St Mary's

Nine year old Joey was asked by his mother what he had learned in Sunday School ‘Well, Mum, our teacher told us how God sent Moses behind enemy lines on a rescue mission to lead the Israelites out of Egypt. When he got to the Red Sea, he had his army build a pontoon bridge and all the people walked across safely. Then he radioed headquarters for reinforcements. They sent bombers to blow up the bridge and all the Israelites were saved. “now, Joey, is that really what your teacher taught you?” his mother asked. ‘Well, no, Mum. But if I told you the way the teacher did, you’d never believe it!’Today we remember the events that took place in America on September 11 2001. If someone was to relate to you the events of 9/11 you may never have believed them as well.

I think most of us can remember where we were 10 years ago when we first heard the news of the September 11 attacks on the World Trade Centre. I was still in bed half listening to the radio at 6am with the radio commentators fixated on one story. I thought it must have been a big story so I got up and turned on the television.

What appeared was that iconic image of a huge airliner crashing into the first of the 110 floor Twin Towers at the World Trade Centre in New York. Then, soon after we were shown the second airliner, crashing into the second tower. What seemed like a scene from a Suspense Thriller movie setting turned out to be much more. Even as it was happening, we were told the ‘world has changed’ and a decade on, it’s evident many things have: from terrorism, to heightened security and surveillance, and suspicion toward many things Muslim.

What could have been an opportunity for America and its allies to seek a peaceful, reconciliatory response became the disasters we have in IRAQ and AFGHANISTAN, with America in insurmountable debt of trillions of dollars with no foreseeable solutions.

The Bush administrations kneejerk reaction to invade Afghanistan soon after 9/11  to repay Osama Bin Laden and the Taliban puts pay to the old saying that “if we embrace an eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth, all we end up with is everyone being blind and toothless.

Which is the case for everyone involved in Afghanistan today.

Last weeks Four Corners programme on the ABC exposed how Australia’s involvement in the war in Afghanistan is merely to do the bidding of the Northern Alliance fundamentalist warlords, who are basically the same as the Taliban, who have killed 65000 innocent people, destroyed national unity, raped women and children and committed numerous other crimes. Only 2 weeks ago Australia lost the 29^th soldier, Matthew Lambert, in this senseless war in Afghanistan. How many more lives need to be lost to cease the madness.

Presently on the ABC’s Q and A, at the Melbourne Writers Festival, Malalai Joya, a former Afghan MP and outspoken anti-war activist appeared on the programme.

Soon after her election as an MP she confronted publically the warlords of Afghanistan, which means she now lives in the face of constant death threats. She said “the US-NATO led occupation have removed the Taliban and brought into power a photocopy of the Taliban. Day by day, the situation is getting worse. Tens of thousands of Afghans have been killed. Millions suffer from extreme injustices including poverty, unemployment, cruelty and corruption. We are fed up with the occupation, she said. Afghanistan is now the second most corrupt country in the world. The Karzai government has been given more than US 62 billion in “reconstruction” funding. It is supposed to go to hospitals and schools. Instead, most goes into the pockets of the warlords, and even to the family of Karzai himself. There’s corruption from the palaces down to the small offices. She states democracy never comes with occupation. Democracy never comes through military invasion, cluster bombs, white phosphorus massacres and the bombing of wedding parties. When asked why don’t you leave Afghanistan, she responds, Never. I do receive death threats and I don’t live a normal life. I have to live underground and it is risky.

I’m no better than my people and I have to play my role. With their support I know how important my job is. I don’t fear death – but I do fear political silence against injustice !”

What an inspiration she is as was Mahatma Gandhi whose struggle to obtain independence for India in a non-violent way led to his death.

What was most powerful about Gandhi’s approach was his unitive beliefs, the ones of life. Gandhi did not foster hatred or anger toward the British; his was one of love and understanding toward his supposed enemy.

He encouraged his supporters to a similar approach, to not lose their focus and their energy towards hating the British, but to maintain their prime focus on the Independence of India.

When working for social justice anywhere it is easy and understandable to get angry and frustrated toward those you oppose. And often to get lost in being in opposition instead of what it is that we want to achieve.

The power comes and the energy is maintained when we are able to maintain our composure and focus- To not get lost in our anger and hatred, but to keep moving from a loving unitive source.

This is the essence of the readings today. When Peter came to Jesus and said “If a brother or sister sins against me, how often should I forgive? As many as seven times? “Jesus said to Peter “Not seven times but I tell you, seventy-seven times.”

There is a power and strength in this stance that can never be achieved through hatred and anger.

In this loving, forgiving, unitive stance is the power to transform lives and entire situations.

A wonderful story coming out of the dreadful events of September 11 was the story of Catholic priest Mychal Judge. The body bag marked “Victim 0001” on 11 September 2001 contained the corpse of Father Mychal Judge, a Catholic chaplain with the fire department of New York.

You may recall the famous photo of some men from the New York Fire Brigade carrying the limp and lifeless body of Father Mychal Judge from the dusty rubble of the collapsed trade centre towers. When he heard about the disaster at the World Trade Centre, he donned his Catholic collar and firefighter garb and raced downtown.

He saw people jump to their deaths to avoid the inferno over 1000 feet above. At 9.59am, the south tower collapsed, and the force and debris from that mass of steel, concrete, glass and humanity as it hit the ground is likely what killed Father Mychal. His was the first recorded death from the attacks that morning.

A friend of his Steven Mc Donald, a former New York police detective who was shot in 1986 when he was questioning 15-year old Shavod Jones in Central Park. Jones shot McDonald, leaving him paralysed for life.

He talked about what Father Mychal meant to him. “He, more than anything … reaffirmed my faith in God, and that it was important to me to forgive the boy who shot me. And I am alive today because of that.”

Father Mychal had managed to get Jones on the phone with McDonald and his wife. He apologized from prison. Taking the lessons of reconciliation, McDonald joined Judge in a trip to Northern Ireland, where they worked together to try to help end the violence there.

Father Mychal was well known to the poor and afflicted of New York City and New Jersey. He helped the homeless, and people with HIV/Aids. As a member of the Franciscan order he would often wear the traditional brown robe and sandals.

Another friend of Judge’s a long time gay activist Brendan Fay, said “Mychal was one of the priests at Dignity New York, an organization for gay and lesbian Catholics. He ministered to us during the AIDS crises, when there were few priests available to our community.”

A decade later, Brendan Fay reflects on the life of his friend:

“On 9/11, the one thing we can take from Mychal Judge is: in the midst of this hell and war and evil and violence, here is this man who directs us to another possible path as human beings – we can choose the path of compassion and nonviolence and reconciliation. And I think that’s the lesson.”

Many believe that his life’s work should be central to the tenth anniversary commemorations of the 9/11 attacks, where the focus will be on peace, tolerance and reconciliation.

Today we light the candles to remember all those who have lost their lives because of 9/11. Those in New York and beyond, in Iraq, Afghanistan and Bali. We light them to remind us that vengeance is never the way – that love and forgiveness will light the way.