September 16, 2004

My desk looked like a battle zone. There I was low crawling through the jungle of junk mail—a favorite weapon of the enemy. I was thinking to myself, “No greater love has a man than that he lay down his life for a friend.” As I strategically peered past the penholder that sits at the top right hand corner of my desk, there suddenly appeared two towering figures. They were firefighters from the FDNY. What could they possibly want with me?
It was the first week of September, you see, and the firemen were asking me to celebrate a memorial Mass for the fire fighters who laid down their lives on 9/11. Our friars have celebrated Mass for those brave heroes and their loved ones every year on 9/11 since that tragic Tuesday morning.
It was humbling to have been asked. I immediately said, “Yes,” even as I thought to myself, “What could I possibly say on such an occasion?” As a teenager, my elders would say that I have an answer for everything, and they were usually right. As the saying goes, “Some things will never change.” At least I thought so until about two weeks ago.
A few days later I visited the firehouse just up the street from our friary in the South Bronx. As we continued to plan the Mass I could see a banner up on the wall. The banner congratulated a firefighter for an award—the same one helping to plan the Mass. So I asked him what the award was for. He shrugged his shoulders and said that it was just some award named after a fireman who lived about a hundred years ago. His fellow firefighter then pointed out a wall full of unit citations and said, “You see those, they were awarded to the whole unit. John received his award because his heroism stood out.”
As it turned out, the words of Sacred Scripture could not have spoken more perfectly on 9/11:

For though in the sight of men they were punished, their hope was full of immortality. Having been disciplined a little, they will receive great good, because God tested them and found them worthy of Himself; like gold tested in the furnace He tried them and like a sacrificial burnt offering He accepted them. In the time of their visitation they will shine forth, and will run like sparks through the stubble. (Wisdom 3:4-7)

Fr. Sylvester, CFR
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