Bishop Kevin Farrell

The Chief Shepherd of the Catholic Diocese of Dallas

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Oklahoma City Tornado

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Our hearts and prayers go out to the victims of the Moore, Oklahoma tornado. We thank God that the casualties were not as horrific as first reported.  Nevertheless the lives of those who lost loved ones or their homes have been changed forever. I share the thoughts of Pope Francis who tweeted “I am close to the families of all who died in the Oklahoma tornado, especially those who lost young children. Join me in praying for them.”

Please be generous with your prayers and your donations to aid our neighbors in Oklahoma.

Reflections on West and Boston

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Once again we are stunned and grieved by sudden violent death and suffering in West and in Boston and overwhelmed by the generosity and resiliency of the human spirit.

Ironically the heroes and the victims in both cases were the first responders. In Boston the presence and quick action of police and medical personnel saved many  lives after the twin bomb blasts shattered so many bodies.

In West the first responders, volunteer firefighters and EMS personnel,  were the victims as the fire they were fighting became an inferno that swept away their lives. We have nothing but admiration for these dedicated men and women who put their lives on the line to protect ours.

Headlines will fade away, the questions of why and how will search for answers, but the wounds of West and Boston will remain. Lives have been shattered and snuffed out and normal will never return for survivors and loved ones. Faith has been tested and strengthened by this violent confrontation with our own mortality.

St. Paul reminds us that because “we walk by faith and not by sight,” We have the strength and will to move on, to heal the wounds and find a new normal.

Let us remember the victims and the survivors in our prayers and in our generosity.

Image Credit:
(CNS photo/Jaime R. Carrero, Reuters) April 19, 2013 – People take part in a candlelight vigil April 18 at the Church of the Assumption in West, Texas, to remember those who lost their lives or were injured in a massive explosion at the area’s fertilizer plant April 17. The explosion near Waco, Texas, killed 12 people and injured more than 160 others.

A romantic but specious myth

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In Friday’s New York Times, columnist David Brooks makes the observation that “…the gun issue has its own unique dynamic, which is that the people who oppose gun limits vote on this issue while the people who support them do not.” He was referring to members of Congress, but his observation is equally valid for the public at large.

The difference is passion. Opponents of gun control are passionate about their belief, for whatever reason they support their position with money and political savvy that overwhelms those seeking to keep weapons out of the hands of criminals.

American history is unique; our love affair with weapons begins with the Minute Men, armed farmers whose sharpshooting honed on the frontier, routed the British redcoats at Concord and as they retreated to Boston. It continues with the Frontiersmen whose shooting skills helped carve a nation out of the wilderness. Lewis and Clark are never pictured without their trusty flintlocks. Finally the west was won with the Winchester rifles and Colt revolvers.

Thus, those seeking to keep weapons out of the hands of criminals found they were defined not as citizens seeking common sense legislation, but as an unpatriotic dangerous coalition of radicals seeking to destroy the Constitution and the sacred right to self-defense.

In truth the sacrosanct “right to bear arms” did not originate with our founding fathers. The Second Amendment is based on English Common Law and its roots were in the concept of a citizen army where each man would provide his own weapon.

Of course the argument that the unrestricted right to firearms is necessary to protect democracy is a romantic but specious myth. President John F. Kennedy observed that: “The great enemy of the truth is very often not the lie – deliberate, contrived and dishonest – but the myth – persistent, persuasive and unrealistic.”

Now, the question is whether the cause will be abandoned in frustration or if believers in the justice of their cause can muster the passion to fight to impose the will of the people over the myth fashioned by a passionate minority.

Whither Democracy?

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What is really at stake in Congress this week is the democratic process. The will of the overwhelming majority of citizens for universal background checks on the sale of weapons is threatened by a small minority who has worked to refashion a public safety issue into an individual rights issue.

American citizens deserve an up-or-down vote in both houses on the background checks issue to force out those congressmen and senators who place personal political survival above public safety and the will of the people.

Tragically the limiting of the sale of assault weapons and large capacity magazines has already fallen to political expediency.  Are we now to see the democratic process completely sold out in the defeat or emasculation of the effort to impose universal background checks?

Of course what has been completely lost is the fact that the limiting of weapons is a moral issue, but during the past two and a half centuries morality in our laws has fallen victim to individual rights through legislation and adjudication.

Will public safety now suffer the same fate?

Some thoughts on the Holy Father

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For those who know Pope Benedict XVI he will be remembered as a fatherly and kind leader, different from the perception of many who knew him only through reports in the media or impressions gained from decisions he made or theological statements.

