By JOANNE BUTLER
Twenty years ago, I stood on Capitol Hill and watched as a plume of black smoke surged from the west side of the Pentagon. That’s when the 9/11 attack became real for me. But is it no longer real for those who have no memory of the event, or lived far from Washington, D.C., or New York City?
In 2001, I was working for the U.S. House of Representatives in a House office building. The office televisions were showing repeatedly the attack on New York City’s Twin Towers. My brain, in coping with the horror, made the images seem like a monster movie. But there was no King Kong.
Minutes later, the Capitol Police told everyone in the building to evacuate. In what was later revealed to be a foolish move, the police herded people out the front of the building, toward the Capitol itself. It was foolish because the plane that went down that morning in Shanksville, Pa., may have had the Capitol as a target. Thank God for the men who wrested control of that plane from the terrorists. If it had hit the Capitol, the loss of life would have been in the hundreds, if not thousands.
I also thank God for the lobbyist who was meeting with me when the police issued the evacuation order. He and I walked to his office (the streets were gridlocked and cell phones didn’t work). He suggested I use his office’s landline to contact my husband and parents. And, he noted dryly, his law firm had a big spread for a client lunch — that wasn’t taking place. So I ate some food, which helped me physically and emotionally.
Side note: In 2003, this lobbyist became a Federal District judge. I spoke to him last month; yes, we keep in touch. I think of him as my “9/11 buddy.”
Today, in 2021, the U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan could crowd out media coverage of 9/11 memorial services. It’s no secret how President Biden wanted to use the anniversary as his platform for highlighting the end of the U.S. presence in that country. Degrading the anniversary for political purposes — that’s what politicos such as Biden do.
What’s more troubling is how 9/11 is disappearing from the minds of the millennial and the Gen Z cohorts. For example, on September 11, coincident with a football game, Colorado State University will host a “Spirit Day” with a barbecue. Hint: It’s not about the spirits of the 3,000 people who died twenty years ago.
This September 11, at the football games throughout America, will anyone ask for a remembrance of the innocent lives lost? Or is 9/11 just a cobwebbed thing to be ignored because it’s irrelevant?
Fortunately, not everyone feels this way.
A war memorial and park in rural New Hampshire has invited the public to attend a simple service on September 11, beginning at 8:45 a.m. (when the first plane crashed into the Twin Towers). There, the names of the deceased will be read out loud. The event is called: Remember to Remember.
It’s a simple message, and a powerful reminder of our obligation to acknowledge what happened on that day.
As we think on the events of 9/11, we also must have the courage to face the reality of 9/11: Evil exists, and evil comes from sin.
The existence of evil? The existence of sin? For many, these are outmoded ideas.
Observe the messages on the electric signs of many churches — they’re all about love. One might think they’re engaged in a competition for the most “loving” church. Evil and sin have been blotted out, and replaced with the current catch phrase: “Love is Love.”
As Catholics, we know how sin alienates us from Christ, and how evil caused Him to be nailed to the cross. We also know that by His Resurrection from the dead He overcame sin and evil.
Mankind’s sins, however, have kept evil alive in our world. By our belief in our Savior and by conforming to His will, we can resist sin and evil.
On September 11, we should pray for God’s mercy for the souls of the 9/11 victims and His comfort for those who survived. Likewise, we should heed the lessons of that horrible day twenty years ago, and humbly ask our Lord for the strength to repel the sin and evil in our own lives. And teach your kids why it’s morally important to Remember to Remember.
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