Since this link changes weekly, I have copied it here for posterity. I was at Adoration early last night and picked up a bulletin from St. Charles Borremeo Parish in St. Charles, MO. While I would not deny the pastor his right to his "perspective", are there not more important things to discuss in a weekly bulletin, especially in regard to the Solemnity of "All Saints Day" - to say nothing of the recent beatification of Mother Theresa or the Silver Jubilee of Pope John Paul II or the installation of the new Cardinals?
Note also, that when speaking of the President and our CongressCritters, no mention is made of the recent Partial Birth Abortion Ban....If I didn't know better, I would think this was written by one of the obnoxiously outspoken "left coasters" from HollyWierd. You know, the ones who have access to all the intelligence information!
Have a good read. I did!
===== Pastor's Perspective===============
Weekend of October 25/26, 2003
Greetings:
As we approach the end of October and the feast of All Saints, the stores are filled with candy, costumes and other reminders of Halloween. The parish school sponsored a Trunk or Treat program Saturday on the south parking lot and then moved to the gym at 7:00 p.m. Did you catch the “caveat” or warning not to bring scary or violent and gory costumes to the occasion? It is a subtle reminder that this evening is meant to be filled with fun. We have enough daily reminders of violence in our society and our world to mislead our young people as it is into thinking that “might makes right.” If the stories we read about in Iraq and the negative reaction to our attack among allies in Europe and other parts of the world doesn’t cause us to question the direction of the country as has been charted by Congress and the President, perhaps the recent passage of Missouri’s “conceal and carry” firearms law will.
In case you missed it, that law was passed by our Representatives and Senators and provides that, beginning October 11, 2003, any qualified individual of at least 23 years of age who has passed a firearms safety training course may obtain a permit to carry a concealed weapon in Missouri. The only notice the police will have that a person is carrying a gun will be a “conceal and carry” endorsement on the driver’s license.
While the law does not permit a person to carry weapons into a church or school, we cannot check people’s licenses or install metal detectors in our buildings to prevent this from happening. Should someone enter our church, school or gym with a gun this is not considered a criminal offense. The only defense we have is to post signs advising people that we do not permit guns on the premises. When you see these signs appearing you will know their purpose. It certainly is much more serious a problem than our “No Skateboarding” signs attempted to remedy. They dealt with youngsters who really just wanted to have fun and ignored the property damage they caused. These signs reflect the violent nature of our society and the lack of courage among many of our legislators.
Winston Churchill, a man recognized by history as a great leader in Britain and the world that was proven over and over in World War II, once observed, “People will find it difficult to look up to leaders who are keeping their ears to the ground.”
When will we find leadership that actually leads us to become better citizens and better human beings rather than follow the opinion polls and vote to be re-elected? By doing so they are taking away the opportunity for young people to see leadership in action. Jesus makes it clear that the true leader shares his or her knowledge of the ways of God with all who will listen. God sent His Son to bring peace on earth. Guns do not bring peace or security in the hands of unstable, immature or angry people. May God protect us from all harm!
Your brother in Christ,
Father Rich Tillman
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