(The following pieces of reflection on the Tragedy of September 11 were written by Father Ralph Sommer, pastor of St. Brigid's Church, Westbury, as religious institutions sought to offer hope and guidance to the community in this time of deep sorrow. They are reprinted, with permission, from the St. Brigid Church Bulletin."

(Reprinted from the Sept. 16, 2001 bulletin):

Tuesday morning arrived bright and clear with no hint of the terror that was to strike in the hours before noon. We are still reeling from the aftermath of the great destruction of human lives.

People naturally seek to "make sense" of the situation and they turn to God for answers. Our church has been filled even more than usual with people seeking the Lord in this time of fear and hurt.

But I am alarmed at the number of people who have explained the tragedies of these last days as if it was the work of God. For example I was told, "I guess God is sending us a message, right Father?" My response: Well, if you mean that God is asking us to forgive in the face of our feelings of fear, anger and hurt, then yes ... that is a message from God. But if you mean that somehow God wanted to hurl airplanes into office buildings to "teach us a lesson" or to "teach us to love each other more" or to "signal that the end of the world is coming" or to "show that he is displeased with the world," then NO. I don't believe that.

When Jesus walked this earth 2000 years ago, he did not use terrorist acts to call attention to God's will. In fact even when an ultimate act of terror was done to his own body - his crucifixion - he did not call down angels from heaven to destroy those who terrorized and tortured him. Nor did his Father in heaven use violence and destruction in punishment toward those who betrayed, denied, or crucified his Son. "Father, forgive them, they do not know what they are doing." That was the message Jesus called out in his death. He calls out that same message today.

For anyone who has lost a loved one in these senseless killings my heart goes out to you. And the community of Saint Brigid's is here for support and help at this terrible time. And I believe that God the Father's heart goes out to you too - after all, he knows what it is like to have his own Son killed in a violent way. I believe that Jesus and Mary and all the saints cried out in the face of the pain of this past week - just as they do when violence takes the lives of countless other daughters and sons everyday throughout the world.

Now they do more than cry. They come to us with love and understanding. They invite us to share these gifts with each other.

(Reprinted from the Sept. 23, 2001 bulletin):

The days of the past week have been among the most beautiful - blue skies, pleasant temperatures - the gardens are in full bloom and the backyard crops are still coming in abundance. Normally people would be elated by this gift, yet we live in a cloud that dulls our joy. How can we enjoy any kind of beauty after the shroud of evil that covered our hearts and souls two weeks ago?

At first, once we got past the disbelief, we were filled with resolve - to love our families and our God like never before. We would hug the ones we love and tell them how much they meant to us. We would reconcile our stupid differences, forgive our past hurts. We resolved never to let petty things cloud our judgment or distort our lives again. And we talked to God (and listened to God) and came to church to be with one another and found a peace and strength that mocked the evil and the terror, for we came to believe that in all of this trial, God would win.

And then the TV continued to attack our senses. We couldn't go to the store or to school or to work without yet another reminder that the destruction is all so real and not a dream. We heard heart-breaking stories of those who never made it out of the buildings, of those whose lives are now shattered without a spouse, without a parent, without a son or daughter, without a sister or brother. It doesn't stop.

So a new phase in our lives begins. It is a phase of stress that leads to shortened tempers and worn patience. It is a phase that makes us want to close our eyes and cover our ears. We find ourselves being hard on ourselves and on others, and we wonder what happened to all that resolve to love and care.

These reactions to the stress we've been under are natural, but they are not our destiny. When we realize that the power of evil not only sought to destroy our power to love on the day of the terrorist attacks, but continues to wear away at our ability to sustain love, then we can focus our attention on who is the enemy of the coming days. The enemy is NOT those we're feeling disappointed in; NOT those we're getting annoyed at; NOT those who are insensitive to us in our lives. The enemy is, as scripture says, "the devil who like a prowling lion is seeking to devour someone." Yet we need not fear the evil one for we have the Holy Spirit to comfort and guide, to give new breath and hope. So take a deep breath. Slow down. Notice the beauty of these days and the gifts of the people in your lives. Be good to yourself. Continue to hope. Pray for peace.

Father Ralph Sommer