September 11, 2011

It’s Sunday, September 11, 2011, “a day that will live in infamy” to quote FDR and I am remembering all those victims of the terrorist attack on the United States, all their families and all who mourn their loss. I pray too for all victims of terrorism and violence and for the terrorists as well. The very thought of the deep and bitter hatred that was the seed for that attack frightens me. It takes a lot of hatred to conceive such a plan, to prepare for it and to give one’s own life to execute it. It’s frightening to think that there is that much intense hatred in this world. Hatred is the work of the devil or the spirit of darkness or whatever you want to call it and it can only be overcome by love, not vengeance, love. “Love thy enemies,” Jesus said, “do good to those who persecute you.” Hatred simply breeds more hatred, more violence. A spirit of “Let’s get those bastards and make them pay for what they did!” which is the spirit that sent us to war in Afghanistan and Iraq against the terrorists, has eradicated neither the hatred nor the terrorism that it provoked. If anything it has increased it. Is there any answer to this terrible violence, to this hatred and what can be done to end it?

It has occurred to me from the very beginning of this terrorist act which struck this day ten years ago to pause and ask, “What has caused this hatred? Why do people hate us so? Why would anybody attack innocent civilians with such diabolical force?” (Questions I’m sure those who survived the atomic bomb attacks on Hiroshima and Nagasaki must have asked.) Has our government or have we the people of the United States acted in such a way to have caused such hatred? It’s hard for me as an individual and as a citizen of the United States to think that we have. If we did, it certainly was not done consciously or deliberately. As for our government, that may be another story. Finding out what our government has done covertly and without our knowledge over the past years in some parts of the world, things that when we hear about them make us cringe and feel ashamed, I’m afraid some of these actions could indeed have caused a hatred to take seed in the hearts of some people. In no way am I saying that the attack of 9/11 was our fault. The terrorists are clearly responsible and should be brought to justice. But if we have created an atmosphere where evil men can easily recruit volunteers with words of hatred to literally kill themselves (suicide bombers) to spend months living in the States with their families, taking pilot lessons with the intention of killing themselves by flying a plan into the Twin Towers of the Trade Center, well, to me that is a huge amount of hate and I can’t conceive of anyone sustaining it in their heart for years while living a supposedly ordinary family life. But that’s apparently what happened and it’s for me and people like me to contemplate and find out what needs to change in this world and in my own heart and in my way of living. I have to really understand the depth of what Jesus meant when he said, “Love thy enemies, do good to those who persecute you.” These are simple words but this, for sure, is no easy saying. Enough said.

Monday I went out to see Fr. Joseph who is to help us build a wall around our property and eventually to guide us (me?) through the building of a house of formation for 20 aspiring Oblates. Before I left in August and after giving me the impression that he could take on this project, he had indicated that he had some other pressing projects and that he couldn’t be personally responsible for ours. Well, that through a monkey wrench into the works. So on Monday I went to see Joseph with Makendy, Osias’s brother to see if we could work out some arrangement and get started on the work of the wall. What I found out was that if we can wait till mid November to start the wall, Joseph and his crew can do it for us. They project that it will be done by January. What a relief! I said that’s fine. By all means we can wait till November to begin the wall. There remains simply a meeting this week with his foreman, an Italian volunteer, the Dominican Sisters, Joseph and me to set a price for the project based on how many meters we need to surround our property. I have to keep reminding myself that God is in charge of everything, details and all. I just need to be open to God’s lead and not be anxious. It’s true for this project and it’s true for everything in life. “God grant me the serenity…”

Our community is complete. The seven leaving for Brazil this month are here as are all but one of the nine who will make up the community this year – those in second philosophy. We are still on a summer schedule; not as steadfast as our schedule for the academic year. I was glad to see the guys and they seemed glad to see me. I celebrated Mass in Creole four times this week and I’m trying to just speak more Creole day in and day out. Speaking is not quite as hard as understanding, even like ordinary conversations at table. But it will come and I’ll pick up my Creole lessons with Anacréon my teacher. The thought of losing Osias, my right hand man when he leaves for Brazil gives me pause but I have to remember the lesson mentioned above. Follow God’s lead and don’t be anxious.

Just a last quick thing. Before leaving I dropped into some friends in Saginaw. Edna and Rocky McIntyre are wonderful people – just ordinary salt of the earth folks, and on leaving Edna handed me some money saying she knew it would get into the hands of a needy Haitian if she gave it to me. Now Edna and Rocky are not rich and it wasn’t a fortune but it was sixty dollars that were hard earned and would never have been spent frivolously. Anyway on Tuesday one of the young people from the youth group we have in Cité Soleil came by. David is a great kid and presently the president of the group. He has a winning smile and he told me he had passed the first part of his state required exam. I congratulated him and then heard the reason for his visit. Though I never would have suspected it, David’s parents are both dead. He lives in Cité Soleil with his sister who is a single mom. He has very little means of support. He needed money for school supplies and some clothes and he turned to me to see if I could help. Well, while I don’t like giving something to individuals (it’s usually to a group that I use the money given me) I gave David Rocky and Edna’s dollars and added a few more with the promise that this was just between us and that it was not me who was helping him out but some good people in the States. He left very grateful. I was left thinking how good I have it. I’ve never been hungry like I’m sure he has, nor without the basics of life, never! So God bless David and his friends and God bless the McIntyres and the thousands of Americans like them. How could anybody hate good people like that? How could anybody what to terrorize them?

May we all get through this 9/11 day of remembrance better prepared to make a better world wherever we are. My blessings to all. Tom
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