I was six years old when Al-Qaeda flew two commercial flights into the World Trade Center, killing nearly three thousand people. I do not remember 9/11, but I remember what I believe was the following day. My first-grade teacher tried to talk about the horrific event with the class by sitting us down on the carpet and showing us a newspaper. But how does a first grader compute a terrorist attack? Overall, I remember knowing what happened, but I didn’t comprehend the gravity of that day.
Though I do not remember the exact day, I grew up in a post 9/11 world in which its anniversary was a nationwide day of mourning and solemnity, as it was still so fresh. I watched us go to war against terrorism, witnessed political discourse over the Patriot Act, waited in long lines through TSA and took my shoes off at the airport. When talking with church staff about this, I’ve learned that parts of my everyday world are post-9/11; and for me, it’s just normal, such as barriers in front of government buildings and businesses that prevent people from driving into them.
Every generation passes a new world down to the next- a world shaped by shared experiences of a generation and experiences that have created a shared ideology that has formed the world as we know it. Now, generation Z has no memory of 9/11 and the oldest of them are now registered voters.
When I think of this reality, I am reminded of how the church lives into the communion of the saints. We inherit the traditions and theological thoughts of generations. We are shaped by them. We delight in them. And yet, we reform and live into what is current. We light candles in our sanctuary when the tradition originates from not having light bulbs, yet, we have dozens of people every Sunday morning that livestream our worship service through the digital universe.
I say all of this because right now we are living in a world in which 9/11 is beginning to be a history lesson. The war in Afghanistan has come to an end, and though 9/11 touched all aspects of society, we have a generation of people, including voters, that can only think of 9/11 as a historical event to imagine in one’s head, not an experience to remember. So now, the world must begin embracing what it means to live in the communion of saints in order to not simply remember, but also come into the knowledge of 9/11.
In the aftermath of 9/11, society mourned news on the television screen. Others knew 9/11 more intimately as they grieved the loss of loved ones. As we grappled from afar, we looked to God for meaning and hope. We sought out the peace of Christ that “surpasses all understanding” and placed faith in the resurrecting power of God. Now, those who have no memory of 9/11 will continue to learn to live into the experience of others, communally looking up to God in times of suffering for the world they currently live in.
Remembering and learning the spiritual lessons of 9/11,
Pastor Alec Brock, Seminary Intern (he,him,his)