Thursday, September 11, 2008 St. Clement’s Catholic Church; Saratoga Springs, NY
Isaiah 9:1-6
Philippians 4:4-9
Matthew 11:25-30
We are a loving people. We are a family of great care for one another. We are a giving and generous community who also saw a great light in the days after 9/11. Yes, light shone on us who dwelt in a land of gloom. In the midst of destruction, in the midst of death, in the midst of a lost innocence of our young people and teens we also witnessed the Rising Star of our Loving God once again entering into our lives.
In the midst of a collapsing building we saw the light of Michael Benfante and John Cerqueria carry a disabled woman down 68 floors of a World Trade Center building and place her is an emergency van. In the dust and debris we saw the light of firefighters, police officers, Port Authority officers, and thousands of volunteers who rolled up their sleeves and donned surgical masks to look for life in the midst of the incomprehensible rubble in lower Manhattan. In every city across our country we saw the light of countless people waiting to donate blood, food and various other supplies that are needed. In the dusk of an autumn Friday evening we saw the light of candles burning brightly in our neighborhoods. We heard the prayers of millions rise to our God in heaven. We listened to the signing voices of thousands asking our God to bless us.
In the midst of the darkness of those days seven years ago, my sisters and brothers we have seen a great light. It is the light of our faith in our God. It is the light of our hope for peace in better world for tomorrow. It is the light of our love for one another, love for those around us, love for people affected by this tragedy that we do not even know.
It is the bright shining light of a group of teens, young adults and old adults from the parish of St. Martin of Tours in Bethpage, where I was helping out, who gathered for six hours straight to wash cars in order to raise money for the Red Cross. It is the inexhaustible light of these teens that no act of terror will ever put out. It is their faith, their hope and their love that cried out to help in any way they could to overcome the darkness and gloom of our country and our world. It is the light of the hundreds of people who waited patiently in Car Wash line to donate what they could for the Red Cross. It is the bright shining light of those who simply stopped and offered whatever they could. As individuals, as a community, as a nation we walked in darkness, we dwelt in the land of gloom.
But my brothers and sisters, I stand before you this evening to tell you beyond a shadow of a doubt that we also saw a great light during those days. That light shines brightly tonight and the message of our God to us is simple: continue to allow that light in each and every one of us to shine. The light we experienced in those days after 9/11 is the Child of Bethlehem; he is the Prince of Peace; his dominion is vast and forever peaceful. How can I say that tonight – because I have seen his light shine in the hearts of countless millions that week.
“Rejoice in the Lord always! I say it again. Rejoice! Everyone should see how unselfish you are. The Lord himself is near. Dismiss all anxiety from your minds. Present your needs to God in every form of prayer and in petitions full of gratitude.” (Philippians 4: 4 -- 6)
We are a hope filled people. We are a family of believers. We are a rejoicing people. We rejoice not in death and destruction. We cry and we weep for those who have died and for the fact that our lives have been dramatically changed. But we must not deny this basic fact of our faith: We believe in a God who cares for us and loves us more than we can ever imagine.
We are a people who have looked beyond our own lives in those days to give unselfishly. We are a people who reached out to friends with e-mails and phone calls that week saying: “I hope you’re all right. I hope you didn’t lose anyone close to you, and if I haven’t said it lately, I love you.” We are a people who hugged strangers and friends that week in an effort to bring comfort to others.
