On this tenth anniversary of 9/11 our Sunday readings have a lot to say to us about forgiveness. Please take some extra time this day and reread our readings. Sirach says, “Wrath and anger are hateful things.” We all know so well that many evils have been done in the name of justice and retribution. We must be above an eye for an eye and be people who are kind and merciful, slow to anger and rich in compassion as our Lord is. Sirach also reminds us “Forgive your neighbor’s injustice; then when you pray, your own sins will be forgiven.” We who live for Christ must live as Christ lived: in compassion, in mercy, and in love. Thus do we show that we are indeed the Lord’s.
I wish to share a beautiful piece called “Christ in the Rubble” by Benedictines Genevieve Glen and Tobias Colgan.
O Christ, beneath the fallen stones,
Nailed fast to twisted bars of steel,
And slain in flesh and blood and bones,
Pierced by the fear all mortals feel:
Arise from ash and dust and death,
And breathe into crushed hearts new Breath.
O Christ, within a world at war,
Where love and hate fight for the soul,
And all sights trained on death see far,
But only love can see the whole:
Arise from unforgiving pain,
And teach us how to love again.
