On January 7, 2026, a 37-year-old Renee Nicole Good was fatally shot by an ICE agent in south Minneapolis. Good was at the scene of an ICE enforcement operation in her vehicle. Her car had been stopped sideways in the street, partially blocking a lane for several minutes when federal agents approached. Multiple videos from bystanders and other officers at multiple locations show what happened next. Officers approached Good’s car. One agent stood near the front of her vehicle, while another tried to open her door. Good began to drive, and the federal agent standing in front of her car fired several shots at her through the windshield. Good was killed.  

Above all else in this incident is that a person lost her life in a public and violent way. In our world of ever-present media, it is all too common to be exposed to these kinds of events and become desensitized to them. As Christians, we must first and foremost pray for the repose of Renee Good’s soul, and for the consolation of her family and friends, as well as for an end to violence of all kinds.

When something dramatic happens and is captured on video, people often react very differently to the same event. Situations like this can become like a Rorschach test: the same picture, but people “see” completely different things. And each side feels certain that the truth is obvious. How can this be? Our pre-judgements and feelings often have a lot to do with it. The human soul has three main powers: the intellect, which seeks truth; the will, which judges; and the passions, which include our emotions or feelings. God designed these to work in a certain order. The intellect is meant to lead by first understanding what is true. Then our will can choose what is good, based on that truth. Then, finally, the passions or our feelings are meant to follow.

But very often, we reverse that order. We feel something strongly, or we want something to be true, and then we use our thinking to defend it. This is backwards. We pick a side before we really know what happened. Instead of letting the intellect form the will, we let the will, or even our emotions, decide first. As Christians, we are called to something better. That means we should slow down, seek good information, listen carefully, and allow reality to shape our judgments.

 

Reflection Questions

1. What are the three main powers of the human soul, and what does each one do?
2. Have there been times in your life you’ve been tempted to form an opinion or judgement about an event without understanding what really happened?
3. Since the news cycle and social media move quickly, we can sometimes hear news and feel pressure to decide immediately who is right and who is wrong. But the Church warns us that this can be spiritually dangerous. Read the CCC paragraphs below. How could these apply to this situation? Specifically, what are rash judgment, detraction, and calumny? (Be sure to read them in light of how they apply in this situation to both the driver and the agent who fired the shots.)

 

2477 Respect for the reputation of persons forbids every attitude and word likely to cause them unjust injury. He becomes guilty: - of rash judgment who, even tacitly, assumes as true, without sufficient foundation, the moral fault of a neighbor; - of detraction who, without objectively valid reason, discloses another's faults and failings to persons who did not know them; of calumny who, by remarks contrary to the truth, harms the reputation of others and gives occasion for false judgments concerning them.

2478 To avoid rash judgment, everyone should be careful to interpret insofar as possible his neighbor's thoughts, words, and deeds in a favorable way: Every good Christian ought to be more ready to give a favorable interpretation to another's statement than to condemn it. But if he cannot do so, let him ask how the other understands it. and if the latter understands it badly, let the former correct him with love. If that does not suffice, let the Christian try all suitable ways to bring the other to a correct interpretation so that he may be saved

 

4. Why are videos unlikely to ever give us the full picture of an event?
5. Reflect silently on the prayer of St Ephrem the Syrian for a few moments, and journal a response. You may also choose to write your own prayer asking God to help you rightly order your soul, with your intellect in charge and your will and feelings following.

 

O Lord and Master of my life, grant that I may not be afflicted with a spirit of sloth, inquisitiveness, ambition and vain talking. Instead, bestow upon me, Your servant, a spirit of purity, humility, patience, and love. Yes, O Lord and King, grant me the grace to see my own sins and not to condemn my brethren, for you are blessed forever and ever. Amen.

 

 

Answers

 

1. The human soul has three main powers: the intellect, which seeks truth; the will, which judges; and the passions, which include our emotions or feelings.
2. Accept reasoned answers.
3. The Catechism teaches that respect for others “forbids every attitude and word likely to cause them unjust injury.” It says we commit rash judgment when we assume someone’s moral guilt without enough evidence, detraction when we spread others’ faults unnecessarily, and calumny when we say things that are not true and damage a person’s reputation (CCC 2477).
4. Any videos of any event will show only part of what happened. They do not show what was in anyone’s mind or heart. Because of this, we must be careful. The Catechism reminds us that we should be “more ready to give a favorable interpretation” than to condemn (CCC 2478). That means we should slow down, avoid harsh judgments, and refuse to spread claims we cannot truly know.
5. Accept reasoned answers.