Faith: Building Character and Creating Change
Archdioces of Milwaukee Print Logo  

Archbishop Listecki


Most Reverend Jerome E. Listecki
Archbishop of Milwaukee
 

 

In 1968, I was in the college seminary in the Archdiocese of Chicago. I remember the night of the Chicago riots happening in the inner city following the assassination of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. We were huddled in the TV room watching the flames in the inner city. My fellow seminarians were worried about their families. Some had fathers who were police officers trying to stem the rioting, some were worried about their relatives and neighbors who lived in the area, and others were worried about the parish communities and churches they served in. The anger and hurt that accompanies any action certainly is understandable, but violence is never justified as a response. Simply stated, “Violence begets violence.”
 
This past Saturday, the burning and looting in protest over the shooting of an armed 23-year-old African-American man in the Sherman Park neighborhood of Milwaukee generated a protest which led to violence on the streets of a neighborhood that is already economically-challenged. It was painful to watch.
 
Members of a neighborhood, who depend upon police protection, were fighting the police and burning and looting businesses that the community depends upon. Individuals were not protesting, but stealing. Protest is a right of every American; burning, shooting at legitimate authority and stealing, are not. In fact, those who committed these actions imposed self-inflicted wounds on the very community whose interests they claim to represent.
 
What causes a pot to boil over is the intensity of the heat. Appealing to families is good, but when we have been engaged in social reconstruction and have failed to support traditional families, there is no one to heed the appeal. Young people without something to do or participate in are prey to gangs, drugs or general mischief. Summer jobs and participation in sports always take the edge off of summer’s free time, but jobs are scarce and youth activities few. Also, the community must take responsibility for policing itself as well. It must be the eyes and ears reporting gang activity, drug deals and criminal activities to local authorities. Then, if the police do not respond, we as religious leaders must take up that cause and challenge political leaders to be responsible for the sake of the community.
 
Supporting the family, building the economy and attacking crime are a wonderful formula for defusing the intensity that creates the “burn baby, burn” mentality.
 
I firmly believe that the loss of a strong faith that builds character and creates change is currently missing from our current, secular equation. Remember, it was faith that motivated and generated the change that Dr. King promoted. That faith in Jesus Christ has not changed. However, the commitment to live that faith has become dormant. It’s time to awaken our confidence in Jesus Christ and the Gospel that presents us with the only true transformation which changes hearts as well as minds. It is the hope for our society teaching us to LOVE ONE ANOTHER.
 

Note: This blog originally appeared as the August 16, 2016 "Love One Another" email sent to Catholics throughout the Archdiocese of Milwaukee by Archbishop Jerome E. Listecki. If you are interested in signing up for these email messages, please click here.

Provide your own feedback

The following required items were not provided or are in the wrong format. Please provide the required responses and submit again:

Blog Disclaimer

The opinions expressed by bloggers and those providing comments do not necessarily reflect the opinions of the Archdiocese of Milwaukee. The Archdiocese of Milwaukee is not responsible for the accuracy of any information supplied in any of the blogs on archmil.org. The webmaster reserves the right to exclude comments deemed to be inappropriate.

 
Name:
  Please enter your name
  Please enter a valid email
Comment Title:
Comment: 250 characters left
  Please enter a comment

Contact Information

Office of Communication
Main Office: 414-769-3388
Fax: 414-769-3408

communication@archmil.org
 


Blog Directory

Recent Blogs

Please wait while we gather your results.
This site is powered by the Northwoods Titan Content Management System
X
 

The Archdiocese of Milwaukee

3501 South Lake Drive
St. Francis, WI 53235

Phone:  (414) 769-3300
Toll-Free: (800) 769-9373
Fax:  (414)  769-3408