Reflection for 9/11

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“None of us lives for oneself, and no one dies for oneself. For if we live, we live for the Lord, and if we die, we die for the Lord; so then, whether we live or die, we are the Lord’s” (Rom 14:7-8).

Living or dying is our collective memory of 9-11. While we sometimes focus on those who died in terrible agony, we also remember those whose lives were irrevocably changed, including ourselves. In this past decade we have been stretched by personal and communal reflection that is often unfamiliar and uncomfortable. There is no simple, final way to forgive and ask to be forgiven.

In embracing Paul’s advice to the Romans, we find ourselves challenged in our basic identity. Do we really believe that we belong to all the peoples of the earth as members of Christ and his body? Do we believe that life and death truly belong to the Lord? Can we surrender our longing to be in control of life and death and rest in the Lord?

When the news media replays the events of 9-11 and interviews so many persons for interpretation, we can be overwhelmed by what we see and hear. Set some time apart this week to contemplate on what it means to be the Lord’s. From our baptism to the present moment, how does belonging to the Lord shape our thoughts, conversations, actions and ministry?  

Mary Margaret Pazdan, OP
St. Louis, Missouri

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