Today is the 10th anniversary of the 9/11 terrorist attacks on America. I’d like to go outside of my usual format today and, instead of reflecting on the Scripture passages from the Mass, reflect briefly on the last 10 years and the effect of that terrible day.
I was on the air when the planes struck the twin towers in New York City. I remember the confusion, and coming to the stark realization that America had been attacked. I remember talking to people and asking if this could possibly be the beginning of the end; if Jesus was readying to make His return. I went to noon Mass that day, and the church was packed to the rafters. I had never seen anything like it on a weekday. People came from all over, seeking solace in a storm. And we found it.
Fast forward 10 years. I wonder how many of the people who decided that they needed to set things right with God are living out their faith to this day. As we as a nation turned to God in the aftermath of that seminal event, how many have returned to their old ways in the ten years since? Time has a way of doing that, doesn’t it? I hope that we can all return to that spirit of seeking our hope in God alone. Let us pray that we will not lose touch with the only One who can give us hope, especially as a nation.
Father, as we recall the events of ten years ago, we ask that you will give us all the grace to continually turn our hearts toward you. Heal and watch over our great nation. May God bless America. Amen.
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