His first encyclical God is Love (Deus Caritas Est) belied the persona projected by critics of his work as head of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, a position that by its very nature required making tough and frequently unpopular decisions. However, during those years as the Auxiliary Bishop of Washington, I had several occasions to meet with him regarding doctrinal matters and always found him kind and understanding.

He showed his great love for the Church by the courageous decision he has made. The Holy Father’s willingness to voluntarily step down from what is arguably one of the world’s most respected and powerful positions shows his great humility and self-awareness.

Many have described him as a “teaching” pope, and that he was. He loved the faith and that is why he loved the Church. That is also why he was a superb teacher and theologian, because those gifts enabled him to transmit his great faith to others.

In his decision to resign the Pope called attention to the complexity of the Pontifical Office that requires the strength and stamina of a younger man to deal with the demands of a Church that embraces more than a billion faithful throughout the world and is growing constantly.

Pope Benedict not only taught us with his intellectual works, but also by the witness of his life. As his predecessor’s final lesson to us was how to suffer, the Holy Father Pope Benedict’s final lesson is how to let go. In making his monumental announcement, he has also taught us how to keep a secret…a rare talent these days.

Let us continue to pray for him as he steps into retirement and for the power of the Holy Spirit in choosing a new captain for the Barque of Peter.

The resignation of Pope Benedict XVI

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We were all taken by surprise by today’s announcement by Pope Benedict XVI that he will step down from the Chair of Peter on February 28, but we were aware of the frailness of his condition from our last visit.

Of course our prayers are with him in his retirement and we thank God for the gift he has been to the Church and to the world. While his decision is not without precedent it is highly unusual and in my opinion is an indication of his great love and concern for the Church and its future.

Now we turn to the choice of his successor. The College of Cardinals, who are the Papal electors, will convene at the Vatican next month in a conclave to elect the next Pontiff. This is a prayerful process of discernment and we are confident that the Holy Spirit will guide their deliberations.

We must now await the outcome of these momentous events in faith and confidence in God. Please join me in prayers for Pope Benedict and the Papal electors.

Some thoughts on the gun control issue

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It seems to me that what the discussion on gun control needs is fewer strident voices and more common sense. Many believe that the ready availability of weapons in our country, particularly assault weapons is at least partly responsible for the mass killings in Colorado, Virginia and Connecticut. Such concern is understandable, particularly after the incomprehensible murder of 26 young children and teachers at Sandy Hook Elementary School.

It must be admitted that while guns were the instruments used in the killings, the acts were those of mentally deranged individuals whose actions were enabled by their access to the weapons used. Other factors were also involved including insufficient or lax security, and the need for proper care for the mentally ill.

Then there is the question of rights; the victims’ rights to life, liberty and pursuit of happiness that were taken from them; the same rights of millions of other school children, teachers, theater goers and citizens who wonder where the next mass murder will be; the rights of those who own guns and fear that an overreaction will deprive them of their right to bear arms; and, the right of government authorities to take action to protect their fellow citizens from harm and fear for their safety.

All rights are not equal, but none are absolute. The Freedom of Speech guaranteed by the First Amendment does not give one the right to shout “fire” in a crowded theater when there is none, nor does Freedom of the Press give one the right to publish child pornography. Many of our national, state and local laws spell out limitations to our rights such as speed limits, zoning restrictions and building codes, to name a few. They are all examples of where rights are in conflict and laws qualify them.

When rights are in conflict, solutions must be sought that protect the rights of all but limit them in such a way that the rights of others are not taken away. In the current debate, the rights of our children and our citizenry to be free from fear must be respected. The right of the mentally ill to proper care and the opportunity for as normal a life as possible must be kept in mind. The right of citizens to own firearms for sport or protection must be guarded. But none of these rights, natural or civil, are absolute. All must yield to the common good.

It is time for a civil discourse, not one where it is the good guys against the bad guys, but one where good people sit down to work out their differences by reasoning together. Let us all pray that our leaders will truly collaborate and find a way to keep all Americans as safe as possible.

A Time for Reconciliation

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“Come, let us reason together says the Lord.” Isaiah 1:8

Political campaigns tend to be rough and tumble, and the one we have just been through is no exception. Our democratic procedures are supposed to be a model for other nations but during the past year we have been a poor model.

Civility and truth have been bruised by both parties and demonizing and false labeling of candidates has occurred at all levels. Surely, as Americans, we can do better.

We have an opportunity now to present a new and different model to the world by putting the incivility and disinformation of the past year behind us and moving ahead for the good of our great country. Instead of listening to other voices to learn, we have chosen to only listen to ourselves. The simultaneous monologues of vilification must give way to dialogue and respectful listening.

“Come, let us reason together,” the time for reconciliation is now.