September 11 will be remembered for many years as the date when hate broke out in a powerfully destructive form. In 2001 a handful of men hijacked four commercial airliners and flew them on a mission that resulted in the loss of thousands of lives. Many of you can still remember vividly watching the television pictures of the World Trade Center North Tower smoking as the second plane crashed into the South Tower a little after 9:00 a.m. that morning nine years ago. At the close of the day President Bush wrote in his journal, “The Pearl Harbor of the 21st century took place today.”
Many people are still not sure what the most appropriate response to the events of that day should be. It has been the primary justification for our nation’s war against al-Qaeda and the Taliban—in Iraq and Afghanistan. It has heightened tensions between people of different faiths in the United States and around the world.
There is a group of people who lost family members on that day who have formed an organization “united to turn [their] grief into action for peace.” Peaceful Tomorrows hopes “to break the cycles of violence engendered by war and terrorism” by “developing and advocating nonviolent options and actions in the pursuit of justice.” This is their stated mission: “Acknowledging our common experience with all people affected by violence throughout the world, we work to create a safer and more peaceful world for everyone.”
As you consider the controversies that have erupted around this anniversary of that tragic day, recall Paul’s words to the believers living in Rome (the capital of a godless empire): “Do not repay anyone evil for evil. Be careful to do what is right in the eyes of everybody. If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone. Do not take revenge, my friends, but leave room for God's wrath, for it is written: ‘It is mine to avenge; I will repay,’ says the Lord. On the contrary: ‘If your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him something to drink. In doing this, you will heap burning coals on his head.’ Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good” (Romans 12:17-21).
