Dear Friends,
Just yesterday we had the 23rd anniversary of 9.11. Just a few years ago, I was in New York City with my family. We came to the memorial site where the Twin Towers stood. I felt deeply moved, imagining the screaming, the panic, and the uncertainty of the moment. The world tilted in a different direction on that day, as we were reminded that the world is never completely safe, nor has it ever been. We were reminded that we are vulnerable and that our position in the world can expose us to pain and tragedy.
Every year we still see people say, “Never forget.” And we shouldn’t forget the event, nor those who lost their lives and those who suffered from and still suffer from the attack. As we never forget, I pray that this is not a rally for more vengeance and anger. I pray that it is a call for working for shalom, working for God’s kingdom to come, as we pray in the Lord’s prayer. As God is love, God invites us to join the revolutionizing force of love, imagining what God’s kingdom could be like and living into it, making the path by walking in love as Christ loves us. Let our remembrance be blessing to a world that needs us, that needs our love in Christ.
Shalom,
Fr. Jonathan Evans