I hasten to emphasize the obvious facts that this is not authentic Islam, that very many Muslims were as horrified by what happened as anybody else, and that the histories of many religions are stained with blood. Catholicism, unfortunately, is no exception to that.
But granting all that, the fact remains: in some perverse sense, this enormous crime was a religious act for some if not all of those responsible.
I made this point the day after the horror to a man who by profession is deeply involved in the question of religion’s role in public life. “I’m afraid this is going to change the debate,” he acknowledged ruefully.
Let us hope it does not. Secularists are only too happy to suggest that fanaticism is the essence of faith. But at the same time let us hope that people give some serious thought to the religious dimensions of this tragedy.
Shortly after the events of Sept. 11, I stumbled on this in the psalms: “Deliver me, O Lord, from the evil man, from the violent man preserve me” (Ps. 140 [139]). A wonderfully apt prayer for these times! But one need not be very familiar with the psalms to be aware that they also contain many bloody-minded invocations of punishment and threats of revenge.
The moral universe of the New Testament is light years removed from this. Soon after the terrorist attacks, Mass-attenders heard this from the gospel of Luke: “Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who abuse you. To him who strikes you on the cheek, offer the other also” (Lk 6.27-29).
It goes without saying that evil and violence are realities in this fallen world; that governments — and now, especially, the American government — must first of all protect their people; that the events of September 11 were, as President Bush and so many others have rightly said, acts of war.
But as Americans go about the necessary work of defending themselves against these vicious enemies, it is important that they do so on the basis of something other than a craving for revenge. To maintain the integrity of the moral vision that undergirds our civilization, justice and peace must be our ultimate goal, and whatever violent acts their pursuit entails must be undertaken in the name of self-defense, not vengeance.
As so often, Pope John Paul II got it just right. Speaking in St. Peter’s Square the day after the terrorist attacks, he said:
“How is it possible to commit acts of such savage cruelty? The human heart has depths from which schemes of unheard-of ferocity sometimes emerge, capable of destroying in a moment the normal daily life of a people.
“But faith comes to our aid at these times when words seem to fail. Christ’s word is the only one that can give a response to the questions which trouble our spirit. Even if the forces of darkness appear to prevail, those who believe in God know that evil and death do not have the final say. Christian hope is based on this truth.”
He ended with a prayer all should share: “Let us beg the Lord that the spiral of hatred and violence will not prevail.”
(This article courtesy of the Arlington Catholic Herald.)
