to God.

Preaching simply, relying on the Gospel instead of gimmicks, allows the faithful access to the message the Church has to impart on a particular day without the distraction of a preacher who makes himself the center of attention.

The way forward is not to repeat the status quo or what has been done in the past, but rather to learn from it and change things for the better.