The Trappist Martyrs of Atlas
From the journals of Father Christian and Luc:
“We welcomed that Child who was born for us, absolutely helpless, and already so threatened. Afterwards we found salvation in undertaking our daily tasks: the kitchen, garden, the prayers, the bells. Day after day. We had to resist the violence. And day after day, I think each of us discovered that to which Jesus Christ beckons us. It’s to be born. Our identities as men go from one birth to another. And from birth to birth, we’ll each end up bringing to the world the child of God that we are. The Incarnation, for us, is to allow the filial reality of Jesus to embody itself in our humanity. The mystery of Incarnation remains what we are going to live.” - Fr. Christian
“I was recently reading this “pensée” of Pascal’s: “Men never do evil so completely and cheerfully as when they do it for religious conviction.” Here there is confusion and violence. We are in a “risky” situation but we persist in our faith and our confidence in God. It is through poverty, failure and death that we advance towards him. Heavy and devastating downpours have not curbed the violence that is infiltrating itself everywhere. Two opponents are present, one wants to hold on to power, the other seize it. They are fighting with their backs against the wall. I don’t know when or how it will all end. In the meantime, I perform my duty… Caring for the poor and the sick, awaiting for the day or the time to close my eyes. My dear friend, pray for me, may my exit from this world be done in the peace and joy of Jesus.” - Fr. Jean-Luc
Quotes source.
Trappist Martyrs of Atlas
Terry, I am really confused. Are you trying to hint that people who defend themselves or especially others with force are doing wrong?
ReplyDeleteI'm sorry if what I said the other day was wrong.
Mercury, people who defend themselves or their families are one thing. If a gunman burst into this house and my husband ran and hid himself behind a toilet a la Tom DeLay and left his wife and children to fend for themselves, that would be wrong. If we had a gun in this house, (and we don't and nor will we ever), we would be perfectly justified in using that gun to overtake the intruder. Valid self-defense, whether it be in your own home or while fighting in a war, is permitted. The Church does not expect us to hand over our lives to thugs. But my interpretation of the catechism is not that the Church also demands that we all arm ourselves "just in case" someone makes an attempt on our lives. Priests, who above ALL people should work to uphold the sanctity of life but who make getting a permit to carry a gun a resolution for 2013, are quite another issue. I see a sickening fascination among some clergy in this country with an instrument that was designed solely to kill another human being. Can you imagine the Franciscan Friars for the Renewal, who actually work with and minister to the the fringes of society and are probably more at risk than most, carrying guns to defend themselves? Can you imagine St Francis carrying a gun?
ReplyDeleteI am speaking solely for myself, as I always do when I post here. But I don't see how a person calls themselves pro-life in one breath and then brags about getting a permit to carry, particularly after the slaughter of the innocents in Newtown. I am still waiting for the US Conference of Bishops to speak up about the immorality of making military-style weapons of mass destruction more accessible to the mentally ill than help for their condition. It is entirely possible to discuss more than one issue that concerns the sanctity of life without minimizing the gravity of abortion. But we hear nothing except from those who think even more guns are the answer. It boggles the mind.
Peace
Joyce
What Joyce said! Exactly what Joyce said. Thanks Joyce.
ReplyDeleteYou're welcome Terry :)
DeleteI agree too, Joyce and Terry. Thank you.
DeleteJoyce, I agree with you, but for one minor point (an AR-15 is not a "military-style weapon of mass destruction" - it is designed to *look* nasty, but it's mechanism is the same as most handguns and hunting rifles, and its caliber is actually much weaker than the average hunting rifle - the carrying capacity and availability to the mentally ill is another question. But it is no more dangerous than any rifle or handgun. In fact, it is most commonly used as a hunting rifle for small animals, as far as I can tell).
ReplyDeleteThat was too long. Sorry. Anyway, am I missing something going on in the Catholic blogosphere? Is there a well-known priest who has bragged about this resolution or something?
I think a priest or dedicated religious might not completely "give up" his right to using force in self-defense, but that said, I think the pressure is on and that the right thing to do for someone on that state of life might well be to voluntarily forego this right out of charity. The way I see it, the Church teaches that defense is not wrong, but that voluntarily foregoing it out of love can be the more virtuous path to take.
In this way it is similar to property and poverty, marriage and celibacy, etc. It's not evil at all for a man to look firwardto marriage and to seek to find the right woman to fall in love with. It is wrong for a monk to do this, because he's already committed to a different and more difficult way of life. And as far as self-defense goes, those with responsibilities in this world do well to defend themselves and their families and may even be obliged to do so. But the whole reason a religious or priest has given up his worldy goods and responsibilities (though truly good and important, otherwise there is no sacrifice) is precisely so he is free to give a more powerful witness to God's love and utter dependency on God.
Thank you Merc, I appreciate your response and I agree with your observations.
ReplyDeleteJoyce
Joyce, guns are often used for sporting; shooting targets or clay pigeons. They're also used for hunting. While hunting is a seasonal hobby these days, it used to be how people fed themselves. There's a lot of commentary these days on the second amendment and its relationship to hunting; however, its true relationship is to the first amendment.
ReplyDeleteThere are probably many who assume the Franciscans are packing heat.