Our God is in our midst; walking besides us during the events of that week. We rejoice in the unselfishness of the rescue personnel who toiled to the point of exhaustion, take a break and then got back to the most grisly and heartbreaking work imaginable. We rejoice in the unselfish acts of the hundreds of firefighters, police offices and Port Authority officers who never came home. We rejoice in the deeds of Ronnie Clifford , who was trying to save a woman’s life outside the first tower, even as his own sister was aboard the United Airlines plane that was about to hit the second tower. Again, we rejoice not in the death of so many but in the fact that so many have lived the following words of the Lord:
"This is my commandment:love one another as I have loved you. There is no greater love than this: to lay down one's life for one's friends.” (John 15: 12 -- 13)
We rejoice because in the midst of evil and death our God is indeed near to us. We rejoice because we are the bearers of God’s Loving Word in the world today. We rejoice because in the midst of our own pain and fear that week, our God is with us. He is Emmanuel. We celebrate our God who is not looking down at us from the heavens, far away from the pain and suffering of the world. We rejoice in a God who is in touch with the earth. We celebrate a God born in a stable, a God who shares our work and our tears. We gather tonight and pray to a God who has only once looked down upon us – when he gazed down upon on from the Cross. We rejoice that our God has not abandoned us. Many in the years since 9/11 may wish to feel that God does not care – but we firmly believe that Emmanuel does care. We believe in our God who tonight continues to weep for us his children and we believe in our God who wants us to turn towards him with all the prayers and petitions in our heart.
"Come to me, all you who are weary and find life burdensome, and I will refresh you. Take my yoke upon your shoulders and learn from me,for I am gentle and humble of heart. Your souls will find rest,for my yoke is easy and my burden light." (Matthew 11: 28 -- 30)
We are a loving people. We are a family of great care for one another. Yet still we come before our God this evening as a community who is weary. The events of those days are still burdensome and trouble us. The message of Christ tonight is important: “I am here. Do not be afraid. I am with you.”
Do not look for an explanation. Do not take the role of the investigators who search for clues. Do not try to explain these acts of terror, these events of evil.
Our task for the rest of our lives is to come to the Lord in order to be refreshed. We are not to explain but to rest. Paul writes to the believers in Cornith:
". . . Jews demand "signs" and Greeks look for "wisdom," but we preach Christ crucified,a stumbling block to Jews and an absurdity to Gentiles . . ." (1 Corinthians 1: 22 -- 23)
Do not attempt to make sense out of the Cross of our Lord. Do not attempt to make sense out of the events of September 11, 2001. But know this fact:
Our God is calling us. Our God wishes to refresh us. Our God wishes to give us rest. We believe in a God who was crucified and the act made no sense. We believe in a God who is in our midst tonight and holds us in the palm of his hand.
We believe in a God who brought new life out of death. We believe in a God who is the resurrection and the life. We believe in a God who has not abandoned us. We believe in a God who today calls to each one of us to journey with him. We believe in a God who has blessed us with Light in the midst of darkness and gloom.
We gather tonight in prayer as a sadden people, as a confused people, as a people afraid.
Let us approach the Lord tonight as a hope filled people. Let us live this week as a family of believers. Let us live this month as a loving people. Let us live this year as a family of great care for one another. And let us never stop living our lives as a giving and generous community.
The reason that we can do so is quite simple:
We are a great light to a people who have walked in darkness. We are the light that has shown upon those who have dwelt in the land of gloom.
My friends: Do not be afraid. Do not allow the evil of a few men to quench our great light of goodness. Do not stop being the great light that each of you in your own way has been to one another.
We believe in Emmanuel – God with us.
Emmanuel believes in us.
Together we can allow the light of God to shine brightly in the hearts of all people.
May our Good and Loving God welcome into his embrace those who have died in the events of September 11, 2001. May God send his comfort to those who continue mourn the loss of loved ones. May God bless each and every one of us with the courage and graces we need to allow our light to shine throughout this great land of ours. And may God bless America and this great and beautiful world with his peace. Amen.
(This homily was originally preached on Sunday, September 16, 2001 at St. Martin of Tours; Bethpage, NY. Slight modifications have been made to reflect the elapsed time since the events of 09/11/01.)
Isaiah 9:1-6
Philippians 4:4-9
Matthew 11:25-30
“The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light. Upon those who dwelt in the land of gloom a light has shown.” (Isaiah 9:1)
We are a hope filled people. We are a family of believers. We are a faith filled community who experienced darkness seven year ago today. People of all ages, of every race, of every economic situation, of every ethnic background and nationality walked in darkness on that first 9/11. Some of us may have actually walked in the darkness in the midst of the dust and debris as the Twin Towers collapsed. A few of us may have walked in the darkness of not hearing from a family member or a friend. Many of us walked in the darkness of knowing someone who has lost a loved one in the tragic events of that day We as a faith community, we as a nation, we as a world dwelt in the land of gloom seven years ago today.
