It was a pleasant-weather Tuesday like today 15 years ago on September 11 when terrorists struck a devastating blow at the United States in the worst attacks in modern US history.
I was only 10 years old on that day, and the day's proceedings are seared in my memory, so that I can recall them as if they happened yesterday. I remember clearly how the very foundations of the world shook violently as we realized we were vulnerable in a manner we didn't realize was even possible, and we entered a darker age with so much effort focused on fighting terrorism.
Now that 15 years have elapsed since that terrible day, there's a large group of people now who have no memories of that day, and well into their teen years, along with all the other children younger than them. It's gotten me to the point where I have wondered what the best way is to convey to these young people what happened on that day, knowing full well that what they hear from people who have clear memories of that day will form their understanding of it.
Looking back, I was at the tail end of those who were at an age old enough that we could be told fully what happened. I imagine for children younger than me at that time, adults would have had to show much more caution in conveying to them what happened.
That was on my mind Sunday evening when I was at Ascension for the first meeting of the youth group for high school teens. Matt Goto, the Ascension Youth MInistry Coordinator, and his wife Michi, were leading the gathering, with some other adults present. After some dinner and fellowship, the Gotos started leading a discussion on September 11, 2001. They showed a History Channel video that gave a timeline overview of what happened in New York City.
After the video, Matt got up in front of the high school teens--and all of them there were either toddlers when September 11 happened, or hadn't even been born--and asked them how the events of that day, as shown in the video, made them feel. Their answers reflected what we all felt that day: shock, horror, "numb".
He then asked them how they thought the people on the planes felt, and mentioned how our lives are short, and anything can suddenly bring them to an end. He then asked them how the terrorist hijackers felt, who were driven by religious motives to do what they did. Then, referencing the readings for that Sunday's Mass, he asked them about the possibility of forgiveness toward the terrorists, and then drawing it closer to home, asking them if they could forgive their siblings when they do something that irritates them.
After this discussion, we went outside and gathered around a fire pit for a prayer service, lighting small candles to hold. Gene, on staff at Ascension Parish as a liturgist, selected some readings for this prayer service from the readings for Funeral Masses, which speak to the reality of death, but the hope we have that in God, death leads to something larger than our present reality. After the readings were proclaimed, we shared our thoughts about them.
As we talked, a woman passing by stopped, and after a few moments observing us, asked what we were doing, and we invited her to join us. A few minutes later, a woman saw us, walked away, and then brought three others with her, who I presumed were her husband, son, and daughter, and then joined us as we offered intercessory prayers: We prayed for the victims, the terrorists, and for peace in our world and our hearts.
I thought back to September 11, 2001, when churches all over held prayer vigils. I heard a story about one vigil at Calvary Memorial Church in Oak Park. A store across the street from that church closed early that day, and the supervisor brought all the employees over to the church to join in the prayer. 15 years later, this was exactly what happened as the youths and the adults gathered in prayer along Van Buren Street. What an incredible message to send to the teens gathered there about how genuinely living out faith in the world makes an impact.
Indeed, on a very somber anniversary, amplified even more by a tragedy in my family that occurred 5 years ago, this gathering at Ascension on Sunday evening filled me with a sense of hope. There's so much evil in the world, and there's so much we can't control. But peace is still a reality we can strive for, as we take the time to come together as the people of God and seek His face, knowing He can fill our hearts with peace as only He can. And when our hearts are filled with peace, we can then share that peace with others in our daily lives, turning away from our attitudes of ill will when others do mean things to us, and extend peace, as God does to all sinners. That's the foundation that builds peace in the world.
It fills me with hope that we take the time to help young people through these difficult discussions, and help them see the face of God in it, even in the midst of evil. Because our faith teaches us that the power of God is greater than anything wrong in this world, and His Righteousness ultimately will triumph, so long as we entrust ourselves to Him.
Faith is a great gift I have received, and it's a joy to participate in these moments, just as I do in Religious Education, passing the faith on to the next generation, to help shape them to follow this way that leads to life vibrant and triumphant.
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