+ Who cannot remember the events of this day in history: 9 – 11 – 2001? It was a "Pearl Harbor kind of day" when everyone remembers exactly where they were and what they were doing when our country was once more attacked by outside forces – this time on the mainland. Thousands of innocent lives were lost that day; buildings representing our American spirit of achievement were destroyed, and family lives were altered forever. But if we remember that God, while not willing to happen what happened, nevertheless allowed it to happen – did so for a greater good that is still unfolding someway, somehow! What happened immediately was that the spirit of giving and sharing of what you have with those who now have so little was reawakened. This applied to helping the families of the survivors – and carried into other catastrophic events such as the Tsunami in Asia, and Hurricane Katrina in our own country in subsequent years. This spirit of pitching-in and helping our neighbor (sometimes called "volunteerism") is still at a heightened level; and this is wonderful to behold.
And of course, all kinds of safety and precaution measures (although sometimes now carried to an extreme) are now in place to guard and protect the citizens of our country in their travels – and this too is a good. It all comes down to the "good" of making us a more loving, caring, self-sacrificial people – and this would always be God's intention!
In the gospel passage today, Jesus reminds us that those who lay down their lives for their friends demonstrate the greatest amount of love that one can have for anyone. They are friends of God who have made such a sacrifice. God welcomed many friends to Paradise on that crisp, cool September morning, eight years ago!
In the same passage Jesus tells us to go and bear the fruit of being loved by him (by his own death and resurrection for us) by continuing to love others, to help them in their immediate needs, and to pray for them always to sustain their hope and their courage. Ask my Father to help the needy, and he will do it – through you!
I chose these readings today from the Mass of the Promotion of Charity because, in addition to praying for the victims of 9/11 and their families – we need also pray for those who perpetrated the events: those specific terrorists, and any terrorists in general. Earlier this week in the gospel Jesus said: PRAY FOR YOUR ENEMIES, DO GOOD TO THOSE WHO PERSECUTE YOU! He means it! As Catholics, our primary method of dealing with terrorism across the board needs to be PRAYER FOR CONVERSION; PRAYER INVITING THE POWERFUL WORKING OF THE HOLY SPIRIT OF PEACE, PRAYER INVOKING THE POWERFUL WORKING OF THE HOLY SPIRIT OF CHARITY; PRAYER FOR THE POWERFUL PROCESS OF RECONCILIATION, FORGIVENESS, AND PEACE!
In the first reading today St. John tells us IF YOU HATE YOUR BROTHER (even your terrorist brothers) YOU ARE A LIAR! Let us not be liars; let us be the Christ-centered, Spirit-filled people that we are; let us be charity-seekers and peace-makers – AND THE FACE OF THE EARTH WILL BE RENEWED! It cannot not be, if we do this in faith; faith in the living God; faith in Jesus Christ!
This is my commandment: love one another as I love you!
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