Pentecost 13
September 11, 2011
The Very Rev. Anthony R. Pompa
Such a time we have been having these past few months. Do you realize that we have lived through an earthquake, that we have experienced a hurricane, and now a tropical storm has left some of our brothers and sisters, particularly here in Pennsylvania and in our Diocese to the north, sitting in flood waters. It has really been quite some time these last few weeks and months. It has led Mariclair to declare in the office that when she sees frogs start dropping from the sky that she is out of here. And, I am going to follow. I have to admit this is a strange time. And yet I know today, as we gather, that what is most on your mind today is, of course, the happenings of September 11, 2001. This, strange as it sounds, the tenth anniversary of those events.
Anniversaries are times to remember. They are a time to reflect, And I believe they are our opportunity to decide. Because the human experience is a complex one, anniversaries can be quite interesting. There are, of course, those happier anniversaries. Those birthdays still with plenty of complex things to reflect on, wedding anniversaries. Perhaps the anniversary of our graduation from high school or college or graduate school, or whatever trade program we may be proud of having attended and remembering what we achieved there. Perhaps an anniversary of our ordination for some of us. These tend to be the happier times or the more poignant remembering or the more joyful or uplifting occasions to remember. We also know , however, that anniversaries can also bring difficult and challenging things. The anniversary of a death of a loved one for example. The anniversary of an end of a war that, an event that makes us reflect, remember the difficulty and the tragedy and the horror of such a happening. The anniversary perhaps of a suicide of a loved one. The anniversary perhaps of our divorce. These types of anniversaries bring much more complexity to our remembering. I submit to you today that anniversaries are a time to remember, a time to reflect and I believe a time to decide.
This is the very day, the tenth anniversary of 9 11 01. A most tragic day in our history as an American people and in the world. For all of us here, and I think all of us here or most of us here, with the exception of one or two, actually have memory of it. You remember where you were. Like Dr. Joseph Indano, our Forum speaker today invited us to remember, you probably remember who you reached out to that day; Or you remember who called you first. In my case, my brother making sure that I wasn’t on an airplane somewhere that day. Perhaps you’re like me and you remember staring at the television, if that’s where you happened to be, really not believing what was happening. Perhaps you remember the horror that you felt; the anger. the pain, and of course, the sorrow. Without a doubt, this anniversary is a day of remembering a happening that has changed our lives forever. There’s not one of us that would disagree with that statement.
What we remember today or at least what I remember today most importantly is the loss of innocent life. In remembering, the sadness I felt that day that returns in a powerful way. In the remembering however, I also recall the heroism of so many who were the first responders that day and the days and weeks that followed. I also in my remembering reflect on the heroism of those who have survived. The heroism of those who lost loved ones, or were injured, or who are sick now because of just being there, who make decisions daily to continue on with life. Anniversaries are about remembering. They are about reflecting. And, they are about deciding.
Of all that there is on the television this weekend and this week, I’ve only given myself permission, good or ill, to watch the stories of human resiliency. The stories of those who in the darkest of hours and the darkest of days and in the midst of experiencing the greatest loss of their lives, seemed to have made a decision to plot a path forward, rather than giving in and calling life quits. These stories are compelling, courageous, heart wrenching and real and you see, these are the stories about those who have made a decision. The decision of course is to live. Not easily, I do not pretend to believe easily, but in the midst of it all, they have made a decision to live.
Anniversaries are a time to remember. They are time to reflect and they are a time to decide. There are decisions to be made always in life, and those who make decision in the midst of tragedy to bravely fight on is worthy of our remembering and reflecting. I realize that because I am a person of faith, I choose to look through the eyes of faith, and when I do so at the lives of these resilient people, I silmutaneously know it is not easy, And I see grace. I know that even in this place there are those of us who were there, or who lost loved ones close to them. I know none of this is easy, especially today, but I also know without exception that those I speak of here have made a decision, to live. To chart a path forward. This is courage, this is resiliency, this is faith, this is grace
As people of faith, we look today at the Exodus story. We recognize that the Exodus story is the story of the people of God. The people of God, the people of Israel, reading and hearing the story of Exodus were experiencing the reality of having lived in oppression and in slavery and remembering a new day, a new hope, a new life. Remember the big picture story of the people of Israel after being delivered from Egypt. The people land in the dessert where they doubt everything. The truth of the matter is that the people of God from generation to generation will find themselves at various times in despair and in oppression. One can understand the need for a story of freedom and deliverance to be spoken, heard, and believed in. We know today we yearn for such stories. The people of Israel, the people of God yearn for this Exodus story and the own this exodus story because it is a story of hope and freedom in the midst of trouble. Their remembering and reflecting on this story bring them (and us) to a decision point. Will the story of our people be a story defined only by trouble and oppression, OR, will the story of our people be the story of hope and freedom in the face of trouble? The question for them? How will we live? A script of oppression or a script of Freedom!
We look also at the gospel story today and there we find Jesus teaching the ethic of forgiveness. I find myself saying to Jesus as he teaches this ethic, “here you go again Jesus, asking difficult things.” The ethic of forgiveness unfolds in this story as Peter asks the question. “How many times do I forgive? Seven times?” This I am sure seemed generous to Peter given the understood norms of the day in terms of dealing with those who offend. Jesus said, “No, if you’re going to understand the ethic of the heart of the kingdom of God, you’re going to need to discover the ability and the willingness to forgive seventy times seven.” This teaching for those who would hear it would be a mindbender, it is for us I know. Seventy times Seven means just about every chance you get, you need to discover a path to forgiveness. That is to say, even in the midst of what seems unjust, has hurt or offended us gravely, Jesus in the ethic of forgiveness says, seventy times seven, or all the time. Why Jesus? What is so important about being able to forgive?
You see this is Jesus Exodus story for us. Jesus knows that if we cannot come to the place within ourselves to make sense, make peace, to let go of anger, and resentment, even in the face of the most horrific of circumstances, it is we, ourselves, who will be held prisoner. Where does this leave us on an occasion like this where we remember and reflect on a most horrible of circumstance as 9/11. Let me be clear about what I am saying. I understand that the people with hate in their hearts, who got into an airplane and flew it in and killed innocent people are not asking for our forgiveness. What I’m suggesting is, our response to such horror cannot be hate. It cannot even be vengeance. And this is one of the hardest teachings that Jesus puts before us. But it is a teaching of liberation. For if we respond in hate then we ourselves are held in bondage by hate. If we cannot find a path to finding a forgiveness of the event itself somewhere deep inside of us, we are held hostage.
Anniversaries are times to remember, to reflect, and to decide. How should we live? As people in fear? As people held captive by hate? Or shall we seek the much harder road—and decide to live in freedom and in faith?
Today we remember. Especially today we remember those who died. We remember those whose lives were impacted by horrendous loss and challenges because of this loss. We remember those heroic responders, who didn’t run the other way but ran toward danger for the sake of the other. Today we remember rightfully with sorrow in our hearts. And, we reflect. We reflect on the horror and power of hate and prejudice that leads human kind to acts of terror. We reflect on the pain of loss, the anger in response to the ultimate offense, the sadness and the helplessness. Finally we remember and reflect on the resiliency and courage of faithful and good people who in the face of the most profound of challenges seek a path forward. This anniversary we remember, we reflect, and I pray we decide to join the courageous, the faithful, and the peaceful in heart in choosing Life.

Amen.