The other day in Pennsylvania. Yikes! In the videos all over the internet you can hear the click and the jam.
How’s your situational awareness? Hard to tell from the picture, but is that a cross-draw belly-band elastic holster he’s got on underneath the T-Shirt? The Gym-shorts/PJ bottoms combo wouldn’t much work.
Here’s the deacon flying over the rail, simultaneously tackling the perp and wanting to get control of the weapon. Adrenaline permits much:
Awesome, that. A nanosecond later, having spun the perp around and having seated him on the steps and grabbing the gun from him:
Not all churches have such deacons!
I’m guessing that the deacon has some military/LEO experience!
Be aware that not all guns always end up with a mere click and a jam.
Be aware that angels aren’t necessarily going to save us from any such event. The job of the angels is to get us to heaven at the time that is best for our souls. The angels will always do what it takes. We just need to be doing the will of God at every moment. That includes being at the ready like the deacon above, if we can, if we have the circumstances of health to be at the ready in this way.
Does your church have any kind of security measures… at all?
Here’s a FRC analysis of terrorist incidents against churches in these USA from 2018-2023.
Something to think about.
Having a security detail is not an insult to guardian angels, by the way. Angels can handle anything instantly. But our angels want us to do what we can so that we can learn some charity instead of throwing all responsibility onto them.
The point isn’t “winning” from an earthly perspective:
- “Do you think I cannot call on my Father, and he will at once put at my disposal more than twelve legions of angels? But how then would the Scriptures be fulfilled that say it must happen in this way?” (Mt 26:53-54).
The point is doing the will of God. That may be that we suffer martyrdom. All glory be to God. Meanwhile, we do what we can in charity. It is not charity to do absolutely nothing preventative all nonchalantly when we know that bad stuff happens this side of the judgment. We need to praise God for what He provides that is good and for what He permits that is evil… the latter with the view of drawing a great good from the evil that is permitted.
It’s not that God isn’t paying attention. It’s part of the effects of original sin that we might perhaps suffer the aggression of others in this world. Can we learn to forgive? Can we learn to go to heaven. That’s the point.
Jesus might for a moment, while we’re in this world, save us from some of those effects of (original) sin, you know, from the continuing weakness of mind, of will, of getting sick and dying, of being tempted, of feeling to be in darkness, feeling far from God, being smacked down by others… all effects of sin which are not suffered in heaven at all.
But the point of Jesus saving us is not to take away, in this world, the just effects of sin chosen with the sin, original sin and otherwise, but to provide us with a humble and contrite heart should we want it, to provide us with forgiveness, to provide us with His presence, to draw us into His friendship, His grace, which, as Saint Paul says, turns to glory in heaven, where no such effects of sin are to be suffered any longer. The point is to have us learn to be charitable to others.
Whether God provides a “click and a jam” or permits that we have the privilege of giving our lives in witness of His love and truth, it’s all good, whatever is best for us. He knows what is best for us, whether we live a bit longer or die immediately in witness of Him.
Meanwhile, God wants us to be charitable, to be at the ready like the deacon flying over the railing and doing the necessary. First of all that means opening our eyes to understand that God can and will permit bad things to happen but only to bring a greater good that is according to His will. That’s huge. Most people throw a tantrum and just say that God would never ever ever permit something bad even if for the greater good. Really? …
Back to the question: does your church have any security measures at all?
We can’t be lackadaisical about this. I remember making a comment on such things some years ago and this time a Catholic deacon reprimanded me, saying that we must, in charity, just let the entire congregation be gunned down, because, you know, being nice to the perp and all that. And no, evil does not make sense.
Are you able to join or set up a security commission in your church?
ARISE! LET US BE GOING! 