Month: March 2024

An Argument Against School Prayer

I’m assuming there’s a good chance, after reading the title, that you’re ready to put up your dukes. That’s okay; I get it. But before this gets personal, let me re-establish my bona fides: I am a devout and lifelong Catholic who went to public school K-8 before moving to a private, Catholic high school where we prayed at the beginning of every school day and before each and every class. We even had special Masses. Things you would expect in a Catholic school.

And, really, that’s my point. We all shared a common religion – except for my friend Howie Rothstein, but he chose to be there so he was cool with it. Students who go to public schools, however, have no choice. There’s no common religion. So why do school prayer advocates want to require prayer in public schools?

Advocates say school prayer reminds students of a higher power and can help remedy societal ills such as bullying, violence, teenage pregnancy and more.

“Our nation has lost its way in having lost a belief of a higher power,” said one local school board member in Florida. “I hope it brings back our country to its foundation.”

Other advocates say school prayer can address maladies such as bullying, increased violence, mass shootings, teenage pregnancy, illegal drug use and more.

Okay. So which religion has such blanket transformative power? Remember, in public schools, all religions by law would enjoy equal favor. Most religious people in the U.S. belong to one of the many various branches of Christianity, so obviously Christian prayer would be included. What about a Jewish prayer? That should be okay – our Christian heritage is rooted in Judaism. Would parents welcome Islamic prayer in this political climate? Moreover, required school prayer would also legitimize atheism, Wiccan, and even Satanism, giving them a seat at the school-prayer altar. Do we really want our kids to pray “Dear God” on Monday and “Dear Satan” by Friday?

It’s doubtful this is what school prayer advocates
have in mind, yet this is what is possible if
prayer is ever required in public schools

If our Christian majority claims requiring prayer in public schools is necessary to remedy the ills of society, then we must not be fulfilling our responsibilities outside the classroom. Does that sound harsh? Well, it is harsh. But it’s also harsh to hear a 14-year-old boy defy me in the classroom by saying, “I’m not going to let some minimum-wage substitute nobody tell me what to do.” It’s even harsher when a police officer has to ask my wife, a full-time school teacher who’s been physically pushed around in class, “Do you want to press charges, Mrs. Casella?” Is school prayer the best way to address these bad behaviors?

It’s not the 1950s any more. Requiring prayer in public schools will not bring Wally and the Beaver back to the classroom. Heck, even Beavis and Butthead are long gone.

It’s ironic that a people blessed with free will by our Creator wants to force its will on other people to whom God has also granted free will. Forced prayer is the equivalent of beating someone until morale improves. It’s not just counter-productive; it’s contrary to God’s plan for us. So where does that leave us?

This truism probably dates back to the first schoolhouse exam.
We are blessed to be in a nation in which no one can
prevent us from praying,

When parents send their kids to school, teachers act in loco parentis; in the absence of parents, teachers must act in the best interests of the kids. But parents still need to act like parents when they are there. And we all need to act as Christians all the time.

Jesus, commenting on the Pharisees, told his followers to “do what they say, not what they do.” As adults, we can distinguish that difference. Our kids can’t. Children do what we do; what we say matters less. And, because the largest single religious group in America is “None,” too many kids are not being exposed to the most important influence in our lives – actually, in the universe. That makes our example so much more important than ever. We must spread God’s love, peace and joy through our actions – not by force – to everyone we encounter, especially our children.

We want people to think “I want what they have.” That’s meaningful evangelization. That’s our commission straight from Jesus.

And that will have a far greater affect than any required school prayer ever could.

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Two Brothers, Two Fates

Many years ago, in a land far, far away, there were two friends. They worked at the same job with a handful of other friends. They bought into the mission statement and approached their job with a single focus. Because the work was so intense, they became very close – brothers in spirit.

At a critical point, both of them made two of the worst choices since the beginning of time. That’s when their paths diverged. One became the founder of the Church and now identifies those who get to spend eternity in the rapturous light of heaven. The other became known as the most evil, despicable traitor in the history of man.

Peter (left) and Judas (right) lived and worked
together for three years as they accompanied
Jesus on his ministry – as illustrated in the miniseries Jesus of Nazareth.

Yes, Peter and Judas. Two comrades who, within a few hours of each other, turned their backs on Jesus. Their subsequent actions resulted in the greatest divergence of destinies since God said, “Let there be light.” One was broken by his betrayal. The other destroyed. Their two very different fates is a great irony of human history.

Jesus knew both of his friends would fail him. He said as much during the Last Supper. But even though Judas had thought out his betrayal, none of the Bible accounts focus on his motivation – citing only financial motives and that “Satan entered into him.” In the absence of certainty, possibilities arise. Maybe Judas hoped the Jewish leaders would be more accommodating after His trial. It’s possible he disagreed with the direction the ministry had turned. Judas may have feared their success could spark a Jewish revolt that would lead to a bloody Roman repression.

Peter’s regret over denying Jesus was crushing;
asking Jesus for forgiveness restored him.

Peter is much easier to understand. His impulsiveness is well documented throughout Scripture – jumping out of boats, telling Jesus to avoid Jerusalem, cutting off a slave’s ear – so denying Jesus in a knee-jerk reaction of self-preservation was not out of character for him.

Both men traveled with Jesus for three years, worked with Him, lived with Him, and listened to Him preach and teach. They experienced His unconditional love. They saw acceptance and understanding. They witnessed Jesus reveal the value and the dignity of every human being no matter how dirty and diseased in body and spirit they were.

Jesus knew at the Last Supper that both Peter and
Judas would, in their own ways, betray Him.

As the magnitude of their denials sunk in, both became despondent and wracked with guilt. But Peter understood the significance of Jesus’ ministry. Judas missed it. Thus, the two brother-apostles took opposite paths to remedy their betrayals.

Whether pride, arrogance, shame, guilt, or some other reason, Judas turned his back on Jesus and his brother apostles. All he had to do was say “I’m sorry” and ask for forgiveness. Instead, he became the definitive example of deceit, treachery and betrayal. Peter’s path of repentance, by contrast, led him to become the ultimate example of Jesus’ unconditional love and infinite forgiveness – a fate that could have belonged to Judas.

Two brothers in Jesus. Near identical transgressions. Separated for eternity by the words, “I’m sorry.” Granted, they are words that can be excruciatingly hard to say. But words with life and death consequences. Words worth contemplating during our Lenten journey.

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