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Thursday, September 14, 2001 Special Mass In the Aftermath of the Attack on America
by Very Rev. Edward Correia
I would like to welcome all of you who are here. As we gather here tonight to pray for the victims and their families, what are the families feeling at this time? What are we thinking and feeling? Why is this happening to all of us? What does it all mean?When we feel and think this way, all the things that were pressing before this tragedy seem so unimportant. Instinctively we seek out one another. With one another we instinctively seek God. God , the prophet Micah tells us , teaches us his ways. The Lord speaks to us about peace, the psalmist proclaims. God’s ways , St. Paul tells us, is to not let bitterness, anger, and revenge get in our way to love. The Gospel tells us that we need to love one another as God loves us. What does that mean? As God is lovingly patient with us and gives all the time that we need, we also need time to work through our anger and hatred so that we can love. We need to love as God loves us. God knows what we are going through. This tragedy may make us more deeply feel the sufferings of our brothers and sister throughout the world who go through this kind of tragedy every day of their lives. We clearly can see now in a very dramatic way what the effects of our small expressions of violence and hatred are. We are here together and we have God here. When things get back to normal if that can ever happen; may we never lose what we have in this moment because what we have here is what will bring us and the world lasting peace. |
