A Reflection on the Significance of September Eleventh

Eighteen years ago a sign appeared in the history of mankind that was seen by people around the world. Two jet planes, symbols of human technological achievement, were flown into two sky-scraper buildings, symbols of human architectural triumph and economic progress. The planes were flown by men who became symbols of the one thing that has always been with humans since Cain struck Abel, the depravity of heart.

The sign that appeared was a sign about Vigilance, Preparation, and Charity. As a nation, we saw in the smoke and flames of those two burning buildings, and their subsequent collapse to the ground, that we had become careless and assuming. We had forgotten being Vigilant and Prepared are virtues. But in this calamity Charity was not forgotten. In the midst of fire and death, strangers, human beings, came together to help each other. And most importantly, the words of our Lord were witnessed by not just one nation but by all the nations in the world:

“This is my commandment: love one another as I love you. No one has greater love than this, to lay down one’s life for one’s friends. You are my friends if you do what I command you.”
(John 13:12-14, NASB)

On that day, September 11, 2001, First Responders--human beings who dedicate their lives to the safety and order of other human beings...the people who make society possible: law enforcement officers, fire-fighters, emergency medical services technicians, medical professionals...sacrificed themselves that day for the good of their “friends”. For on that day, for at least a little while, we all became friends to one another. There were no strangers among us.

On that day, there were First Responders who died in their effort to help others. But in the days and years to come, there would be others who died, physically, or mentally, and continue to die, from the effects of that Day of the Sign.

In the Gospel of Luke, Our Lord talks about a tragic day that everyone in Jerusalem knew about--when the tower of Siloam fell, killing eighteen people. Although the details of why the tower of Siloam fell are not known, Our Lord presents the falling of the tower as an evil, for it killed people who were no less good than the others who survived, witnessed, or heard about, the tower’s collapse:

“Or those eighteen people who were killed when the tower at Siloam fell on them — do you think they were more guilty than everyone else who lived in Jerusalem? By no means! But I tell you, if you do not repent, you will all perish as they did!”
(Luke 13:4-5)

The collapse of the tower of Siloam was an evil in itself, but the death of those killed by the tower’s collapse was not an indication of an evil life. Instead, Our Lord points out that their death is a call to repentance. For the sake of their souls, they were not prepared or vigilant. But for their sake, Our Lord overcame their lack of vigilance and preparation when he offered himself as a sacrifice.

Perhaps this is the ultimate reality of the Sign of “9/11”--Repentance and Mercy. Not because we, as individuals or as a nation, have led a life of evil, but only because for the sake of our souls we must be vigilant and prepared for the “day of reckoning”.

When we carry out our duties to protect and serve, to defend and maintain the order and good of society, let it be done as an act of Charity and Mercy. Let others see that the depravity of Cain’s heart is conquered by the love of Our Lord, Jesus the Christ. That when you first respond, others see first in you the Christian heart.

“Do Not waver at the solitude of the desert; it is during your sojourn in the tents that you will receive the manna from heaven and eat the bread of angels.”--Origen

+M.A.S.