St. Padre Pio said, “Remember that if a demon is causing an uproar, it is a sign that he is still on the outside, and not on the inside of you. What we need to be terrified about is a demon that is at peace and has harmony with the human soul.”

While Padre Pio was speaking in more literal terms, this wise observation hit home with me in the context of our nation’s current controversy over mass shootings and gun legislation.

This is a difficult issue for me. I was a teacher. My daughter is a teacher. Am I afraid for her as she walks into a public school to do her oh-so-important job? I certainly have reason to be, and I commend her and her school into the care of Our Lady every day. Do I think she should carry a weapon? Absolutely not. Anyone who takes responsibility for a loaded weapon needs to be keenly aware of the location and condition of that weapon at all times. A teacher surrounded by children who are constantly moving, speaking, and pulling her attention in a dozen directions cannot give adequate attention to the safekeeping or maintenance of a weapon. Even though I kept my purse in a locked drawer, my wallet was stolen several times while I was teaching. What’s to keep a student from stealing a teacher’s gun?

Am I anti-gun? Absolutely not. I grew up in a family of hunters and farmers, and men who served in the military and law enforcement. My father taught me how to shoot a pistol when I was little more than 8. I can still feel the sting of the retort that smacked my small palm. There was no greater honor for me than to go target shooting with my father and uncle. A rifle kept foxes, snakes, and hawks from disturbing livestock. One may argue that in today’s world of multi-million dollar agri-business (a demon I will speak to another time!) and the decline of the family farm, those kinds of weapons and practices are no longer a necessary part of life. But they are still part of rural life, and they are part of a heritage. My Grandpa earned his sharp-shooter medal in the Marines, and he could take out a Blue Racer with one clean shot. I’m proud of that. So proud that I am displaying his medals to illustrate this blog.

So, who and what is the demon? How is the demon exorcised? In my belief, the demon is the illness and alienation that drives people – almost exclusively young white men – to devalue human lives, including their own. Can we look more closely at the ways we are raising our boys, and how they define themselves and their futures in the 21st Century? What kinds of discipline and healthy outlet of aggressive emotions do they require? Do they need more engaged parents; responsibilities at an earlier age; a faith-based outlook on life; more access to athletics and the arts; time in the woods? Can we be more attentive to, compassionate with, and supportive of the mentally ill and their families?

I’m not saying anything new, and I don’t see a short term fix to this national tragedy. But to bring the conversation back to Padre Pio, I am at least grateful that the demon is still making an uproar. The demon is still outside of us, we recognize the social illness, and we are trying, if ineffectively at the moment, to find a cure. It is when the demon lives within us “at peace…with the human soul,” and we settle into complacency — that is when I will be most afraid.

Wishing you a space for grace in you life today,
Kate