"Ceasefire Sabbath" 

May 4, 2010
Year for the Priest

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

Last Sunday, we listened to the Gospel of St. John in which Jesus proclaimed, “I give you a new commandment, love one another as I have loved you.” It is the title of this email and the basis of all Christian action.

Jesus, when asked what the greatest commandment was, answered without hesitancy, “You shall love the Lord you God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your strength.” He added, “The second is like the first, love your neighbor as yourself.” It is obvious that love of neighbor is at the very core of the Catholic faith. How do we demonstrate our love for God by loving our neighbor in this manner? We show our gratitude for God’s love for us. Some recent Milwaukee history helps to illustrate this.

A few years ago, Mayor Tom Barrett paid a visit to my predecessor Archbishop Timothy Dolan. He was concerned by the increase of violence in the City of Milwaukee. The high rate of murders, assaults and property crime were creating an environment which threatened many of our neighborhoods.

Violence often finds its root in lack of education, poverty or joblessness. It preys upon those who are the least likely to defend themselves - the elderly, children and the poor. (Imagine being worried about something as simple as attending school because of threats from gangs or being confronted with illegal drug sales.) Violence also feeds off itself. There is truth to the quote, “Violence begets violence.”

Another quote that holds much truth is one from Sir Edmund Burke, "The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good people to do nothing.” “Nothing” is not an option for Christians. Christians have been given a mandate by our Lord, “Love one another, this is how they will know that you are my disciples.”

Archbishop Dolan and Mayor Barrett knew that they could not stand by idly and do “nothing.” They knew they had to do something, not everything, but something and, if everyone did something, it would indeed make a difference. They knew that the police force was only one avenue of creating an environment of peace, and that the police force would only be as effective as the good citizens who took responsibility for their communities. They knew that bringing churches, neighborhoods and families together would inspire them all to work for the common good.

As a result, Mayor Barrett came up with the idea of Ceasefire Sabbath to combat the violence destroying God’s creation and injuring His greatest creation - human beings. Although Ceasefire Sabbath has been successful (violent and property crimes are down and continue on a downward trend), even one violent death is one too many. Vigilance is needed.

Our parishes have participated in many and varied ways. They have hosted call-in meetings, worked with various organizations and cooperated with Safe Streets Initiative. Some parishes continue to attack the root causes of violence - lack of education and poverty. The Benedict Center, Franciscan Peacemakers, House of Peace and Agape Community Center are a few organizations working on addressing the roots in an ongoing manner. Yet, there is still more to be done.

Sunday is Mother’s Day and the love of a mother for her child is incredibly powerful. Since our Church is referred to as Holy Mother Church, we, as parishes, have a mandate to care for her children. As parishes, there is something more we can do.

1. We can pray. I believe in the power of prayer. Prayer changes us and it raises our consciousness of the issue.
2. We can be vigilant. We, as good citizens, can support local law enforcement in carrying out its responsibility to serve and protect. Let’s offer them our eyes and ears.
3. We can do something to attack the root causes of violence which are poverty and lack of education. We can do this by giving more attention to education, especially in economically-deprived areas that are breeding grounds for gangs and drugs, and assisting food pantries and shelters which offer a respite for the neglected.

The most important thing is that we all do “something.”

Archbishop Dolan and Mayor Barrett did “something” and we are a better community because they did. If you need a motivating factor, look no further than the words of Jesus, “I give you a new commandment, LOVE ONE ANOTHER.”

See you at Mass!

Most Reverend Jerome E. Listecki
Archbishop of Milwaukee

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