Before I begin this post, I would like to acknowledge with gratitude the milestone of reaching 150,000 pageviews of this blog, Journey Thoughts since 2011. A "pageview" represents the number of times that the blog was looked at and read. 150,000 is small when compared to the tremendous responses on social media these days, but for me it is a significant and humbling response to this priest's attempt to share his journey. Thank you!
As I mentioned previously, I am on retreat at the Christ Our Shepherd Center in Greensburg with a number of my brother priests. The September Retreat is a good time to gather, and there have been many significant moments over the years.
One memorable remembrance occurred eighteen years ago this morning, on the morning of September 11, 2001. We had breakfast and morning prayer when word came of a plane hitting the World Trade Center. The director of our place found us a television and set it up in the plaza outside the chapel. Like so much of the world, we watched with sadness and then unbelief as the second plane hit the other tower and then a third hit the Pentegon. I believe the morning conference was cancelled as we watched and prayed.
In those years our facility also housed an office of the Attorney General of the State, and we saw them close up shop and leave the grounds. A little later the PA State Police which used this site as a regional training facility, suddenly and quickly ran to their cars and swiftly took off. We soon learned of the crash in Shanksville, PA, which is not that far from our location and demanded the police attention. These were frightening times.
We were scheduled for Mass at 11:00 that morning and we were joined by the administration and staff of our Center here as we prayed for the uncertainty of what was happening and the loss of life.
I think that we all remember where we were and what we were doing. It is one of those dates that live in our memories. For those of our generation we remember Pearl Harbor ... Kennedy's Assassination ... the Challenger disaster ... and 9/11.
Eighteen years later we are once again on retreat. The world is different and so are we. But the one thing that remains constant and secure is the truth of God's love and compassion, his mercy and grace, which allows us to take the challenges and blessings that have come our way over the years and move forward with hope and with renewed commitment to the message of the Gospel. The Kingdom that we share and that we build is much greater than any earthly kingdom that we find ourselves a part of and whose values we profess, good as they are.
Always remember ... and pray!
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