September 11th: Then and Now

BISHOP KEVIN J. SWEENEY

“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.”

Do you remember the name “Todd Beamer,” his phrase, “Let’s Roll” and the story of “Flight 93”? Have you heard the name “Welles Crowther” and the story of his “Red Bandana”? Maybe you have your own, more personal story that you remember and share? I remember FDNY Captain Timothy Stackpole. Do our children and young people know those names and stories? The three names I mention are three of the “Heroes of September 11th.” Each, like so many others on that day, put the words of Jesus into action and laid down their lives to save others.

I had been planning to begin writing a regular column in The Beacon and was thinking of beginning sometime in late September. I then realized that “now” was possibly the best time. At each Mass, we hear Jesus telling us how important it is to remember. As we remember Jesus’ love at each Mass, we also need to remember those who have lived Jesus’ words in an exceptional way. I believe and trust that, as a nation, we will “never forget” those who made the ultimate sacrifice, but I also believe, at times, we all need to be reminded.

In the past few months, the memories and heroes of September 11, 2001 have been on my mind and in my thoughts and prayers more so than usual for two reasons. First, it seems that since we have been facing and confronting the COVID-19 pandemic over these past six months, we are hearing and talking about “heroes” in ways that remind me of the days and weeks (and years) following September 11th. We think, particularly, of doctors, nurses, paramedics, first responders and essential workers who were literally putting their lives on the line to care for and save others when the virus was at its worst. Many of those heroes continue to do that here in our communities and throughout the world.

On a more personal level, during my first two months as Bishop, I have had the privilege of celebrating the Sacrament of Confirmation for young people in many of our parishes. I think that each of those Confirmation Masses was on a “new” date, after the original date had to be postponed due to the COVID-19 shutdown and restrictions. As we celebrated those Masses with “distancing,” smaller crowds and everyone wearing masks, I found myself speaking to the young people not only about what it means to receive Confirma­tion, but also the significance of receiving Confirmation at this time and under these conditions. It can be said that all who are baptized are called to be “Heroes” by living heroic lives of faith or, in other words, we are all “called to holiness,” called to be saints. Jesus gives us the gift of the Sacraments to help live out that call to holiness. In a particular way, the gifts of the Holy Spirit that we receive in Confirmation help us to discern and live out that call, our vocation.

As I thought about writing this article, I also realized that there is another reason why it is so important to remember and teach our children about September 11th in this year of 2020, 19 years later. Do you remember what it was like to be an American, in the days, weeks and months following September 11th? So many of us who lived in New York and New Jersey at that time were impacted in very personal ways and we could feel the support and prayers of the whole country. We were truly the United States of America on that day and during the weeks and months that followed. In these days of 2020, we are going through very difficult times as a country, due to not only the pandemic and its social and economic impact, but also we are once again facing a time of social division and unrest.

Simply “remembering” heroism, sacrifice and courage (and/or talking or writing about it) will not “solve” the problems or challenges that we currently face as a nation, but there are lessons we can learn and reasons to be hopeful. One of the lessons of the “Heroes of September 11th” that I continue to try to learn and remember is that those who “answered the call” on that day did not appear “out of thin air.” They grew up in families and parishes. They learned from their parents and teachers. Many went to Catholic schools or attended religious education programs. Many not only learned about prayer, sacrifice and service, but also, at some point, they started to live according to what they had learned. Many of them received their First Holy Communion and Confirmation and attended Mass every Sunday. Many learned important lessons from their coaches and teammates as they played and watched sports. They also learned the history of our country and about those who made the ultimate sacrifice because they loved their country and were grateful. Because of what they learned, many chose to become firefighters, police officers, medical workers and first responders. Some would have been called “just” an “ordinary person.” Yet, they had something in common — when the moment of crisis came and they had to make a choice, they were ready. They courageously and generously “answered the call” and they taught us what Jesus meant when he said, “There is no greater love, than to lay down one’s life for one’s friends.” Let us pray that as individuals, as families and as a country, we can continue to learn and live by those lessons. The choices we make every day make us who we are and can prepare for our “moment” so that we will be ready to “answer the call.”

As we remember and give thanks for the “Heroes of September 11th,” we also remember and pray for all those who lost their lives on that day, for their families and loved ones. Let us not only remember, but let us pray that each of our choices and lives can make a difference. We also pray and give thanks for our country, especially in these difficult and challenging times. Let us hope and pray that 19, or 20, or 50 years from now, people may be remembering, writing or talking about the “Heroes of 2020.”