For the last few weeks, the most common phrase we have heard was uttered by Moses to God’s people in today’s first reading: “If only….” These words have been mumbled and shouted and cried out as people mourn victim after victim of the various mass shootings in our country this year. In fact, as of July 4th, the United States has averaged one mass shooting per day! That means, every day since this year began, someone has said, “If only I paid more attention…”, “If only I had known…”, “If only I had tried to stop him…”, “If only we had more security…”, “If only we had arrived sooner…”, “If only we had better gun control laws…”, etc.! And despite the fact that these killings come more frequently and often make less sense than previous mass shootings, no one wants to say, “If only we repealed the Second Amendment!”
That’s right. I said it. Heresy to many Americans. Repeal the Second Amendment. Repeal our fundamental right to bear arms? Allow the government to enslave us? Heresy? Or our only path to a more perfect union? The Second Amendment made sense during revolutionary times when people had to defend themselves and their homes against invading British forces. It made sense during the nation’s expansion when the Native Americans who originally lived in this land may have attacked a settler’s home or an outpost. The right to bear arms was added not for hunters nor for survivalists. The Second Amendment clearly states that the purpose for this right is the ability to raise an army at a moment’s notice. And since the nascent government could not afford to buy weapons for all of its citizen soldiers, giving us the right to keep our own weapons assured that we would be well trained in case of an invasion or other attacks. But here’s what really happened.
The Second Amendment has become a sacred idol for a lawless generation, a beacon for people with paranoid delusions of governmental power and abuse, a haven for people who abuse others in the name of God and country. Holding onto the Second Amendment at this time is nothing short of idolatry along with hypocrisy. The mere concept of being ready to kill someone else as somehow “defending” yourself is against Christ’s teachings. Instead of preaching how to treat one another well, a task that is so easy to understand it defies imagination, congressional leaders and the Supreme Court provoke individualism, and undermine the security of our society. And although no one wants to go so far as to actually say what I am saying, we in Chicago are all too familiar with the consequences both intended and unintended that uncontrolled access to weapons has upon our society. Perhaps if no one could own a gun, if all weapons were seized, we might learn how to talk before we shoot; how to resolve before we reload. Of course, no one will take me seriously.
The story of the Good Samaritan is borne of violence, greed, and the need to know what is good. The scholar who asks to know the “greatest commandment” is given two to follow: Love God and Love your neighbor. In Jesus’ teaching, how we treat others is directly related to how we treat God. Faith that is not lived is not real. Therefore, gossip should not come from the mouth of those who pray the rosary. Giving to the poor must be done with the hand that receives Communion. The knee that bends to adore must also bend to heal those who hurt. When asked, “Who is my neighbor?” Jesus tells us a parable where the only person who does good is the one person who is shunned.
If only we could learn to love instead of hate. Peace, Fr Nick