MY RESPONSE TO JEFFREY ADE’S COMMENT ALLEGING THE MINNEAPOLIS CHURCH SHOOTING WAS “FAKE”
“Looks like another fake shooting to me!” —Jeffrey Ade@Jeffrey Ade Would to God it were “fake” my dear brother Jeffrey, then those precious children who were slaughtered yesterday while sitting in the House of God at Mass would still be alive and with their families and those who loved and cherished them. But alas, it is very real….painfully, tragically, unspeakably real. Of that, there can be no doubt nor debate. The smothering darkness spawned from hell itself that was manifested there in Minneapolis cannot be denied nor written off flippantly as just some misbegotten conspiracy theory, as we have seen vile, lying, loud-mouthed self-aggrandizers such as Alex Jones shamelessly and falsely allege regarding other episodes of mass-murder of children. No, you mustn’t fall into that trap of diabolical deceit and delusion, and in so doing, offensively disparage the plight of the families and cheapen the lives lost and the blood that was shed by both the dead and the wounded. There can be no doubt whatsoever that the monstrous horror experienced by those children in that Church along with the adults charged with their care, and the families suffering the excruciating nightmare of grief and bereavement, is very, very real. And it is a reality that we must all acknowledge and accept. Yes, my good brother, once again Satan has reached his claws into our lives and snatched away the physical incarnation of the innocent; but, thanks be to God, Whose comforting grace we all need most desperately right now, he cannot ever touch their souls, which belong to the Lord Whom they loved and worshipped. In heartfelt charity I implore you to rescind that very hurtful and appalling comment regarding yesterday’s death-dealing occurrence in Minneapolis, and perhaps find a way instead to express sympathy and spiritual closeness to the families, the Parish and Church School, and to all who were impacted by this heinous crime.