September 17, 2025
Will It Ever End – 1
Dear Friends,
The name of this column is the title of a statement issued by Archbishop William Lori of Baltimore on September 11. The violence in our country is serious. We must own up to it, talk about it, and do what we can to promote a respectful and peaceful way to deal with our disagreements and conflicts. Archbishop Lori gets us started with this and I am sharing here some of what he has said in his recent statement.
The Archbishop begins:
“Recently, there has been a spate of political violence in our country. The slaying of two Minnesota legislators. Killing innocent children gathered for a school Mass in Minneapolis. The slaying of Charlie Kirk. The list goes on. It is endless and depressing. We ask: Will it ever end?”
The violence continues:
“As these tragedies unfold, the responses are predictable. Calls for prayer are met with public ridicule. Politicians decry the extreme rhetoric for a few days but return to it as surely as night follows day. As calls for an end to violence multiply, in that same proportion it seems, do incidents of violence multiply. Will it ever end?”
We as Catholics can do something:
“What are we, as Catholics, to make of this? Do we have some magic formula, a wand to wave, that will calm the stormy waters of our culture, restore civility and minimize political violence to what are deemed ‘acceptable’ levels?
“…What if, as a community of faith, we united in making a difference?...Despite our political differences, there are things we can and should do together.
First: Pray. Take this seriously and don’t just say that’s nice, but…
“First is to pray for unity and peace, both foreign and domestic. Writing these words, I can almost hear the chant of the Greek chorus, ‘What good does that do?’ Prayer, after all, doesn’t usually result in God’s direct intervention in human affairs. Isn’t it ineffectual? No, it isn’t. We pray not to change God’s mind but to have God change ours. We pray so that God’s grace will enlarge our hearts in love, including love of enemies. The Lord could not have been more clear. If we want his forgiveness we need to forgive others. Prayer changes hearts and there are a lot of hearts that need to be changed, including mine.”
I will continue with the Archbishop’s statement and more on this topic next week.
Fr. Michael Schleupner
September 24, 2025
Will It Ever End – 2
Dear Friends,
Last week (the column of September 17) I began sharing some of the content of a recent statement by Archbishop Lori on the violence in our country. After some introductory observations, the Archbishop asks: “What are we, as Catholics, to make of this?...What if, as a community of faith, we united in making a difference?” The Archbishop has three recommendations. The first is prayer and I shared his comments on that last week. Here are his other recommendations.
“Second, as a Church, we can demonstrate something fundamental to democracy: how to hash out disagreements without resorting to violence. How sad when we Catholics attack one another, aping the language of our ideologically divided culture. If the Church is itself the sacrament of unity and charity, then we need to curb our speech, and more. The ‘more’ is something called synodality – conversation in the Holy Spirit. Synodality is not about changing the Church’s teaching but about learning to listen to one another. It is not easy.”
That word synodality is rather new to most of us. In truth, it is an ancient word and the Church lived synodality especially in its earliest centuries. Pope Francis has re-introduced this. The idea is that we set our direction as a Church through communicating and listening to one another, through discussion and discernment rooted in prayer. Pope Francis placed the Church in this direction and Pope Leo XIV has reaffirmed it. The Archbishop is calling us to embrace this and by doing that, we will also be modelling a good path for our country.
The Archbishop’s third recommendation is:
“…constructive action. For all our problems, the Church everywhere remains an engine of charity and a champion of justice. Consider, for example, two initiatives. First, our local efforts to promote mental health, to recognize the signs of mental illness, and to help link those in need to resources. Second, consider our annual gun-buyback initiative. More than 1,000 guns have been removed from our streets. Much more is underway, but you get the idea. Prayer leads to action.”
Archbishop Lori concludes his statement on a note of realism and hope.
“When will it end? The reign of sin will not be fully vanquished until the end of time. In the meantime, with God’s grace, we can make a critical difference.”
I will continue with more on this topic next week.
Fr. Michael Schleupner
October 1, 2025
Will It Ever End – 3
Dear Friends,
In the last two editions of Inbox Inspirations (September 17 and 24), I shared much of the content of a statement on violence that Archbishop Lori issued on September 12. Today I want to repeat the introductory part of that statement and then share the intercessory prayers that the Archdiocese recommended at that time.
The statement, entitled Will It Ever End, begins:
“Recently, there has been a spate of political violence in our country. The slaying of two Minnesota legislators. Killing innocent children gathered for a school Mass in Minneapolis. The slaying of Charlie Kirk. The list goes on. It is endless and depressing. We ask: Will it ever end?”
The Archbishop’s statement was followed with some proposed intercessory prayers for the pastors to use at parish Masses. Of course, these can also be used in our personal, private prayer.
v For an end to the violence perpetrated by harsh words, deadly weapons, or cold indifference. May our homes, our nation, and countries around the world become havens of peace, let us pray to the Lord.
v For those victims and those affected by gun violence in our communities, that they may find healing and support, let us pray to the Lord.
v For the wisdom to receive the stories and experiences of those different from us and to respond with respect, let us pray to the Lord.
v For the strength to teach our children how to resolve differences non-violently and respectfully, and the courage to model it in our own behavior, let us pray to the Lord.
v For our faith community, that we may respond boldly to the Holy Spirit's call to act together to end violence, let us pray to the Lord.
Next week I plan to continue this series Will It Ever End with some comments on vengeance or retaliation.
Fr. Michael Schleupner
