The War Against Children
Just since December, we’ve heard some horrific stories about
crimes against children. At Sandy Hook
Elementary School, a class full of kindergarteners was slaughtered. Then, in Alabama, a man snatched a child from
a school bus and held him for days in an underground bunker before the child
was finally rescued. In Georgia, a
mugger shot a baby in the face when his mother didn’t have any money. And in Los Angeles, a ten-year-old girl was
kidnapped from her own bed in the middle of the night.
We have also seen American politicians block a ban on sex
selective abortions, the FDA approve the “morning after” pill for girls of all
ages over the counter, reparative therapy denied for children in California and
beyond, and both Jerry Brown and Barack Obama refuse to defend laws in court that would uphold the definition of marriage.
What is happening? We
have all heard the stories from people in my parents’ generation who reminisce
of summer days when their parents would let them go in the morning with their
friends, on their bikes, to a ball field, etc., and simply expect them home for
supper. They never worried about their
children being victims of crime, and they had little reason to. A parent who did that today would be
hopelessly naïve.
Entertainment programming in those days, especially on
television, was tailored for families.
Years ago I interviewed the great comic Sid Caesar for an article I was
writing and I remember him saying that in his day, a pregnant woman was
referred to as “with child,” and even that was considered risqué language for
children. Innocence was valued and
protected. Not anymore, at least not in
this culture. In 2013, destroying a
child’s innocence is considered an acceptable end for any entertainment
venture.
So again, what has happened?
There are many answers culturally, and we can look to certain historical
events and movements, but fundamentally the answer is spiritual. It seems to me that the devil is throwing
everything he can at the destruction of childhood and children.
Why are children so vile to the devil? Well, he hates everything that is beautiful,
everything that is holy, everything that God particularly loves. So we see violent attacks on the priesthood
and religious life, and the family. And
children. The innocence of children;
their openness of spirit, and willingness to trust must be so repugnant to the
enemy.
This front in the spiritual war waging around us is
particularly troubling. So what are we
to do? First, of course, we are to
pray. And then, we have to dedicate
ourselves to the love and protection of children.
If we are fathers, we must be the best fathers, true images
of God the Father. If we are mothers, we
must care for our children with the tenderness and sacrifice of Our Lady as she
loved her Divine Son.
If we are teachers, or coaches, or youth ministers, or scout
leaders, or whatever, we have to jealously guard the innocence of the children
in our care. And we must be proper
examples. There is nothing a child can
smell out more easily than a fake. If we
struggle with sin, we must take it to the Lord in Confession and spend time
with Him in Adoration.
The devil is throwing everything hell has to muster at our children. But Our Lord crushes the head of the serpent,
and oftentimes He uses us to do it. We
are His Hands and Feet to the children in our lives. So let us strive for holiness and model that
to our youth, so that, when this battle is finally over, we may stand
victorious with them in Heaven.
