The Church of the Redeemer

The Seventeenth Sunday after Pentecost

September 15, 2002

When I arrived in town Wednesday morning, I was handed this large paper.  As you can see, on the front is a depiction of the American flag and in each of the red stripes is printed the names of those from Massachusetts who died in last years attack on America.  On the other side is written, “ We will never forget.”  But what is it we will never forget?  Certainly it is not the names of the people who died on that horrific day because most were not intimate to our lives.  For the majority of us, what we will never forget is the sense of horror and disbelief we felt as we watched over and over again the footage of the Twin Towers falling.  And, it is the anger and the lost sense of security that has lingered with us this past year that we will never forget.  So as I walked through downtown Boston Wednesday morning, it struck me how frustrated we are as we struggle to figure out a way to remember a most horrible day in a way that honors the thousands who died, while providing the living with a renewed sense of security. 

            What we have before us is a tall order with no easy answer because the problem is too complex and fraught with conflicting emotion.  In the beginning, when our nation was unified in its anger, the answer seemed simple as we gave into our primal instincts of fight or flight.  As proud Americans we fought, and have used our military strength to demoralize and weaken our enemy.  This immediate response is no different than the primal realities of inner city youth who in fear strike out and retaliate at the drop of a hat hoping if they gain dominance and demonstrate their strength it will enhance their safety in the savage world of ghetto life.  While there is no doubt the action taken by our country and our allies in Afghanistan were necessary, the question still remains. Has this military campaign made us feel any safer in the last twelve months?  The answer is no.  In fact, since our leaders put us on a level orange alert, whatever sense of safety we had gained was lost.  And now, as our president discusses the possibility of war with Iraq, the chasm between the United States and the Arab world is increasing, as each side is growing more fearful and angry with the other.  So it seems to be obvious that increased military force in and of itself is not the answer.  But what is?

            It would be very easy to turn to today’s readings and say the answer is right here.  The answer is forgiveness.  Christ says forgive your enemy seventy-seven times and Ecclesiasticus tells us anger and wrath are abominations and that vengeance is God’s alone.  But this answer seems a little too pat, in fact it sounds like a cop out because it does not soothe our seething anger or make us feel any more protected from future assaults.  Forgiveness does not work for us for two reasons.  First, we tend to equate the concept of forgiveness with forgetting.  The United States is in the same position my cousin was for several years after here son was killed in a car accident.  For years she attempted to sue the State Maryland, and the other driver because she feared if she let go of her anger she would loose her son’s memory completely.  And yet, when the trials were over, the settlement determined, she did not find herself any happier, or her son’s memory any closer, instead what she found was, that she was more depressed and that she had stopped living the day her son died.  It was not until she could let go of her anger and find forgiveness in her heart that she could remember her son and smile again. Our country needs to move forward and away from 9/11 but we cannot as long as we hang on to the collective anger we have felt these past months and believe that honoring the dead is synonymous with destroying our enemy.

The second reason forgiveness does feel right for us, is because we often equate being forgiving with being weak. However, despite popular understanding, being forgiving and to forgive is not about weakness but about strength. When we look seriously at the person whom was Christ, we describe him as compassionate, loving and forgiving, but never as weak.

            At The Museum of Fine Arts there are various paintings of the crucifixion.  It is amazing how consistent the artists have been over time in their depiction of Jesus.  Whether it is a painting of Christ being tried, being flogged or being nailed to the cross, in each and every painting the central figure of Christ is depicted as in control while the people around him, the people presumed to be in power, and to have the upper hand are portrayed as in a state of chaos, frustrated by their inability to overpower the control and the serenity of Christ. In fact, my favorite painting of the Crucifixion is a depiction of the flogging in which the man who is whipping Jesus has his arm raised, with every muscle tensed up and his face red with anger, while Jesus is portrayed in a state of serenity, his composure not affected by the blows.  It appears as if Christ’s serenity is the root of the henchman’s anger and loss of control. 

 What is portrayed on canvass is consistent with what is written.  Nowhere in the Gospels is Christ portrayed as weak or as one who allowed others to take advantage of him.  Throughout the Gospels, Christ is portrayed as strong and in control of all situations, there is nothing that happened in Christ’s life he did not control or will to happen.  But Christ is also depicted as a man of great compassion, always willing to extend the hand of peace and forgiveness to all whom he encountered, including his enemies.  On the cross, Jesus says, “ Father forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing.”  Even at his end, in his moment of great pain, Jesus demonstrates compassion, understanding and forgiveness for his enemies. 

            Strength, compassion, understanding, and a willingness to forgive are qualities a lifeguard must posses in order to fully exercise his duties.  No lifeguard ever attempts a rescue without feeling some level of fear, because he knows that the victim can easily drown him if he is not careful.  Every lifeguard is taught that a panicked person is not rational and will do anything they can to find safety, this often means trying to submerge the rescuer in order to float.  Because of this, fifty percent of what a lifeguard is taught is how to protect himself in the water, how to block an aggressive victim, how to release himself from a death grip and most of all how not to get angry or to panic if a victim attacks.  A lifeguard knows the best way to gain and maintain control in a crisis situation is by talking to the victim and reassuring him of the guard’s desire to bring him to safety.  A guard never allows himself to be vulnerable or attempts to carry a victim to safety until the victim is willing to cooperate.

            For reasons unknown to us, many in the Arab world are scared of the power and dominance the United States has in their lives. The heinous acts that occurred on September 11, 2001 were the actions of a few scared and panicked individuals who like a drowning victim irrationally grabbed hold and placed the United States in a death grip believing this act would create safer waters for them.  Like a lifeguard, we have a choice, we can panic and loose control of the situation and drown with them, or we can take control of our fears and the situation by blocking the assaults of our enemies while continuing to assure them that we mean them no harm and when they are ready to accept it, we will extend to them our hands of forgiveness and guide them to the safer waters of peace and love.

            It is only when we become willing to overcome our fears and approach our enemies with forgiveness that we will be able to move forward and comfortably remember September 11, 2001 with the procurement of lasting peace.  Amen

The Rev. Craig R Swan

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