Counter evil with good
Charles Rice
Right or Wrong?
What can we do in response to the terrorist attacks? Let me tell you about a constructive thing we can do right here at Notre Dame. First, however, we should consider the nature of the evil perpetrated on Sept. 11. Barbara Olson died when American Airlines Flight 77 hit the Pentagon. At her memorial service, Father Franklyn McAfee said: "With amazing speed, we have identified the terrorists who took over the planes, and we probably know who masterminded it. But who is really behind it all? We are speaking of an enormity of hate and evil here, for these were evil acts. But evil is not something. Evil is someone. Satan."
"Love, however, is stronger than hate," said Bishop John M. D'Arcy of Fort Wayne-South Bend. "Truth is more powerful than lies. God is stronger than Satan. Life is stronger than death ... Evil will not have the last word."
We at Notre Dame have a special way to counter this evil with good. It is the weekly adoration of the Blessed Sacrament. Initiated by students and approved by Campus Ministry, Eucharistic Adoration takes place in Fisher Hall chapel from 11:30 p.m. Monday until Benediction at 9:45 p.m. Tuesday. It also occurs in the Lady Chapel of the Basilica on Friday from noon to 5 p.m.
"In times of great crisis and suffering," wrote Bishop Raymond L. Burke of La Crosse, "Catholics rightly turn to prayer before the Most Blessed Sacrament exposed in the monstrance. The consecrated Host is the efficacious sign of God the Father's infinite love and mercy toward us. In prayer before the Blessed Sacrament, we place into the Heart of the Incarnate Redeemer all our cares and trials."
"In the most blessed sacrament of the Eucharist, the body and blood, together with the soul and divinity, of our Lord Jesus Christ and, therefore, the whole Christ is truly, really and substantially contained. This presence is called real‚ by which is not intended to exclude the other types of presence as if they could not be real‚ too, but because it is presence in the fullest sense ... it is substantial presence by which Christ, God and man, makes himself wholly and entirely present" (Catechism, no. 1374).
John Paul II has called for "the spread of Perpetual Adoration, with permanent exposition of the Blessed Sacrament ... in all parishes and Christian communities throughout the world." When he instituted such adoration at St. Peter's Basilica in 1981, he said, "The best, the surest and the most effective way of establishing everlasting peace on the face of the earth is through the great power of Perpetual Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament."
What do you do in your half-hour or 15 minutes of Adoration? There is no set format. You can stand, sit, kneel, whatever you think appropriate. You can read and meditate on the books provided there. You can pray the Rosary or other prayers. Or you can just remain in the presence of Christ, communicating with him. It would be good to pray for the United States, for peace, for the victims of terrorists, for the members of the armed forces, many of college age and younger, who are putting their lives on the line in defense of the common good. And pray for the hijackers and other terrorists; they, too, have immortal souls.
In the words of Archbishop Fulton J. Sheen, "The holy hour is not a devotion; it is a sharing in the work of redemption. He [Jesus] asked for an hour of reparation to combat the hour of evil; an hour of victimal union with the cross to overcome the anti-love of sin."
Personal benefits, too, flow from Eucharistic Adoration. Listen to Bishop D'Arcy: "It must be said ... with joy and thanksgiving that the periodic practice of exposition of the Blessed Sacrament is ... rooted in faith, blessed by the church, linked to the Mass and a help in strengthening our faith in ... the Real Presence. ... [P]rayer in the presence of the exposed Eucharist has also been a great influence in my own spiritual life."
Now more than ever, we should consider this opportunity. As the Catechism states, "The Church and the world have a great need for Eucharistic worship. Jesus awaits us in this sacrament of love. Let us not refuse the time to go to meet him in adoration, in contemplation full of faith, and open to making amends for the serious offenses and crimes of the world. Let our adoration never cease."
You can sign up for a period of Adoration by calling Jason Braun (4-3259), Mary Tarsha (4-2588) or Lisa Demidovich (4-2639). Or just show up. Walk-ins are welcome and encouraged.
Professor Emeritus Rice is on the Law School Faculty. His column appears every other Tuesday. He can be contacted at plawecki.1@nd.edu.
The views expressed in this column are those of the author and not necessarily those of The Observer.
All Viewpoint Stories for Tuesday, October 16, 2001
