There have been several moments in my life where I can tell you exactly where I was and what I was doing. The first of such events was the assassination of John F. Kennedy. I was thirteen and home from school, with a cold, when our neighbor came running in the back door and with tears in her eyes cried out, “They killed the President.” It was an event that dramatically changed our nation. It is said that each generation has an event to remember. For my children it is the Challenger Space Disaster on January 28, 1986. For them the name Christa McAuliffe, a school teacher from New Hampshire and the first teacher in space, is familiar. Outside America there are other events – the assassination of the President of Rwanda that lead to the Rwanda Genocide, the floods in Pakistan, the typhoon that killed thousands in Manila just a few short months ago. These tragedies in some way remind us over and over again that life is fragile and unpredictable.
September 10, 2001 was a good day for me. Archbishop Chuck Jones and Fr. Terry Gensemer had come to New York for a CEC for Life meeting – a cause dear to my heart. We were planning to meet all day on September 11, 2001. But that evening was a time of fellowship. We had a great meal and spent the evening sharing and laughing together. The conversation continued till after midnight. What joy when people you love gather for a meal together and you are able to renew friendship. I went to bed that evening so thankful for my blessed life.
Because of the lateness of going to bed, we all determined to sleep in and have a leisurely morning. Except for my lovely wife who, with her compulsion to show hospitality, arouse early and was preparing a New York breakfast – bagels, cream cheese, lox, onions, lettuce, onion, tomato and fresh fruit and of course a good cup of coffee. Suddenly, as I am just getting my bearings while slowly sipping my first cup of coffee, Cathy came charging into the room and in a panicked voice said, “A plane has crashed into the World Trade Center”. She quickly turned on the television in our room. I sat on the edge of the bed glaring at a picture of one of the towers in flames and smoke billowing from the windows of this masterpiece of architecture that is a landmark familiar to people all over the world.
Then suddenly another plane crashes into the other tower. What happens from there is known to all of us. Pictures of people running hysterically. People jumping to their deaths from over 100 stories.
From the roof of my house we could view the skyline of New York. We went to the roof and all we could see was the billow of smoke pouring out over the New York Harbor drifting slowly towards Staten Island. Then the smoke increased and someone from the living room yelled, “the tower has collapsed.” We ran down stairs and watched the images. Shortly afterwards the second tower collapsed.
It was all so surreal. What happen? How do we respond? We ate breakfast. We drank coffee and juice. We glared at the television. We listened intensely to news reports, I knew that there could be up to fifty to one hundred thousand people in those buildings. I had parishioners and neighbors who worked in those buildings. Other parishioners worked near the Trade Center. Certainly some could be in the subway stations that were under the buildings. Where were Peter and Mike and Peggy and Frank and Joe and Stephen? Was I forgetting anyone? Had they made it to work? Were they trapped? Were they God forbid killed?
Everyday at the Cathedral we celebrate the Holy Eucharist at 12 noon. So, the three of us, Archbishop Chuck, Fr. Terry and myself, put on our clerics and headed to the Cathedral. As we arrived people had already gathered. It was a place to get news about parishioners. As we heard reports you could hear the words “thank you Lord.” “Stephen is all right”. “Frank wasn’t at work”. “Peter went in late”. “Mike was fine”. The reports came in one after another. Then there were the tragic reports. “My neighbors husband hasn’t been heard from.”
All we could do was place our faith in the Lord Jesus. We celebrated the Eucharist and again found hope.
The city was closed off so that no one could actually get down to Ground Zero. My daughter, then a teenager, was working at Outback Steakhouse. The corporation gathered a crew together and went to Ground Zero with food for the Firefighters and Rescue Workers. I remember her coming home in silence with what was to come very familiar grey dust on her clothes.
As the city opened, several of my clergy were able to get down to the site before I was able to go. I remained behind in order to minister to the people at the Church. All of us were in shock. Things had come to a stand still. Trains were not running. The sky was silent because all air transportation had been grounded. People who worked in the city were home from work. Now the reports of friends and neighbors were coming in and we heard over and over again of those missing or killed. All of us were processing. All of us were grieving. All of us were praying. American Flags were flying from homes and cars. Churches that Sunday were filled as people sought an explanation for something that has no explanation.
Finally after three days I went down to the site. I went down several times after that day. The images are still in my mind. The taste of the dust and smoke is still too familiar. The sights of bodies in the makeshift morgue are as fresh today as they were then. The exhausted faces of Firefighters, Policemen, National Guard, and Rescue Workers are images I will never forget. I was at Ground Zero as a Priest – I prayed with people, heard confessions, and talked and walked with workers. I was not there to lead people to Christ but to bring Christ into the midst of darkness.
