Remembering 9/11
It is a bittersweet day for us because this tragedy set my husband upon a spiritual path that led us all to the Catholic Church. We felt so helpless. And we turned our faces to God. As ISIS marches across the Middle East, destroying churches and beheading and murdering Christians, in my sorrow, I remember the new saints in heaven. The Church Triumphant. ISIS is clearly evil and they can destroy our human bodies and places of worship, but they cannot destroy our souls. In fact, as Saint Junipera Serra said when one of his fellow brothers was brutally murdered by the Natives, "Thank God! The seed of the Gospel is now watered by the blood of a martyr; that mission is henceforth established." He later protected the repentant Natives from being executed by the Spanish.
I just discovered that Sept. 11 is the feast day of Saints Protus and Hyacinth, brothers who were scourged and then beheaded for their faith around AD 260 under Valerian (St. Andrew Daily Missal). It reminds me to not focus on the things of the earth, but of the heavenly kingdom.
Pax Christi.
I just discovered that Sept. 11 is the feast day of Saints Protus and Hyacinth, brothers who were scourged and then beheaded for their faith around AD 260 under Valerian (St. Andrew Daily Missal). It reminds me to not focus on the things of the earth, but of the heavenly kingdom.
4 comments:
I recall vividly my late father calling me from Jerusalem on that day. For once, the news of hostile destruction was on our continent and not in his backyard. He said, "it feels like we are at a precipice of history."
Mirka, your father's words are prophetic.
Over here in Singapore, September 11th was our Election Day. Our government has chosen this to be the day when Singapore's future lies in our hands as a solemn reminder that evil lurks and we all need to show up to protect our country and our families.
Wow, Claudine!!! Yes, exercising our rights as responsible citizens is hugely important.
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