Text
of Homily by Each morning I rise from my bed on the third floor of the Cathedral’s residence and walk into my sitting room. I show reverence to a copy of a 17th century icon of Christ and thank the Lord for the gift of another day. I then peer out the window to view the New York skyline to be greeted by the majesty of the World Trade Center. I did this on Tuesday morning in my routine fashion without any inkling that within a few short hours these buildings, the symbol of New York’s financial power, would be no more. I went to the office around 8:40 a.m. only to be greeted a few short minutes later by our security director telling me that one of the towers was struck by a plane. Fear ran through my veins as we ran to a window to witness what was taking place. A minute or two later, I ran to my phone to call my brother-in-law, Fred, who works there, to see if he was alright. His phone rang and rang and was finally picked up by one of his coworkers who stated he had not seen Fred. The next thing I knew the security director ran into my office, again in tears, stating he witnessed a second plane appearing to have deliberately crashed into the World Trade Center. I immediately ran back to the conference room to view this disaster. Employees were in tears, some almost hysterical, and all I could think of was "My God, my brother-in-law and all those people, will they be able to escape this tragedy?" A short time later someone stated that the Pentagon was just hit by another jet. This verified in all our minds that our country was under siege. Our stability, our security were violated. My immediate reaction was one of rage, of anger. Let us find these culprits, these sick people, torture them and put them to death. I realized that my attitude was one of hate, of revenge, of getting even. Then I looked at the crucifix that stands on my desk, and it hit me. I was thinking just like the barbarians who had invaded our country. To torture and kill these terrorists would not bring back our loved ones. And even if we did kill them, there would be others to take their place. Somehow, we must bring about true justice and peace. We have a wonderful country with a democratic system that, if employed properly, I truly believe can bring this about. But as President Bush said, "We will not achieve this immediately." In the meantime, we are here with heavy hearts seeking answers, seeking consolation, seeking peace. Look at the crucifix, the innocent God-Man. Jesus Christ gave himself for all of us. What did His disciples do? They ran; they hid in terror, fearful for their lives. They gathered in the Upper Room. There they began to find strength and consolation. In our first reading from the prophet Micah we heard: "People shall stream to the mount of the Lord’s house; many nations shall come…that He may instruct us in His ways, that we may walk in His paths." We come here to this Cathedral Basilica of the Sacred Heart to find the Lord, to be instructed in His ways. The disciples did not gather to plot, to get even, to plan to annihilate those who killed Jesus. No. They went out with a message of love, of peace, of justice, of support for one another. May we do likewise. We seek not the wisdom of the world but the wisdom of God as James tells us: "Where there are jealousy and strife, there also are inconstancy and all kinds of vile behavior." We have certainly experienced this this past week in so many ways in the brutal destruction of lives in Pennsylvania, Washington, DC, and especially in our own backyard in New York City. So many of us are either related to or friends of a victim. We must grieve; we must reach out to one another and be there for each other. Do not hold it in! Let your brothers and sisters in the Lord in. We do not know what to do, so please tell us. We want to lessen your burden; we want to be there for you. Remember, as James wrote: "Wisdom is peaceable, lenient, docile, rich in sympathy and the kindly deeds that tree its fruits, impartial and sincere." In the light of this verse let us remember all the helping professionals, many who have lost their lives and continue risking themselves to find our loved ones in the rubble, especially the police and firefighters, the EMS people and all the volunteers. My brothers and sisters, we are not alone! We have lost loved ones, but we can still love and are loved by others. Remember, as John says: "Anyone who loves me will be true to my word, and my Father will love him; we will come to him and make our dwelling place in Him." God is dwelling in you; you are not alone during this dark time. Your brothers and sisters are there in solidarity with you, seeking to help you. This is a very difficult time, a tragic time, but not the end of time. Just as the disciples gathered in that Upper Room in fear and trepidation, the Lord visited them periodically to encourage them. That same Lord is here and now in this place. Let Him touch you with His spirit. Just as the disciples went from the Upper Room with a renewed spirit, as transformed by God, remembering the past and the Jesus who was, and knowing the spirit of Jesus now, we will go forth from this place of God, thankful for the gift of the persons whom we love, who have perished so tragically, grieving the loss of their physical presence, knowing they are at peace in the presence of the living God, and that we will get through this difficult time with the help of God’s spirit and His people and that we shall see someday soon our loved ones once again.
|
