The tragedy of the September 11 terrorist attacks must remain etched into our nation’s collective consciousness, not only on the 25th anniversary, but forevermore.
We remember and mourn the nearly 3,000 souls who perished that day, including the innocent passengers and crew aboard Flight 93, which crashed in Shanksville, Pennsylvania, and the men and women who dutifully went to work at the Pentagon and the World Trade Center in New York City. We grieve the heroes who gave their lives as they rushed to their aid — the 343 firefighters, 72 law enforcement officers, 55 military service members, and even still others who have since succumbed to illnesses related to their exposure during the horrible attacks and those who made the ultimate sacrifice in the conflicts that followed.
Those of us old enough to remember will never forget where they were. Yet personal memory alone is not enough. Through the stories of sacrifice and unity, grief and hope, freedom and peace, we bind our nation together and strive to realize the highest ideals of the Founding Fathers.
On this anniversary, may we each pause, honor the lives lost and reflect on the great cost of the sacrifices made. Let us choose the path of unity and reject hatred and evil in all its forms. Then, let us bow before the Lord, “who will judge the world with justice and the peoples with his truth” (Psalm 96).
The enduring legacy of September 11, 2001, is not the shocking violence witnessed in the grave affront to human dignity; rather, it is the spirit of unity that emerged in its aftermath, the resilience of a nation tested by tragedy, and the commitment we continue to make to build up our human family in Christ’s name.
Please join me for Mass on September 11 at 12:10 p.m. at the Baltimore Basilica of the Assumption as we remember those who lost their lives and pray for peace and healing.