Looking Back

The 10th anniversary of September 11, 2001 is upon us.  As a nation, as a global community, and as Christians, we are still trying to make sense of the events.  This week many are reflecting on what they were doing on that day and how their lives have changed.  Emotions of shock, fear, anger, helpless, as well of the urgent drive to help and heal form a mosaic of impressions.  Yet, a comprehensive picture, a way to fully wrap our arms and  hearts around that day, remains unformed.

I believe it will always remain unformed.  The hurt and grief on a scale beyond anyone's comprehensive cannot be conquered by any one of us.  I will always remember the Mayor of New York City's answer when he was asked for an estimate of how many people died.  "More than we can bear," he said.

While it is more than we can bear, we are bearing it. Through the past 10 year we have been lifting the load by finding ways to strength our spiritual connections.  Interfaith understanding, and understanding the wide spectrum of religious traditions in the United States, emerges in the religious press regularly and in the public press from time to time.   Moving beyond tolerance to acknowledging that people of different national heritages with different religious beliefs live in the same neighborhoods, attend the same schools, play on the same soccer teams, and, visit the same coffee shop.  Just like vigorous weight bearing exercise, it is not easy, it does not work overnight, but it does move us to a new place of strength.

As we pause to look back on this weekend, let us not look back to foster more fear and misunderstanding.  Instead let us look back to name and acknowledge the fear, the consequences of that fear and misunderstand, and also to acknowledge as a people we can move, we are beginning to move, to a new place of strength built with understanding.