‘New’ Battle of New Orleans requires prayer, patience

    On Jan. 8, you will celebrate Mass at the National Shrine of Our Lady of Prompt Succor. Last year, you spoke about the “new” Battle of New Orleans in terms of violence, murder and racism. How did you come up with that concept?
    As I reflected on the first Battle of New Orleans in 1815, I recognized what a miraculous victory it had been for Gen. Jackson to defeat the British with such a rag-tag force. The Ursuline sisters and other women of New Orleans had been praying all night to Our Lady of Prompt Succor for her intercession that the American troops would prevail. As I drove around the area, it occurred to me to ask, “What would the new Battle of New Orleans look like? What was today’s battle?” Obviously, it’s not the British. We are now in a battle with ourselves as we see the lives of our young people taken, especially our young men. We’ve even had innocent children caught in the crossfire. But most of the murders are men on men – men who know each other and who have chosen, for whatever reasons, to solve conflict with a gun or a knife instead of with conversation or compromise. So, the new battle is upon us. I am grateful to all of our clergy, religious and laypeople for praying to end violence, murder and racism in our community.
    The murder rate in New Orleans is higher today than it was even a few years ago. Is the prayer working?
    Some have suggested to me that prayer isn’t doing any good because of the high levels of violence. I think that’s a rather cynical way of looking at things. God always answers prayer. Prayer always changes hearts – in God’s time. Another way of asking the question is: How much worse would it be if we were not drawing upon God’s strength? We are talking about changing a culture – a culture of death and violence – and that takes years. It can take a decade to change the culture. But I do believe that Mary, under the title of Our Lady of Prompt Succor, prays with us to God, and I really believe there can be a victory. Is there an easy solution to this? No. Is there a solution? Absolutely. And the solution is to strengthen family life. If family life became more prominent and central in this community, these things would not be happening.
    What is the archdiocese trying to do about it?
    We have begun a parenting and mentoring program that will help parents and children find the resources they need to build up family life and deal with conflict. Sometimes parents are not fulfilling their responsibilities and are not passing on human values to their children. When that happens and kids stray, they have nowhere to turn. Our programs will be of some help, but, once again, we’re changing a culture of death and violence, and it’s going to take time. We didn’t get to where we are now overnight, and we’re not going to get out of this overnight. But I do believe with God’s help and our cooperation, we can make a change. It’s also important to note that violence isn’t just something confined to the streets. Unfortunately, bullying occurs every day in our schools and our places of work. When people feel belittled or feel as though they have to defend themselves, a lot of bad things can happen. We know of kids who have been wounded by the words of others. Words can strike and really break the heart of another person. That’s not a gun, but sometimes words can be almost as powerful as a gun.
    You made a point of trying to strengthen families within the archdiocese by giving employees extended Christmas vacation time. Why is that so important?
    Most of us live fast-paced lives. We do what’s needed immediately, and sometimes what’s put on the back burner unintentionally are the people who mean the most to us – our spouses, children, parents and siblings. During Christmas and New Year’s, we should concentrate not on what is most important but on who is most important in our lives. It’s important to give people as much time off as possible during the Christmas holidays so they can really focus on family again and spend quality time with each other.