Emergency Procedures

The following are seven suggestions for viewing your family’s “Emergency Procedures” through the lens of your Catholic faith:1.  Emergency ProceduresCalling 911 in the event of an emergency is a procedure I have drilled into the heads of my children since they were old enough to talk. It is second nature to most of us that this is the first thing we should do in the event of an emergency, fire, crime, poisoning or other calamity. We call 911 to quickly alert those who are in a position to help us that we are in trouble and first responders are dispatched immediately to come to our aid. The system is universal and virtually foolproof -but is it enough?As human persons we are comprised of both temporal and spiritual components. Calling 911 addresses the temporal side of an emergency – we need to have procedures that address the spiritual side of the emergency.2. Spiritual Emergency ProceduresYou may be thinking  – what on earth would constitute a spiritual emergency? Aren’t spiritual issues something we can just wait until Sunday Mass or our next confession to take care of?. I would submit to you that anything that qualifies as a temporal emergency, should also be addressed as a spiritual emergency.Don’t merely call 911 in an emergency – call also upon the Lord, the Blessed Mother, the Communion of Saints and the Heavenly Hosts of Angels  – our supernatural first responders. 3. Specific Spiritual Emergencies….Here are a few circumstances that always get my family and I marshaling up the help of Heaven with short prayers:The sound of a siren.The sight of an hearse.Passing a hospital or funeral homeTurning onto the campus of a church (we live in the ‘burbs) – you can do this when you pass a churchWitnessing someone with a physical, emotional or spiritual disability.Finding