Following in the Footsteps of Judas

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Trinity Episcopal Church
44 East Market St.
Bethlehem PA 18018-5989
610-867-4741

The Tragedy

Dear Brothers and Sisters,

Those of you who have prayed with me and wept with me since the dreadful morning of September 11, know how I feel about the experience we have all been going through: very sorrowful, shocked by horror, concerned about the future, and fearful.

The horror of watching the deliberate, planned destruction of many innocents left me speechless. And having been a trauma chaplain, I had an inkling of what the rescue workers were seeing. Knowing how many wives and husbands, sons and daughters, mothers and fathers, would be discovering, in the next few, days how their universe had been shattered grieved me so much that it was difficult even to get through the prayer services we held. But prayer together with you, my brothers and sisters, seemed to be the only response that made sense or was even possible.

As the immediate anguish passes, I find myself very concerned, because as a people, we are beginning to exhibit some of the reactions to trauma: some of us are grieving, some of us are angry, some of us are exhausted, some of us are depressed, some of us are confused, some of us are frightened, some of us are hyperactive, and some of us can't seem to do much of any-thing. All these things are typical reactions to trauma. And the fact that we can react in different ways lets us forget sometimes that a family member's or colleague's somewhat odd behavior at this difficult time may be caused by the same sense of the world-turned-upside-down that we are undergoing. In the midst of these emotions, I point to the Gospel for last week: the stories of the Lost Sheep and the Lost Coin. When we feel overwhelmed and lost, we can remember that we have a God who is constantly seeking us out, and therefore, however we feel, we really can't be lost for long.

I also said I was fearful: I am. Of course, some of that fear stems from the possibility that there could be more terrorist attacks. But what I am really most afraid of is our own human tendency to lash out when we are threatened. Indeed, the criminals who created this nightmare should be stopped. Must be stopped. And I pray to God for justice-wouldn't it be handy to have one of those angelic flaming swords right now? Or Excalibur?

However, we are beginning to hear more and more reports about people being attacked, abused, and harassed out of ignorance, simply because they are Muslims or someone imagines that they look Muslim. This is not justice. It may be human nature, but it is not justice. If we as a people act unjustly, then the evil that the terrorists have brought among us will take root in the ways they hoped. Hatred will provide them with a tool that they can continue to use, a subtle door into our society.

It is my prayer that all of us American People of the Book (Jews, Christians, Muslims) will stand firm together, to say a resounding "NO" to bigotry; "NO" to hatred; "NO" to the evil which seeks to separate us from each other and from our Just God.

And I pray that God will have mercy on us all and on our suffering world.

Peace,

--Laura+ (Written for Parish Newsletter, October 2001)

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Trinity Episcopal Church
44 East Market St.
Bethlehem PA 18018-5989
610-867-4741