19 years ago, 9/11 occurred and my Sunday homily [9/16/2001] is offered for your reflection today. [See note below]
We have been through a most devastating week, as a nation.
Tuesday’s events are seared into our hearts and minds. In our reading from Exodus we heard “…for they have become depraved” - - and don’t the people responsible for Tuesday’s death and
destruction come to mind.
Those of us who were not personally affected by Tuesday’s events
can readily identify with Paul’s letter to Timothy, “… but I have been mercifully treated.” Yet in today’s Gospel
we must grapple with a most difficult lesson: the lost sheep, the lost coin,
and the lost sons.
These parables turn our world upside down, as they turned Jesus’
world upside down! How hard it would be for us to rejoice if
the people responsible for Tuesday’s devastation, repent and are saved God’s
compassion. It is beyond our wildest
dreams and our comprehension.
Jesus tells us the story of the two sons, one who tells his Dad
to drop dead, the other son who hates his father. As a father, if my children did that I would
be devastated. Jesus tells us that God our Father
calls us to: bear our grief and forgive our hurts, and to be compassionate.
Today we should search our hearts for the pain and hurt we
haven’t forgiven yet! Those hurts in our
families most especially! This week has
taught us many lessons - -one of them is how fragile life is - -Today forgive
in your families because tomorrow may be too late.
We hope and pray that Tuesday’s horror is never repeated. Let us heed Jesus’ call to be compassionate. His call to be the “foolish” shepherd, woman,
father. His call to heal first in our
families and then in our world, and when we do, then we will join with the psalmist and “…rise and go to my father.” [On Sunday, September 16,
2001 five days after 9/11, I preached at Our Lady of Good Counsel in Vienna,
Virginia, Our Liturgical
Cycle that year was C].
Hear my
cry! “Lord, listen to my prayer: turn
your ear to my appeal.” You are my
refuge and my hope, I turn to you during this COVID 19 Pandemic and plead for
Your intercession. In Your mercy and Your compassion “… grant eternal rest to the
dead, comfort to mourners, healing to the sick ….”
[Psalm 143 and Collect from Mass
Time in Pandemic]
Provide
strength to the first responders, compassion to the medical personnel, and wisdom
to government leaders. End this
coronavirus scourge. Send Your light to me
as I wander in the darkness of this pandemic and give me hope in Your eternal
love today and every day. Amen.
[Dcn.
George Kelly]
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