Baltimore...and why we need #8thCommandment

I love Baltimore. I've visited there a few times: as a child, as a single young adult leading a group en route to a January March 4 Life, and most recently a few years back when Stephi and I attended a wedding of one of her good friends from school. (Beautiful couple, beautiful wedding, and now beautiful family, btw, Kristin and Nathan if you're reading this.)

I remember being amazed as a child for how "cool" their downtown was, how unique their city was. Coming from Buffalo, and growing up as a child, downtown was not a "cool" concept in my book except for our hockey or baseball games. Buffalo then did not exist as its revitalizing self exists now. #BUFFALOVE.

Baltimore impressed me as an adolescent; it continued to impress me as an adult. Its architecture, its layout, its transportation, its monuments, its activities, I could go on. At no time during any visit did I ever not feel safe. I felt its charm. As a baseball fan and junkie, I fell in love with Oriole Park at Camden Yards. I felt a sense of a quasi-old school hospitality where you could walk into a restaurant, store, or just down a street and the inhabitants and workers treated you with charm, respect, and a kindness that is most uncommon. No wonder why it was nicknamed the City of Charm. I've visited various locations, large or small in 27 states in our country so far in my young life, so I feel I've had some decent experience there.

I, based on my past experience, like Steve Inskeep from NPR writes, and teacher Lillian Hoover reflected, that "Baltimore was going to show the country how to do this." I too held high hope for this esteemed city that I still hold in high regard. Then this work-week began.

Truth became maybe a delayed and susceptible target. The longer the truth remains unfound, the more prone to subjective narrative it becomes. Freddie Gray's death was tragic, no matter the precise manner in which it happened. His family, I'm sure, remains heartbroken and devastated. I shall pray for them. No one deserves to die this young, in any manner. We're called on to protect life from conception to natural death, and all that life in between. I'll also pray for the police officers who were suspended that truth and justice will be served. I'll pray for the City of Baltimore, that she finds the truth she's seeking.

On Monday, Archbishop Lori of the ArchDiocese of Baltimore released a powerful statement addressing truth and couldn't have said it better. I love his imagery of truth being the "only salve that will heal the open wounds." Except, these past few days, patience and peace continued to be pushed aside by violence. Violence does not wait for truth. Violence creates its own truth. Violence of any kind by any human being against another human being sets human relations back a step. Even young Mr. Gray's mother understands telling people not to "tear up the city just for him. That's wrong."

As the Archbishop stated, "violence only deepens and prolongs injustice." I hope and pray it will cease now and forever. Here and everywhere. Violence clouds peace. Not seen were the thousands of peaceful protestors. Most media continues to choose the sensational and not the peaceful. So not as many saw how neighbors were helping neighbors, regardless of race or status, almost immediately by cleaning up, repairing, standing up to fight for the truth and the good of this city. Would you jump out onto the streets filled with a riot, grab your broom and a garbage can and start cleaning glass and debris? Well some Baltimorans did, and where there's care and pride in your community, there's hope.

I see an opportunity for a reinstillation of an old pillar of society. Maybe a new hashtag: #8thCommandment: "You Shall Love Your Neighbor As Yourself." Here's some remakable, yet oft forgotten, insight from our Catechism that focuses on how truth is at the core of the #8thCommandment. Section 2469, specifically, contains some pretty awesome thoughts by St. Thomas Aquinas in his Summa Theologica.

2468 Truth as uprightness in human action and speech is called truthfulness, sincerity, or candor. Truth or truthfulness is the virtue which consists in showing oneself true in deeds and truthful in words, and in guarding against duplicity, dissimulation, and hypocrisy.

2469 "Men could not live with one another if there were not mutual confidence that they were being truthful to one another."262 The virtue of truth gives another his just due. Truthfulness keeps to the just mean between what ought to be expressed and what ought to be kept secret: it entails honesty and discretion. In justice, "as a matter of honor, one man owes it to another to manifest the truth."263

2470 The disciple of Christ consents to "live in the truth," that is, in the simplicity of a life in conformity with the Lord's example, abiding in his truth. "If we say we have fellowship with him while we walk in darkness, we lie and do not live according to the truth."264

In closing, I pray for our younger generations. "Peace sown by peacemakers brings a harvest of justice." James 3:18. Let us pray and work together for peace.

#8thCommandment #Baltimore #violence #ArchbishopLori #Truth #CityofCharm #FreddieGray #StThomasAquinas #SummaTheologica