15 years later.... - Rector's Rambling for September 11, 2016

It is remarkable to think that, with the exception of the first 6.5 months of my rectorate at St. John’s, all of my time back here in Detroit has been shaded by the events of September 11, 2001.

For most of us, we can remember quite vividly exactly where we were and what we were doing that morning 15 years ago.  Personally, I was getting ready to leave the house to come to St. John’s when I heard on the radio that the World Trade Center was on fire.  I turned on the TV coverage just in time to see the second plane hit the other twin tower, and realize at that very moment that this was not an accident but an attack on our nation.  But if you were to tell me that day that we would still have troops in foreign combat situations 15 years later, I would not have believed it.  Fifteen years?  Yes, 15 years.

Unfortunately, over these years the tenor of the situation has gotten darker, and it has become quite apparent that at the root of all of this is a cultural battle that is based in religion.  And although we certainly have been diligent in praying for our country, for the safety of the combatants, and for those in harms way, my prayers have also leaned toward the need for us to be vigilant in the work of evangelism and witness to the truth of God in Jesus Christ.  At the root of this cultural disagreement is whether Jesus Christ is Lord, or just one of a line of prophets ending with Abū al-Qāsim Muḥammad ibn six centuries after Jesus’ death.  Contradictory “truths” cannot both be true.  Either Jesus Christ is Lord, as He asserts, or He lied and Muhammad and his followers are correct about it.  What is Truth forms our culture and who we are as a nation of laws.

We know that Jesus Christ is Lord, and for that truth we are willing to lay down our lives.  Although we are to always live in love and charity with our neighbors, no matter their religious belief, we need to be strong and firm in not only believing the truth about Jesus Christ, but become willing to share that truth in love with those who do to know Him yet.  May God grant us the grace to do His work faithfully!