We are a hope filled people. We are a family of believers. We are a faith filled community who experienced darkness seven year ago today. People of all ages, of every race, of every economic situation, of every ethnic background and nationality walked in darkness on that first 9/11. Some of us may have actually walked in the darkness in the midst of the dust and debris as the Twin Towers collapsed. A few of us may have walked in the darkness of not hearing from a family member or a friend. Many of us walked in the darkness of knowing someone who has lost a loved one in the tragic events of that day We as a faith community, we as a nation, we as a world dwelt in the land of gloom seven years ago today.
We are a loving people. We are a family of great care for one another. We are a giving and generous community who also saw a great light in the days after 9/11. Yes, light shone on us who dwelt in a land of gloom. In the midst of destruction, in the midst of death, in the midst of a lost innocence of our young people and teens we also witnessed the Rising Star of our Loving God once again entering into our lives.
In the midst of a collapsing building we saw the light of Michael Benfante and John Cerqueria carry a disabled woman down 68 floors of a World Trade Center building and place her is an emergency van. In the dust and debris we saw the light of firefighters, police officers, Port Authority officers, and thousands of volunteers who rolled up their sleeves and donned surgical masks to look for life in the midst of the incomprehensible rubble in lower Manhattan. In every city across our country we saw the light of countless people waiting to donate blood, food and various other supplies that are needed. In the dusk of an autumn Friday evening we saw the light of candles burning brightly in our neighborhoods. We heard the prayers of millions rise to our God in heaven. We listened to the signing voices of thousands asking our God to bless us.
In the midst of the darkness of those days seven years ago, my sisters and brothers we have seen a great light. It is the light of our faith in our God. It is the light of our hope for peace in better world for tomorrow. It is the light of our love for one another, love for those around us, love for people affected by this tragedy that we do not even know.
It is the bright shining light of a group of teens, young adults and old adults from the parish of St. Martin of Tours in Bethpage, where I was helping out, who gathered for six hours straight to wash cars in order to raise money for the Red Cross. It is the inexhaustible light of these teens that no act of terror will ever put out. It is their faith, their hope and their love that cried out to help in any way they could to overcome the darkness and gloom of our country and our world. It is the light of the hundreds of people who waited patiently in Car Wash line to donate what they could for the Red Cross. It is the bright shining light of those who simply stopped and offered whatever they could. As individuals, as a community, as a nation we walked in darkness, we dwelt in the land of gloom.
But my brothers and sisters, I stand before you this evening to tell you beyond a shadow of a doubt that we also saw a great light during those days. That light shines brightly tonight and the message of our God to us is simple: continue to allow that light in each and every one of us to shine. The light we experienced in those days after 9/11 is the Child of Bethlehem; he is the Prince of Peace; his dominion is vast and forever peaceful. How can I say that tonight – because I have seen his light shine in the hearts of countless millions that week.
“Rejoice in the Lord always! I say it again. Rejoice! Everyone should see how unselfish you are. The Lord himself is near. Dismiss all anxiety from your minds. Present your needs to God in every form of prayer and in petitions full of gratitude.” (Philippians 4: 4 -- 6)
We are a hope filled people. We are a family of believers. We are a rejoicing people. We rejoice not in death and destruction. We cry and we weep for those who have died and for the fact that our lives have been dramatically changed. But we must not deny this basic fact of our faith: We believe in a God who cares for us and loves us more than we can ever imagine.
We are a people who have looked beyond our own lives in those days to give unselfishly. We are a people who reached out to friends with e-mails and phone calls that week saying: “I hope you’re all right. I hope you didn’t lose anyone close to you, and if I haven’t said it lately, I love you.” We are a people who hugged strangers and friends that week in an effort to bring comfort to others.
