Patriot Day – A Faith in Process

September 11 has become a day of remembrance for me, our nation’s day of affliction. Yet I worry that as time passes our nation has forgotten the horror, the sorrow of that day, and completely lost the incredible unity we felt as those events unfolded. We who were alive that day clearly remember where we were when the Twin Towers fell. A few days ago I came across a scripture that embodies my feelings exactly.

I’ll never forget the trouble, the utter lostness,
    the taste of ashes, the poison I’ve swallowed.
I remember it all—oh, how well I remember—
    the feeling of hitting the bottom.

But there’s one other thing I remember,
    and remembering, I keep a grip on hope:
God’s loyal love couldn’t have run out,
    his merciful love couldn’t have dried up.
They’re created new every morning.
    How great your faithfulness! Lamentations 3: 19-23 TLB

Thank You Father. May we too never forget nor lose hope. Amen

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Mychal Judge, OFM, an Irish-American Franciscan and chaplain to the New York Fire Department, is the first listed casualty of the 9/11 attack on the Twins Towers in 2001. His daily prayer has become well known since his death:

Lord, take me where You want me to go;
Let me meet who You want me to meet;
Tell me what You want me to say;
And keep me out of Your way. — Fr. Mychal F. Judge, 5/11/33 — 9/11/01

Me, too, Lord. Me, too.

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For the first few years I commemorated 9/11 by rewatching the amazing 2-hour video shot by two French film makers who were following a rookie New York fire fighter. For a time it was not available but I just purchased a copy on Amazon. While the resolution is fuzzy (have we been spoiled with HD?) I will be watching it again this year.

This film is also available on YouTube. (Again, it’s a little fuzzy, but life can be like that sometimes. It’s looks fairly good if not enlarged.)
https://www.bing.com/videos/search?q=9%2f11+documentary&&view=detail&mid=393C1E58BD442C7AAB73393C1E58BD442C7AAB73&rvsmid=B42EAF02EA0845AFCB57B42EAF02EA0845AFCB57&FORM=VDRVRV

Let’s all remember.

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