Wednesday, July 25, 2007

Are Adoration Chapels and the Eucharist The Answer to Crime?

There was an interesting comment as to the post I did on the Latin Mass Controversy in the Diocese of Baton Rouge.

He said:
My wife and I spent a weekend at a Bed & Breakfast on Highland Rd for our anniversary and attended mass at the parish down the road. It was a pretty typical "spirit of vatican II" parish with a full band singing folk music, drab, plain interior, hidden tabernacle, non genuflecting, what time's the saints play parish. The pastor mentioned in his homily something about alot of problems with crime in the area, and people blaming it on the post-Katrina influx. After mass I went up to him, told him I was a visitor, asked if they had an adoration chapel, and got a look back from him like "silly boy we don't do that here." His actual response was actually more sad. It was that the Diocese of Baton Rouge only had 2 or 3 parishes that have perpetual adoration.I then told him that there are many reports of crime rates, and especially violent crime rates dropping tremendously in ghetto areas where perpetual adoration chapels are set up. He kind of gave me a "thanks now go back to your own place, response".On a different note, I've met about 4 or 5 priests from Alexandria, and they are awesome examples of Christ.

I find the part I bolded perhaps a great truth. For many of us Louisiana folks that see the horrible evil that is committed nightly in New Orleans we are just about at our wits end. The murders just keep coming.

State mandated segregation in the South was largely defeated through the Church. The people in the pews got out and took the cross to the streets. Is the answer here really so simple? What if New Orleans Catholics, black and white, went to these areas and marched down the street with our Lord in the Blessed Sacrament day and night. Would not perhaps evil shrink from it? IS it as simple as adoration chapels in crime ridden areas and people there adoring and praising our Lord. Giving in effect streets and blocks of grace? Something to ponder and maybe act on.

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