The miracle of Ground Zero is that 25,000 people had been able to escape from the building. There are other incredible stories that I have heard since then of people who miraculously were late for work and by a few minutes were spared death.
What has happen since then? So much it is hard to list. Islam, which was once something so very foreign to many of us, is now almost a daily point of discussion. I have since read the Koran several times and many books on Islam. As a traveler, the necessary hassle of airport security is a constant reminder of the reality of terror activity. The Iraq War, and now Afghanistan, has cost us the lives of thousands of young and brave men and women. As we mourned the death of Fr. Mikel Judge on the 9/11 just the other day we hear of the death of the first military chaplain killed in action while serving his God and country.
Ground Zero is twenty miles from my home. Insane and evil men whose dark souls, motivated by a slavery to a tyrannical, sexist, bigoted and demonic concept of religion, had killed themselves and innocent people. They had bombed my country and my city and changed our world forever.
There is and will remain for a long time to come a serious threat to liberty and life from men and women who are evil. Men and woman who are so deranged that in the name of God would lie, deceive, maim and kill to advance their demonic cause. It is so clear that this is not the God revealed to us Holy Scripture.
It is so easy, in light of the events of Nine Eleven, to allow bitterness, fear, bigotry, and hatred to enter into our hearts and damage our soul. It is much harder to embrace the words of our Lord Jesus to pray and even love our enemies. Yet, those words give life and freedom, not only now, but also for all eternity.
We must, of course, be vigilant in our quest for national security, which is after all only the protection of the innocent who want to live quiet and peaceful lives. We must, of course, remain aware that there are those who are real enemies to liberty and the truth. There are those who find freedom repulsive and would quickly and without any reservation deny people their basic human rights. Though we would cry out for peace, and no one prays more for peace than one in service to our country, we know that there are years in front of us that will call upon men and women to pay the ultimate price. We must continue to pray for them and honor them.
We hear of a misguided Pastor in Florida who wants to burn a Koran on 9/11. This is not only a foolishness, which would put thousands of lives in danger and seriously threaten the welfare of our troops; it is not a Christian response. As a Christian and an American I find it repulsive and condemn his proposed action.
I believe it is misguided, insensitive, and repugnant that an Imam wants to build a Mosque (which is certainly his Constitutional Right) near Ground Zero. And, to do this less than a decade after the events of 9/11 even makes it more insensitive. I do not believe that Imam is a “moderate” who wants reconciliation. The Cordova Initiative is a statement and everyone is hearing the statement clearly. Yet, his freedom to build the Mosque is also a statement. It is the sweet sound of freedom.
We are not at war with Islam. Nor are we at war with terror (terror is a tactic). We are at war with millions of people who have an interpretation of the Koran that causes them to fill their hearts with hatred. These people are dedicated, even to the point of death, to enslave millions of people. They will, if given the opportunity, bomb planes, stores, cafes, and buildings killing thousands. And, if the experts are right and as our political leaders warn us, would, if given the opportunity, use nuclear weapons and other weapons of mass destruction to accomplish their demonic goals.
As a religious leader in New York City, I have joined other religious leaders in encouraging the Imam to move his Mosque to a more appropriate site. I support those investors who are willing to purchase the building from the Imam and his congregation so that the plans to build are thwarted. Ground Zero is a sacred burial ground and it is a fact that radical Islamafacist bombed our country and my city hence declaring war on all that is civilized. We all know that Islam is not terrorism or is it fanaticism. There are over one hundred mosques in New York and hundreds of temples, synagogues, shrines, and churches spread around the New York Metro Area. We are a home to every ethnic, racial, and religious group. The building of a Mosque at Ground Zero is not a matter of religious tolerance. The Imam should have the boldness and courage to discontinue his plans and communicate true reconciliation as John Paul II removed the convent from Auschwitz even though thousands of Catholics were killed in that Concentration Camp.
My thoughts are filled with memories of that crisp fall day nine years ago. Those memories do not however change my conviction that in Christ Jesus light is more power than darkness, that love will conquer hate, that in the midst of death there is always resurrection, and in the end our God reigns and of His Kingdom there will be no end. Let us mark the day with prayer not vengeance. Let us continue to preach the Good News, which alone will bring true peace. We can do this best by making sure our own souls are open to the purifying work of the Holy Spirit – the furnace of love. We can pray as did St. Francis – Lord, make me an instrument of your peace, where there is hatred, let me show love.
