With the approaching of the tenth anniversary of the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2011, there may be other occasions to reflect on the ways the events of that day have changed our lives. So much was lost on that day. Things which can never be reclaimed: a sense of security for those of us living in this land, an identity as persons honored by the world, and over 3,000 lives.
Other things have left us in the years which followed. Things which could be recaptured, with sufficient will.
Most of you reading this had not even reached your teenage years by September 11, 2011. As a result, you may not be aware of what the world was like, back then. It is my feeling, and the opinion of many that our world has become a much more hostile place; a place where divisions are even deeper and hatred even greater. We seem to have lost a large amount of our civility, and our ability to admit that our opponent might have something to say which is worth hearing.
All of this came to mind for me as I read of the documents being uncovered and reported in Libya. We are finding a mixture of tone - some condemning and issuing warnings, others thankful for assistance. It seems that while the world was not happy with Gadhafi, many in the world were willing to accept his help in rendering prisoners of interest. We seem to agree with him that torture and intimidation are useful tools in achieving our goals.
The ancient writings of Israel spoke of ways to break the cycle of violence. There were cities of refuge to which transgressors could flee. There were jubilee years in which resources were redistributed equally so that no one was condemned to watch their children and their children's children live in poverty.
When Jesus came he spoke of refusing to return evil for evil. He told his followers to turn the other cheek. He warned us that ignoring the fate of the least among us was not pleasing to him.
We cannot expect all the world's inhabitants to follow the directives of our Messiah - but we can follow them. And it is at great peril that we ignore them, for some supposed notion of how one must operate in the world.
How will you mark 9/11? Let it be with a renewed commitment to the One who came to set us free of hatred and bloodshed and violence. Follow Jesus in such a way that they will marvel at our love and at our compassion.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
No comments:
Post a Comment