It’s hard to believe that it’s been 16 years since 9/11 – the darkest day in our modern history within the US. Nearly 3 thousand people died as the Twin Towers fell in Lower Manhattan. The Pentagon was also hit and an entire plane crashed in rural Pennsylvania. Monsignor Charles Pope was on the show this morning and he recalled how the community of New York, and the world responded to such devastation and despair. He reminded us that at times, when things seem so dark, we must be the light of Christ for the world to see.

In October 2001, the United States Congress passed a joint resolution designating that every September 11th be observed as “Patriot Day.” The resolution requests that U.S. government entities and interested organizations and individuals display the flag of the United States at half staff on Patriot Day and that the people of the United States observe a moment of silence in honor of the individuals who lost their lives as a result of the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks.

To mark the tenth anniversary of 9/11 in 2011, the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops gathered reflections and remembrances from clergy who ministered to victims and their families, and others who were impacted by the tragedy.

Father Mychal Judge, O.F.M. was a Franciscan friar and Catholic priest who served as a chaplain to the New York City Fire Department. It was while serving in that capacity that he was killed, becoming the first certified fatality of the September 11, 2001 attacks.

Please keep all those still suffering from this tragedy in your prayers today.  Also, remember the victims and their families. May we learn to find Jesus in all that we do especially amidst such darkness.