Good Always Triumphs Over Evil

Dear Friends in Christ,

            As our Nation marks the 20^th anniversary of the terrorist attacks on 9/11/2001, there remains for many Americans, an open wound in our beloved land.   The images we will undoubtedly see this weekend, from the toppled Twin Towers to the fiery Pentagon, as well as the burning wreckage strewn across that grassy field in Shanksville, Pennsylvania, will serve to remind us just how destructive men can be when consumed with evil and hatred.  The open wound I am referring to was further aggravated in the recent killing of those 13 brave men and women serving as security in Kabul, Afghanistan, as U.S. citizens and Afghans tried to flee from the deadly hands of the Taliban.

            Many will ask, and especially those who lack the gift of faith, where was God on 9/11?  Why did God allow those 19 hijackers, all members of Al-Qaeda, to kill so many innocent people?  We know from salvation history, that God made man and woman in his image and likeness, endowing them with the power to create but also the gift of free-will.  Satan, that fallen angel, because of pride, tempted our first parents to sin and disobey God, which was also rooted in pride.  The freedom to take life rather than to save it, to hate, rather than to love, still exists, despite the fact that Jesus Christ has conquered sin and death.  This is why we wait in hope for the Second Coming- for the final victory!  The goodness of God was made visible on 9/11 in the way those first responders rushed to the scene in Lower Manhattan as well as the Pentagon.  The sacrificial love of Jesus Christ was made visible in Mark Bingham and the other patriots aboard Flight 93 who stormed the cockpit so that their plane could not be used to attack the White House or the Capitol. 

            God was present in the American spirit of solidarity and patriotism that was witnessed in the efforts of so many Americans who pulled together to support those in need after the terrorist attacks.  God was also present in the spirit of service and sacrifice that led many Americans to join our Armed Forces and to become first responders.  I believe now is the time for us as a parish to seize upon that same spirit of service and sacrifice in building-up the body of Christ here at St. Joseph Church & School. While many are fully engaged right now, there is room for even greater involvement.  How is the Lord calling you?  May our witness of lived faith through our worship and works of charity serve as a testament that good always triumphs over evil.

In God we Trust,