Gambling in Queens, NY

Another distraction for the faithful. There are so many distractions in the modern world that entice people of good will away from God and prayer. So now right here in New York City, off the Belt Parkway in Queens, in the heart of the Diocese of Brooklyn, at Aqueduct Racetrack a "Racino" has opened. In October 1995 Pope John Paul II, during a historic visit to the United States celebrated Mass on a beautiful, sunny day at Aqueduct Raceway. I was there, along with my son. There were thousands of priests and Religious as well as 75,000 laypeople. It was a remarkable, holy event. That was then, this is now.

Hundreds of people waited on line, opening day to enter the Racino. It presently has 4,525 video slot machines and 475 electronic games and thousands more to come. Now gamblers and people just looking for some excitement will not have to go all the way to Atlantic City, Conneticut or Las Vegas, it's all very close now.

The Church is neutral on gambling. I understand that. I know many people who enjoy gambling and it adds excitement to their life. But according to anti-gambling forces, "the racino will addict millions of people to the detriment of their families...." I wonder how it will affect Church donations, in that area, if at all. Only time will tell.

Aqueduct is the first racino in New York City and probably not the last. There are a lot of tax revenues to be made from legalized gambling and many politicians are in favor of gambling for a variety of reasons.

I went to the website on Gotquestions.org and it had this to say about gambling......

"The Bible does not specifically condemn gambling, betting or the lottery. Scripture does warn us to stay away from the love of money, attempts to get rich quick. But gambling in moderation is not necessarily evil....." Let's hope people use moderation and don't get addicted and lose control. We can only hope and pray for the best outcome, because gambling in NYC is here to stay.

NJA

Distractions in the Modern World

The world is changing quickly. Technology has shaken up plenty of life's routines,but for many people it has completely altered the once predictable rituals at the start of the day. This is morning in America in the Internet age. After six to eight hours of network deprivation-also known as sleep-people are increasingly waking up and lunging for cellphones and laptops, sometimes even before swinging their legs to the floor and tending to more biologically urgent activities. Some children are waking up and checking text messages and facebook posts from friends before they are fully awake and before breakfast. There seems to be a need to be in constant contact with others.  These insights are from a NY Times article titled, "Breakfast Can Wait. The Day's First Stop Is Online," by Brad Stone. One mother complained that, Things that I thought were unacceptable a few years ago are now commonplace in my house, like all four of us starting the day on four computers in four seperate rooms. For some, technology is taking away from quality family time. Some parents are trying to set limits on internet and cellphone use, especially in the morning, so families can eat breakfast together. 

Whenever I speak to parents about deepening faith in their children, I mention how important it is for children (and adults) to say a prayer when they first wake up, even a short prayer, to bring a spiritual, religious dimension to the beginning of their day and focus on God, even if it's for a few minutes. I believe that's helpful for the spiritual development of children. Yet the current news makes you wonder, if the lure of technology is just too tempting and interesting.

The world is changing quickly and in ways I find surprising. There are some trends I find alarming. Another online article I read, was warning parents that children are learning about sex on YouTube. According to the article, children are turning to YouTube, Google and Facebook to learn about sex.  The word "sex" is at the top of search lists. 

Parents have to be very alert and aware, more so now than ever. They have to be rooted in prayer themselves to deal with the challenges of parenting today.

NJA