The Happy Priest: September 11 and the Fundamentals of Our Existence

For the fallen, this life had ended and eternity began.  But for the millions that remain, it seems that for the majority, life goes on unchanged by the apocalyptic events of September 11.   The fundamental questions are never asked and no desire for transcendence occurs.

CORPUS CHRISTI, TX (Catholic Online) - The summer following the tragic events of September 11, I took the time to visit New York City and "ground-zero" during my home visit to Binghamton, NY.

My visit to Manhattan gave me the opportunity to reconnect with a high-school friend whom I had not seen since 1979.  He worked in an office building located three blocks from "ground-zero."  We met at his apartment on the north side of Manhattan.  The 45-minute subway ride took us to the spot where the World Trade Center once proudly stood.  Although my friend was one of the many who could walk away from lower Manhattan through the billowing cloud of smoke and dust, he graciously allowed me to visit something that I had to see.  I needed to stand on hallowed ground and pray for the dead.

As we got off of the subway and walked towards "ground-zero," I quickly began to perceive the horrific suffering of the innocent and the heroic.  Hundreds of people lined up along the fences to look, to pray, to remember and to cry.

As I gazed upon the craters where the towers once rested, the infamous iron cross, the American flag proudly flying in the gentle breeze and the countless memorials erected along the surrounding sidewalks, I reflected upon the fundamental questions of human existence.  Who am I?  What is the purpose of life?  What happens when this life comes to an end?

The World Trade Center, symbol of economic power and prosperity, was snuffed out in a short span of time.  All of the fallen faced their creator without their home, their education, their investments or their car.

For the fallen, this life had ended and eternity began.  But for the millions that remain, it seems that for the majority, life goes on unchanged by the apocalyptic events of September 11.    The fundamental questions are never asked and no desire for transcendence occurs.

As I contemplated the large empty craters that once gave support to the Twin Towers, I recalled the familiar words of Ash Wednesday.  "Remember that you are dust and to dust you shall return". 
As a Catholic priest I have often seen death close at hand.  For almost twenty-five years, I have prayed at the side of little babies, children, teen-agers, adults in their prime and adults in the twilight of their lives as they died.  Death comes at any age. 

No matter how many advances science may bring to our contemporary world, no one will ever be able to keep people from dying.  Dying is a part of life.  It is part of our earthly existence.

Life is like a bus ride.  We move forward with our bags packed, hoping that when the bus stops and the door opens, we will be at the right location. 

We must remember the fundamental truth of Revelation: eternity consists of three states: heaven, purgatory and hell.  To deny the existence of purgatory and hell is to deny Christianity.  To tell people that everyone is going to heaven is to deprive them of the truth.  It is a lie to tell people that everyone is saved.  Moreover, when people accept this lie, the very lie may even endanger their eternal salvation because they will no longer be using the necessary means of salvation in order to gain eternal life.

One day each of us will stand before God for judgment.  We will stand before God without a lawyer, without family and friends to support us.  We will stand alone before Almighty God.  Each day could be our last day on earth. We should each ask ourselves today, if I were to die today, how would God judge me?  Is there any particular sin, attachment, or attitude that might be an obstacle to my eternal salvation?  Rather than becoming sad when we consider our own death, the reality of leaving this life and facing God for judgment should lead us to continual conversion. 

As we remember the events of September 11, 201, events that changed the world forever, it is absurd to separate these events from the fundamental questions that we should be asking ourselves as a people who are supposed to be living as one nation under God.  

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Father James Farfaglia is the pastor of Our Lady of Guadalupe Catholic Church in Corpus Christi, Texas.  Visit Father James on the web at http://www.fatherjames.org.  You can contact Father James at fjficthus@gmail.com. 

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