Friday, the Church celebrates the feast of Pope St. John Paul II. The following reflection recalls one of his most famous moments and the relevance it has for our world today.
A few weeks ago, a hostess at the famous Carmine’s restaurant in New York was attacked by three female visitors from Texas when asking for proof of Covid-19 vaccination which is the mandated policy clearly posted outdoors. That same night, an argument over gifts at a baby shower in a fire hall near Pittsburgh escalated to a man firing shots into the crowd sending three people to the hospital with gunshot wounds. Two nights before, at Pat’s Steaks in South Philly at 2 am, four men attacked three people visiting from New York killing a 28-year-old resident from Queens, injuring his father and a friend. This incident brings back the memory of that fatal night in July when a Camden resident was shot in the back following a fight at the same eatery. Between then and now, there have been countless similar acts of senseless violence that causes one to shout: What’s going on? What’s at the root of this rage, hostility, incredibly inappropriate anger? Perhaps God is asking the very same question, what’s going on, my people?
Of course, we have always had incidents of rage and hostility, but it is heightened now and too omnipresent. We have lost civility to such a degree that we cannot have a conversation when we differ from one another. It’s not just those who serve in public office, it’s you and me. There is so much stress and anxiety in our world that we cannot cope. So, we call people names, dismiss those who don’t think as we, wield weapons, and/or engage in other inappropriate behaviors (drink, drugs, abuse of self or another in a myriad of ways).
As I have often written, reiterating what others have shared with me, we do not appreciate the stressful and deleterious effects brought on by this pandemic and the political hostility that preceded it. Rather than search for some answers, peace, and resolution, we engage in verbal assaults fired between those vaccinated and the non-vaxers. We watch politicians leading the same verbal war laced with childish insults and often false claims. We speculate who will be voted out of office for their stance and it’s according to our political leaning because we are right, and they are wrong. We take undue pleasure in seeing our advisory’s public opinion poll dip tremendously.
We don’t speak truth because hostility prohibits reason and communication. We grow tired of waiting for service everywhere because everyone is hurting for employees. We want to shout in line, leave our products there and storm off. We judge one another as we are omniscient, and they deserve it anyway. Soon we realize that out the window where civility went, so too did Christianity. Can you identify or am I the only unhinged parishioner?
Here’s the answer: I find myself repeating a chant that erupted when Pope John Paul II spoke to his fellow citizens in his first visit back to Poland where he was told to be careful with what he was going to say watched carefully by the communist regime. The Pope spoke of God and God’s love and mercy. The crowd erupted in a three-worded chant, “We need God!.” The Pope stopped as the mantra was deafening and palpable. Many say that this was the moment when communism collapsed. It did not fall with gunfire and violence but with a firm conviction of faith and longing for God.
“We Need God!” Shout it from the hilltops at the top of your lungs. Mean what you say. Convince others. What we are doing to one another and to ourselves, where we are going is harmful and will lead to more destruction of self and others. We Need God! We need faith, hope, and love. We need to get back in the pews of churches, synagogues, mosques, and what have you. We need to make God the center of our life. God must increase and we must decrease so God can fill us with love, mercy, understanding, and compassion. We need a reset. Our hearts must grow more restless for God than ever before.
We Need God!
Nothing more to say! And don’t argue because I’m correct and somewhat unhinged.
Fr. John J. Fisher, OSFS
Rector
Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception
Camden, NJ