Our God is in our midst; walking besides us during the events of that week. We rejoice in the unselfishness of the rescue personnel who toiled to the point of exhaustion, take a break and then got back to the most grisly and heartbreaking work imaginable. We rejoice in the unselfish acts of the hundreds of firefighters, police offices and Port Authority officers who never came home. We rejoice in the deeds of Ronnie Clifford , who was trying to save a woman’s life outside the first tower, even as his own sister was aboard the United Airlines plane that was about to hit the second tower. Again, we rejoice not in the death of so many but in the fact that so many have lived the following words of the Lord:
"This is my commandment:love one another as I have loved you. There is no greater love than this: to lay down one's life for one's friends.” (John 15: 12 -- 13)
We rejoice because in the midst of evil and death our God is indeed near to us. We rejoice because we are the bearers of God’s Loving Word in the world today. We rejoice because in the midst of our own pain and fear that week, our God is with us. He is Emmanuel. We celebrate our God who is not looking down at us from the heavens, far away from the pain and suffering of the world. We rejoice in a God who is in touch with the earth. We celebrate a God born in a stable, a God who shares our work and our tears. We gather tonight and pray to a God who has only once looked down upon us – when he gazed down upon on from the Cross. We rejoice that our God has not abandoned us. Many in the years since 9/11 may wish to feel that God does not care – but we firmly believe that Emmanuel does care. We believe in our God who tonight continues to weep for us his children and we believe in our God who wants us to turn towards him with all the prayers and petitions in our heart.
"Come to me, all you who are weary and find life burdensome, and I will refresh you. Take my yoke upon your shoulders and learn from me,for I am gentle and humble of heart. Your souls will find rest,for my yoke is easy and my burden light." (Matthew 11: 28 -- 30)
We are a loving people. We are a family of great care for one another. Yet still we come before our God this evening as a community who is weary. The events of those days are still burdensome and trouble us. The message of Christ tonight is important: “I am here. Do not be afraid. I am with you.”
Do not look for an explanation. Do not take the role of the investigators who search for clues. Do not try to explain these acts of terror, these events of evil.
Our task for the rest of our lives is to come to the Lord in order to be refreshed. We are not to explain but to rest. Paul writes to the believers in Cornith:
". . . Jews demand "signs" and Greeks look for "wisdom," but we preach Christ crucified,a stumbling block to Jews and an absurdity to Gentiles . . ." (1 Corinthians 1: 22 -- 23)
Do not attempt to make sense out of the Cross of our Lord. Do not attempt to make sense out of the events of September 11, 2001. But know this fact:
Our God is calling us. Our God wishes to refresh us. Our God wishes to give us rest. We believe in a God who was crucified and the act made no sense. We believe in a God who is in our midst tonight and holds us in the palm of his hand.
We believe in a God who brought new life out of death. We believe in a God who is the resurrection and the life. We believe in a God who has not abandoned us. We believe in a God who today calls to each one of us to journey with him. We believe in a God who has blessed us with Light in the midst of darkness and gloom.
We gather tonight in prayer as a sadden people, as a confused people, as a people afraid.
Let us approach the Lord tonight as a hope filled people. Let us live this week as a family of believers. Let us live this month as a loving people. Let us live this year as a family of great care for one another. And let us never stop living our lives as a giving and generous community.
The reason that we can do so is quite simple:
We are a great light to a people who have walked in darkness. We are the light that has shown upon those who have dwelt in the land of gloom.
My friends: Do not be afraid. Do not allow the evil of a few men to quench our great light of goodness. Do not stop being the great light that each of you in your own way has been to one another.
We believe in Emmanuel – God with us.
Emmanuel believes in us.
Together we can allow the light of God to shine brightly in the hearts of all people.
May our Good and Loving God welcome into his embrace those who have died in the events of September 11, 2001. May God send his comfort to those who continue mourn the loss of loved ones. May God bless each and every one of us with the courage and graces we need to allow our light to shine throughout this great land of ours. And may God bless America and this great and beautiful world with his peace. Amen.
(This homily was originally preached on Sunday, September 16, 2001 at St. Martin of Tours; Bethpage, NY. Slight modifications have been made to reflect the elapsed time since the events of 09/11/01.)
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