Living With Faith and Hope

Two months after the 9-11 attacks, the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops issued a pastoral message on Living with Faith and Hope After September 11th. What the bishops wrote then applies today, and so our 3-Minute Catechesis this weekend recaps that message of hope:

“It has been said many times that September 11th changed the world. That is true in many ways, but the essential tasks of our community of faith continue with a new urgency and focus. The weeks and months and years ahead will be:

“A time for prayer. We pray for the victims and their families; for our president and national leaders; for police and fire fighters; postal, health care and relief workers; and for military men and women. We pray for an end to terror and violence. We also pray for the Afghan people and for our adversaries.”

It is “A time for teaching. Many Catholics know the Church's teaching on war and peace. Many do not. This is a time to share our principles and values, to invite discussion and continuing dialogue within our Catholic community… We should seek to help our children feel secure and safe in these difficult days.”

“… This is a time to engage in dialogue with Muslims, Jews, fellow Christians, and other faith communities. We need to know more about and understand better other faiths, especially Islam. …”

It is “A time for witness. In our work and communities, we should live our values of mutual respect, human dignity and respect for life ... We should use our voices to protect human life, to seek greater justice, and to pursue peace ...”

It is “A time for service … This is a time for generous and sacrificial giving.”
… It is “A time for solidarity. We are not the first to experience such horrors. We now understand better the daily lot of millions around the world who have long lived under the threat of violence and uncertainty and have refused to give in to fear or despair...”

It is “A time for hope. Above all, we need to turn to God and to one another in hope...”

“Our nation and the Church are being tested in fundamental ways. Our nation has a right and duty to respond and must do so in right ways, seeking to defend the common good and build a more just and peaceful world. Our community of faith has the responsibility to live out in our time the challenges of Jesus in the Beatitudes ... We face these tasks with faith and hope, asking God to protect and guide us …” Amen.