A message from Bishop Duncan-Probe on the 20th Anniversary of September 11, 2001

Transcript

I am Resurrection and I am Life, says the Lord.
Whoever has faith in me shall have life,
even though they die.
And everyone who has life,
and has committed themselves to me in faith,
shall not die forever.

(Book of Common Prayer 491)

On this sacred anniversary of the tragic events of September 11, 2001, I think there is a temptation to look back and objectify history as something that happened once and to look at that event and point fingers and say “those  people.”

But I wonder in this time of so much division between us, when political parties and platforms and opinions have separated us and isolated us from family members and loved ones, perhaps the events of September 11, 2001 can embolden us to embrace more closely our own faith, our own belief in Jesus Christ and God as Resurrection and Life in this time.

What if it begins within our own hearts to change our mind? To be less assured of our own opinion and more convicted and committed to our neighbors, our friends, and our loved ones. Doesn’t it matter less our opinion than our love for one another? And what might it be like if we refuse to be separated into one group versus another but to reach out and seek to understand?

My grandmother used to say, “You have two ears and one mouth; use them proportionally.”

Maybe instead of talking to other people we need to hear other people. Maybe instead of being so certain we’re right we need to embrace more that we are sinners saved by grace, that inherently we’re greedy and selfish and sometimes we can’t see past our own greed and our own selfishness to see the hurt of another.

On this anniversary of the tragic events of September 11, 2001, let us be emboldened by the love of Jesus Christ in our midst.

Let us take seriously our Baptismal  Covenant.

Let us be ambassadors of that love to this hurting world.

Amen, amen, and blessings to you.

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