The LC LOVE sign was erected today as I write this article to remember the collapse of the twin towers and the crashing of 4 airplanes. We remember 9/11 and we will never forget the horror we saw. In the end, however, LOVE trumps all.
This fifteenth anniversary of 9/11 can be a time of renewal for us. Fifteen years ago we came together across religious, political, social and ethnic lines to stand as one people to heal wounds and defend against terrorism. As we face today’s challenges of people out of work, families struggling, and the continuing dangers of wars and terrorism, let us summon the 9/11 spirit of unity to confront our challenges. Let us pray that the lasting legacy of 9/11 is not fear, but rather hope and love for a world renewed.
Father James Martin, SJ, a Jesuit priest, was on the front line of aid rendered that fateful day. He writes:
“And here was God offering us a parable today. As I looked around at the rescue workers, I thought, what is God like? God is like the firefighter who rushes into a burning building to save someone. That’s how much God loves us. And I saw this love expressed in the great charity of all the rescue workers who gathered at the American Golgotha… So for me, the experience of September 11, 2001, was not simply one of tragedy but also of resurrection. For me it embodied the Christian mystery of the cross: the place of unimaginable tragedy can also be the place of new life that comes in unexpected ways.”
The lesson we still gain from the tragedy of 9/11 is that from darkness comes light, from pain comes comfort and from hatred comes love. In remembering the fateful events of September 11, 2001, may we resolve to put aside our differences and join together in the task of renewing our nation and world.
Let us make our own the prayer of Pope Benedict XVI, when he visited Ground Zero in New York in 2008:
O God of love, compassion, and healing,
look on us; people of many different faiths and traditions,
who gather today at this site, the scene of incredible violence and pain….
God of understanding, overwhelmed by the magnitude of this tragedy,
we seek your light and guidance as we confront such terrible events.
Grant that those whose lives were spared may live so that the lives lost here
may not have been lost in vain. Comfort and console us,
strengthen us in hope, and give us the wisdom and courage
to work tirelessly for a world where true peace and love reign
among nations and in the hearts of all. Amen.