Dear St. Rita Parishioners,

I had the privilege on Thursday night of seeing my favorite Bluegrass artist in concert at Wolf Trap – Alison Krauss. A friend of mine introduced me to her music one summer in college, and, while her music as a rule is secular, she is a Christian. One of her more widely recognizable songs is her rendition of Down to the River to Pray, which was featured in the 2000 movie, “O Brother, Where Art Thou?”. She also has a beautiful version of The Wexford Carol performed with renowned cellist Yo-Yo Ma, which you can listen to if you need some Christmas in July, or if you want to be moved by the sheer beauty of the music.

The reason for this foray into music this weekend is because I was struck on Thursday by a common enough quality of music and poetry, namely the fact that it can be understood on multiple levels. I noticed it in a few songs and thought, “This would make great homily material!” For example, Krauss has a song with her band Union Station called “Granite Mills”, which is about the 1874 fire at Granite Mill #1 in Fall River, MA which took the lives of 23 people. The song makes the story more tragic, saying 300 people died trapped inside the mill as it burned down, and the chorus takes it a step further: “Now it was my opinion, and it’s my opinion still, they might all have been saved had the truth been told, from the flames of the burning mill.” They might all have been saved! The 1874 fire would have claimed fewer lives had the fire alarms been audible on the upper floors, or if word had spread about the fire to those floors by word of mouth.

For us Christians, the spiritual implications emerge rather quickly: How many people might be saved from the fires of Hell if I were simply to spread the Word? How many people would avoid falling into profligacy punishable by damnation if only I were willing to say something? How many people’s lives would not conclude with tragedy if I were to do my part? To call sin for what it is is not judgment of a person. To call sin for what it is is to give others a way out. It is charity, and it is necessary in the Christian life. God says this in Ezekiel 3:18-19, “If I say to the wicked, ‘You shall surely die,’ and you give him no warning, nor speak to warn the wicked from his wicked way, in order to save his life, that wicked man shall die in his iniquity; but his blood I will require at your hand. But if you warn the wicked, and he does not turn from his wickedness, or from his wicked way, he shall die in his iniquity; but you will have saved your life.”

 In other words, we have a God-given role in the salvation of others. It is not a suggestion that we can ignore if it’s too difficult (because everyone is going to go to Heaven anyway…or something). St. Paul reminds us to “preach the word, be urgent in season and out of season” (2 Tim 4:2) – whether it is convenient or inconvenient. Our words or our silence can have eternal implications. 

In addition, life is confusing. One of the discoveries after the Granite Mill fire was that the presence of multiple alarms coming from different places in the streets hindered the Fire Department from getting to the Mill more quickly, because they were confused about the correct location of the fire. There are so many conflicting voices in the world about what is good and what is evil and about where the real danger actually lies. Our voices must not be weak, nor can we afford to remain silent. This is true in society in general, but it is especially true for our children in our own families. Many of the workers in Granite Mill were children – young girls, since it was a textile mill. Children do not have the ability to parse through all the conflicting voices on their own. They need firm and clear guidance about what is good so that they do not fall into what is evil. Parents who “let their children choose”, especially in matters of faith and morals, themselves throw their children into the fire. The consequences of failure are great, and we all have a responsibility for those whom God has entrusted to us. In addition, though the temptation to allow freedom for your children can be great, and while unstructured time is important for their development, giving total freedom in important areas causes great confusion and anxiety in children, who simply do not have the capacity to figure out what to do in the midst of all the choices. In other words, they will greatly benefit from the clear direction that comes from the wisdom of your years.

Practically, this means you set clear boundaries on right and wrong, especially as they get to the teenage years. You require them to come to Mass with you every Sunday as long as they live in your house. You can set curfews appropriate for their age. You find out who they are spending time with and what they are doing. You give them clear (and correct!) guidance on dating and appropriate behavior. Sins of the flesh are addictive, extremely damaging with long-lasting implications, and are, as a rule, mortal sin (which gets us to eternal fire). You do not permit them to have their own cell phones or tablets until they are capable of navigating the multitude of other alarms they will hear there (I recommend waiting until Junior year of high school), and you create a family environment where phones are not required to have fun and to have friends. If your children do have a device, you have 100% full access to it and may check it anytime with no questions asked, because you have all the passwords. After all, you are paying for it.

There are many more examples, but I hope that these encourage you and give you permission not only to warn about the location of the fire, but to show people the way out. Your voice will either add to the cacophony and confusion, or it will cut through the noise and lead others to safety and salvation. Choose wisely. 

In Christ,

Fr. Christensen