Lk 21:5-11 Stones Thrown

Tuesday of the Thirty-Fourth Week in Ordinary Time
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While some people were speaking about how the temple was adorned with costly stones and votive offerings, Jesus said, "All that you see here - the days will come when there will not be left a stone upon another stone that will not be thrown down."

America is so fragile.  Often we think of how fragile our world is.  There is so much concern about global warming and its effects and how easily our planet could be destroyed.  But I, on the other hand, often think of how fragile our country, civility and democracy is, and how easily it could crumble. 

All nations and governments are fragile, including America's. Her institutions and laws are fragile than we care to think.  Our way of life could easily change and become unrecognizable within a generation or two.  And given all the wrong "environmental" conditions, our Constitution could easily become just a scarp of paper.

When Ebola hit Dallas, I wondered what would happen to us and our institutions if things got out of control.  Would there be mass quarantining, lootings, and chaos?  My imagination went even wilder when I found out that one nurse, who was infected with the deadly disease, had taken a flight to Cleveland, Ohio! What would become of us if our neighbors began getting sick?  How would we treat them?  What would happen to our hospitals if they became overwhelmed?  And what about our police force and emergency services?  What would happen to our government if our leaders began calling in sick?   

Sure, America is militarily powerful but that's nothing.  If there lessons to be learned from history, then we should fear destruction from the inside, rather than from the outside. 

Last night I watched St. Louis Prosecutor Bob McCulloch report the ruling from the grand jury on the Michael Brown/Officer Darren Wilson case.  Like most Americans, I watched and listened carefully to every word he said.  I was very impressed by the prosecutor's professionalism. 

The grand jury, comprising nine white and three black individuals, met on 25 separate days over a three month period.  They heard more than 70 hours of testimony from about 60 witnesses and sifted through a mountain of evidence - all the evidence: recordings, photographs, physical/forensic evidence, eye-witness testimonies, expert opinions, including three medical examiners and experts on blood, toxicology and firearms. 

Conclusion? The grand jury declined to indict the police officer. 

Shortly after the news conference, authorities released more than 1,000 pages of grand jury documents, including Wilson's testimony.  Although the deliberations were not recorded and the vote from each member was not revealed, the evidence the grand jury examined was released and made public for all to see. 

Result?  Tears, sadness, dismay, anger, violence, vandalism, arrests. 

Businesses - many of them owned by hard working blue collar workers - were torched.  Family-owned businesses were destroyed.  Property destroyed.  Lives destroyed. 

Last night, the poor town of Ferguson got a little poorer.  And so did America.

What I find disturbing is how the media appeared to be adding fuel to an already hot situation.  Some journalists asked Prosecutor McCulloch if he "would be able to sleep tonight."  What???  What kind of question is that? 

Others reporters said he looked "defensive."  What is all this subjective gobbledygook?     

All that you see here - the days will come when there will not be left a stone upon another stone that will not be thrown down.

If evidence in this case had not been released to the public, or if it had pointed to a different conclusion, then I would completely understand all the angry and confusion in Ferguson.  But this is not the case.  This is a very different and very sad case. 

No one wants to see a young man killed.  But does anyone want to see an innocent man's life ruined? 

Attorneys for Michael Brown's family on Tuesday vowed to push for federal charges against the Ferguson police officer who killed the unarmed 18-year-old.

My fear is that they are being set up for another let down...and another stone thrown.