That's Not Me

 

The Gospel today (Mt 8:28) spoke of Jesus freeing two men from demonic possession, casting the demons into pigs which ran off and drowned.  The first reading at that mass was about Abram, and his wife Sarah, who at an old age bore Isaac, a forefather of Jesus.  But Abram had two sons in his old age, the first by his slave, a son named Ishmael, to whom like Isaac, God had promised a great kingdom.  Ishmael is considered the forefather of Mohammed.  So, the Bible tells us that Christians and Muslims are distant cousins of our joint forefather, Abram, each with a great kingdom as promised by God.

- - - - - - - - - -

There is a new movie out, Sound of Freedom, starring Jim Caviesal, who played Jesus in The Passion movie.  I heard an interview with him this morning, as he talked about the movie, his role, and the movie’s topic:  the 300,000 children kidnapped each year into the sex-slave industry --- in our country.  In our country, where so many people support abortion, so many support the sex slavery of children.  To my way of thinking, it all about two things:  1) Money, and 2) The “It’s Not Me” mentality.  The most popular websites in our country are pornography, strongly underpinned by those child sex slaves --- whom we won’t believe are our children until we see one there, as has happened often.

- -- - - - - - - -

I will have masses said on August 1 in my parishes, for two intentions:  1) For an end to OUR support of pornography, and 2) For an end to sex-trafficking of OUR children.  The masses will intend to pray to God for an end to OUR sins.  Perhaps some who hear those intentions said (or read them in the church bulletin) will receive the grace to open their hearts, and do something.  Or perhaps, between now and then some priest will not want to hurt anyone’s feelings and delete or change those intentions.

But even among those hearing, many will undoubtedly think: “That’s not me.”

- - - - - - - - - -

There’s lots of talk about Christians becoming once again one church, united as it started out.  Not much progress is being made in that area.  But perhaps Christians could unite with Muslims, our distant cousins, to end pornography and child sex-trafficking in this country, even if to just remove our financial support.  Do you think that could wake some politicians up, if our churches said no one will vote for you unless you do something NOW to stop slavery in our country, the abduction and slavery of our children?

At one of my men’s groups the talk got around to the New Evangelization, and some asked “What can I do?”  I gave some simple examples of witnessing our faith, to our family, friends, or even strangers.  “Yes, we could do simple things, but the church is telling us to do more.”  Well, I said, in Poland the refugees from the Ukraine were taken into the houses of the Polish people, and treated as one of their family.  There were no refugee camps for the millions of refugees of the war; there was no need.  So, I asked the men: “Many of us have empty bedroom in our homes, what if we said, as a parish, that we will take in and care for the homeless and those in need?  That would be a great evangelization witness.”  There was silence at the table, and the topic was changed.