The January 6 events in our nation’s capital have provoked comments from nearly everyone, including those who claim that “pro-life terrorism” fueled the riots. As ridiculous as that may sound, we cannot overlook the fact that even Jesuit Fr. James Martin agreed, saying that priests and bishops should apologize for their use of terms such as intrinsic evil to define the act of abortion. Martin claimed such words incite violence because such words are contemptuous and dehumanizing.

While bishops like Knoxville’s bishop, Richard Stika, tweeted disagreement with Martin, it seems to me that there is a fundamental truth in all this that has not been addressed, specifically by the media. Why does such violence occur? That is the real question.

And the answer resides in Catholic teaching, namely that sin manifests its violence in many ways, whether through the crucifixion of Christ or through countless other offenses against God, each combining with all others to create “structures of sin.”

So, the “who” is actually the devil, and the “what” constitutes every conceivable action, word, or thought that is contrary to God’s divine goodness. You see, the violence of January 6 is not an isolated incident but rather a result.

Why else would abortion practitioner Leah Torres refer to pro-life leader Lila Rose as a terrorist merely because she tweeted “abortion is violence”? Torres kills people for a living, yet she points a finger at Rose!

Further, why would pro-life hero David Daleiden find it necessary to document in a series of tweets the atrocities that occur when aborted baby bodies are harvested? In one of over 30 comments on Twitter, Daleiden tells us: “During President Trump’s administration the Justice Department prosecuted an eagle body parts trafficking case in South Dakota,” yet we know that they failed to prosecute the well-documented practice of treating aborted baby body parts like merchandise on an assembly line!

The eagle is more esteemed in our culture today than our preborn brothers and sisters. And we wonder why there is violence in our streets!

There is something so fundamentally wrong in our nation today that no one should be naïve enough to believe that politicians will somehow find a way out of this morass. We are confronting a moral apocalypse, not a political one.

It is Christ Himself, His bishops, and His priests who must help us, inspire us, and move us forward on our way back to peace.

Sean Fitzpatrick recently wrote: “Catholics must lead the work of restoration by looking to their faith, their families, their vocations, and their communities; they must tend them well. As Voltaire concluded his satire, Candide, ‘Let us cultivate our garden.’”

Along the same lines, Fr. Matthew Habiger, OSB, opined: “The best way to restore unity in the nation is to publicly acknowledge our God-given rights to life, liberty and the common good. And the pivotal point is to stop abortion, the greatest violence in the nation.”

As we strive to tend our gardens and shine the light of truth on the culture of death that has driven our nation to this disquieting moment, know this: The devil started the violence, but through our faith and courage in Christ we can work to end it. God be with us all.