Thoughts after Southerland Springs 1st Baptist Shooting.

I didn’t want to respond to the violence in Southerland Springs right away.  I was mad and frustrated.  How could this be and so close.  This will be a summary of my homily and for those upset that I am not jumping on the gun control wagon, please look at purpose of what I am trying to do.

Is it the guns?

My opinion is that guns are not the issue.   The closest I have come to being hurt in an attach was in Germany, with very strict gun control.  There they used a propane tank.  Oklahoma City was a truck.  9/11 were planes.  Chicago, DC and Mexico have amazingly strict laws, yet shockingly high levels of violent crime.  I think it is us…

Are we silly virgins from Gospel parable?

Multiple times in the last year I have had to deal with threats from middle school kids to kill someone.  This is in a Catholic school.   Yes, we take it more seriously now, but these were kids with a plan.  I have watched young kids in less than 10 seconds wipe out a small village in a first person shooter game.  That has to have an impact.

I remember the first time I was in the ER as a Chaplain and a chest was opened and the smell and the sound almost made me toss my lunch.   After time, I became accustom to it.  Are we “virtually” becoming desensitized to violence through movies and games?  Or by texting and not talking, especially while in same room.

What about the mental health angle.  I have tried to get people help.  I have friends that have family members, but their personal rights seem to get in the way of getting them help.  Everyone is too afraid to do what needs to be done because they might get sued.  How is that being our brother’s/sister’s keeper?

How do we help overworked and under prepared parents?

I don’t have answers, yet.   But I am working at finding them.  I am hoping this blog starts a discussion.  I will not approve any comments stuck on guns.  That is not the point here.  That is a whole other issue.

How to we regain a sense of godliness or holiness for each other?  How do we engender that in our youth?

Some of my ideas:

1.  If you die in a first person shooter game, you are dead, you have to buy the game again.
2. Make all violent movies and games NC-17.  Let the person form before subjecting themselves to these “games.”
3. If we are going to really fix health care, we need to fix our mental health system.  How?
4. We can’t ban texting, but can we force more interpersonal relationships.  We are shifting to more project based education to help facilitate this.

Please take a moment of prayer for all those affected by violence before responding.