Bishop Barron on Minnesota Catholic Tragedy: Faith and Hope

The recent Minnesota school shooting was nothing less than diabolical—children attacked while at prayer. While nothing compares to the tragedy of lives lost, what followed was another wound: media voices mocking prayer.

In this week’s new episode, we look at Bishop Barron’s strong response. He reminds us that prayer is not “doing nothing.” Rather, it is lifting our hearts to God while also moving us to act with courage and faith.

I invite you to listen to this important reflection. In times of tragedy, when the world mocks faith, it’s consoling to hear a bishop rise up and defend it.

Transcript

I'm sure by now you've heard of the Minnesota school shooting and all the details surrounding this. Uh my first reaction when I heard of this event, this tragedy was this is diabolical. This is the work of the evil one. And as I continued to follow this story on in the media, I was disturbed again by the hostility that the mainstream media was showing towards faith and prayer in this circumstance. Mayor Frey condemned the typical thoughts and prayers response, remarking, "These kids were literally praying when they were shot." San Antonio Express News reported, "Children in church need more than thoughts and prayers against bullets." And continuing with this theme, Jen Saki with MSNBC says, "Prayer is not freaking enough. Prayers do not end school shootings. Prayers do not make parents feel safe." Enough with the thoughts and prayers. So, I'm seeing this. I'm thinking, what a blindness to the truth. Children are praying, expressing their faith in God, and then they're attacked. In fact, they're targeted because of this belief of their belief in God. And then you have news outlets that continue to attack faith and prayer. The attack of evil with a just a different mask. And then Bishop Baron responds. He said on Fox, "Catholics don't think that prayer magically protects them from all suffering. After all, Jesus prayed fervently from the cross on which he was dying. Yes, this is the truth and sometimes the truth is difficult to hear. But Jesus never promised a life free of suffering. And his example also teaches us on that cross, God Emmanuel with us suffering, dying. If anyone says, "God doesn't understand my suffering. God doesn't understand what I'm going through." We have forgotten the cross. Bishop Baron continues, "Prayer is the raising of the heart and mind to God, which strikes me as altogether appropriate, precisely at times of great pain. And prayer by no means stands in contrast to decisive moral action." Martin Luther King was a man of deep prayer who also affected a social revolution in our country. This is not an eitheror proposition. A beautiful point by Bishop Baron. We we don't believe that we when we pray now God you do everything and we sit back here and do nothing like we're on this all-inclusive holiday of life. I heard this beautiful quote I can't remember where it comes from but it goes like this. Pray as though everything depends upon God and work as though everything depends upon you. So when we when we as Catholics go to God and ask for his help in times of crisis, it does not absolve ourselves of the responsibility of acting. Nor is our faith an expression of the lack of intention of action afterwards. It's both. That's the beauty of the Catholic faith. Prayer and we put it into action. Bishop Bear continues, "In the past 7 years in our country, there has been a 700% increase in violence against Christians and Christian churches worldwide. Christianity is by far the most persecuted religion." That people are even wondering whether the tragedy in Minneapolis is an instance of anti-atholic violence is puzzling to me. If someone attacks a synagogue while congregants were praying, would anyone doubt that it was an anti-semitic act? If someone shot up a mosque while the devout were praying, would anyone doubt that it was an anti-Islamic attack? So why would we hesitate to say that a maniac shooting into a Catholic church while children are at prayer was committing an anti-atholic act. I would not hesitate to call the two children slain during mass martyrs, describing their deaths as a tragic but powerful witness of faith. Thank you, Bishop Baron. It's wonderfully consoling to see a bishop stand up when our faith is under attack and say, "Hey, look, this is the truth about the situation. Our faith is being attacked." When faithful Catholics see a bishop rise up and say that, they feel tremendously consoled because they say, "Okay, my father in faith, he's defending me." And isn't that what children want? I as a father defend my children. And they know I will protect them. They feel secure in that. I wonder how many Catholics feel secure with their bishop defending them in the faith because so often when things happen, it's silent. And this is why I think Bishop Baron's response is so important. We know that God is all good and all powerful. And yet we know that there are wicked people in the world who do terrible things. And so we must say that the just and merciful God permits some evils so as to bring about a good that we might not otherwise be able immediately to see. This is true. But this is also very hard to accept when we are going through a time of great darkness. Because when we're going through a time of great darkness, sometimes it doesn't feel consoling to say, you know what, God is still with you. uh but he'll bring good out of it. But again, sometimes the truth is difficult to hear. That is the truth. Take for example this analogy of a seed taken by a gardener and put into the garden, covered up with soil. The gardener then waters that seed and what does that seed say? I've been forgotten. I'm buried here in darkness. I have no light. I cannot see. I'm being suffocated by this water. And just when that seed feels like it's being overwhelmed and something with inside of it is breaking open, all of a sudden that's exactly what happens in the darkest and most difficult moment of the seed's existence. It breaks open and new life comes. You see, the gardener did not forget the seed. The seed was planted. And it's times like this where we think, God, you've forgotten me. I'm overwhelmed. What are you What are you doing? You've abandoned me. God has not abandoned us. He has planted us for a new life to come forward. The difference between the seed and us is that the seed has no free will and we do. Our response in times of tragedy is key. Will we respond in faith and obedience and love to the situation that God has allowed or do we get bitter? In other words, do you get bitter or you get better? Because if you get bitter, the potential of life breaking forth is lost. But if you reach out, what happens? Reach out to God. New life. And isn't this what happened with Jesus in his darkest moment? What does he say? My God, my God, why have you forsaken me? on that cross, he's crying out, "My God, my God, where are you in all this?" And what happens? It gets worse. He dies. Not only does he die, he gets buried in the tomb. He's covered. And then three days later, he breaks forth new life. Our God knows what it's like to be buried.

There's two more things that people I think are unaware of when it comes to the Minnesota school shooting. Firstly, that when the guns started ringing out and those shots started ringing out, they were in the middle of the responsorial psalm. And what was the psalm for that day? Lord, you search me and you know me. Does it seem like the Lord was already speaking into that situation saying, "I know you and I know what's going to happen." And what's also not commonly known is the staff of that school prior to this mass had discerned a theme, a spiritual theme for that year coming from Jeremiah. And it was this. For I know the plans I have for you, says the Lord, plans for your welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope. This has all happened by the permissive will of God. In other words, a seed has been planted. Now, let's pray for a new life to come forward. Our Lady of Sorrows, pray for us. [Music]