St. Thomas More, patron saint of prayer and action

In response to the shooting at Annunciation Catholic School in Minneapolis, some Democrats, most prominently Mayor Jacob Frey of Minneapolis and former White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki, seem to be denigrating prayer, suggesting that we don’t need prayer, that prayer is not the solution to the problem of violence. Instead, we need action and, in this case, I guess the action they want is more laws that will limit access to guns.

To Frey’s credit, I don’t think his initial remarks were so much a denigration of prayer. Certainly not so much as both the left judged them (positively), or the right judged them (negatively). And Frey clarified his remarks in the interview with CNN linked above, saying that prayers are welcome, but we also must take action.

Now, from a Christian’s perspective, prayer is taking action. To call on the Lord God Almighty to pour out His grace on a people suffering a tragedy is a spiritual work of mercy. And to call on the Lord God Almighty to inspire those in positions of power to take action to make our communities safer is also a work of mercy. God can both comfort hurting hearts and soften stoney ones.

But the bottom line is, this is a false dichotomy. How foolish to think that we must choose between prayer and action. St. Thomas More famously prayed, “The things, good Lord, that I pray for, give me Thy grace to labor for.” Archbishop of Minneapolis Bernard Hebda, in his words at the press conference at Church of the Annunciation, called for us to “pray with our feet.” What does that mean? It means exactly what Thomas More meant in his prayer: we must be willing to labor, we must be willing to act so that we might be the instruments by which God moves His mountains.

Yes, of course, an omnipotent God can simply intend His will on a matter and make it happen. But that is not how the God of the Scriptures tends to act. For His purposes, He calls on people to work His will in this world. Abraham was His instrument to create a people from a nondiscript tribe. Isaac was the child of the promise. Jacob wrestled with the Lord and was given the name by which His people would be known. Moses was the instrument by which God saved His people from slavery in Egypt, and by which God gave His law to empower His people to live according to His will. The prophet Samuel was the instrument by which God made Israel a kingdom, and the instrument that rebuked a king, and the instrument by which a new king was raised up. David was the instrument by which Israel defeated its enemies and created a united kingdom. Mary was the instrument by which the Son of God entered into history. And, of course, that Son of God, Jesus, was the instrument by which all are saved from the power of sin, saved from the chains of perdition, and by which we share in the victory over death.

I, personally, would be happy with a ban on assault weapons. But Robin Westman didn’t use assault weapons in his attack on Annunciation Church. He used a rifle, a shotgun, and a pistol. But Westman did have a long history of mental illness, and he should not have been able to purchase guns in Minnesota, or anywhere else, because of that. I simply cannot believe that his parents were such dolts that they either didn’t pick up on it or ignored their son’s mental illness. In other words, it’s hard to believe that Westman didn’t have a record of mental health care, a doctor or therapist from which he was receiving treatment or therapy. That record of mental illness ought to have subjected him to a ban on purchasing weapons and ammunition. People will say that’s a violation of a person’s privacy. So what? We’re at the point where our privacy is invaded so often that the only place left for privacy is in the loo or the confessional. And the state is trying to break into the confessional. I hope they’ll leave my loo alone!

What about people who go to see a therapist for a few sessions, maybe to get their head straight, or a couple who are trying to get the spark back? Distinctions can be made. We are not a dumb people. We are capable of distinguishing between a mother who is suffering post-partum depression and a young man who is suffering a persistent desire to hurt himself and others and who says he’s going to act on that desire. Psychiatrists, phsycologist, and therapists can use their professional judgment to ascertain which patients ought to be banned from purchasing a gun. They can then communicate that to the authorities who monitor the background checks (even without saying why this person should be banned). Those authorities can communicate to the person that they are banned from purchasing guns, The authorities can provide a list of those banned from purchasing firearms that those who sell guns can access. By the way, places that sell guns, and individuals who sell guns, ought to be obliged to report to the authorities that a person who is banned from buying guns tried to by one.

The law can communicate that a person has a mental health history without revealing what that history is. If they can ban someone from purchasing weapons and ammo who has a criminal history, or ban someone who has a history of having been involuntarily admitted to a psychiatric hospital or facility, then they can ban people who have a history of severe mental illness. It won’t solve all the problems. There are plenty of other ways to kill people. But it will help. And it’s an action the state legislature and governor can take, even as each member of the legislature and the governor pray for peaceful days in Minnesota.

Be Christ for all. Bring Christ to all. See Christ in all.