September 11, 2002
A year ago today, the population of Hell was increased by at least nineteen, the number of hate-filled wretches who murdered over 3,100 people on American soil. The airwaves and Internet will be filled today with people expounding on this event, some of them with dignity and insight, more with embarrassing self-centered mawkishness. I don't care to add to the overload except to say this: may we soon find the last of those who assisted the nineteen, and the last of their compatriots, and reunite the whole despicable lot with their brethren.
Hear my voice, O God, in my complaint;
Preserve my life from dread of the enemy.
Hide me from the secret counsel of evildoers,
From the tumult of those who do iniquity,
Who have sharpened their tongue like a sword.
They aimed bitter speech as their arrow,
To shoot from concealment at the blameless;
Suddenly they shoot at him, and do not fear.
They hold fast to themselves an evil purpose;
They talk of laying snares secretly;
They say, "Who can see them?"
They devise injustices, saying,
"We are ready with a well-conceived plot";
For the inward thought and the heart of a man are deep.
But God will shoot at them with an arrow;
Suddenly they will be wounded.
So they will make him stumble;
Their own tongue is against them;
All who see them will shake the head.
Then all men will fear,
And they will declare the work of God,
And will consider what He has done.
The righteous man will be glad in the LORD and will take refuge in Him;
And all the upright in heart will glory.
Posted by Woodlief on September 11, 2002 at 08:57 AM
Words from St. Silouan the Athonite, who died in 1938.
You say that So-and-so is an evil-doer and may he burn in hell fire.
But I ask you - supposing God were to give you a fair place in paradise, and you saw burning in the fire the man on whom you had wished the tortures of hell, even then would you really not feel pity for him, whoever he might be, an enemy of the Church even?
Or is it that you have a heart of steel? But there is no place for steel in paradise. Paradise has need of humility and the love of Christ, which pities all men. The grace of God is not in the man who does not love his enemies.
Posted by: Huw at September 11, 2002 11:11 PM
To Huw: Whose hearts are made of steel? Christ loves us all. God gave us all a free will. No Christian wishes the tortures of hell on anyone. The cowards who killed thousands a year ago were many things, but they were not stupid. They knew exactly what they were doing. They had no regard for human life at all. Pity? Pity is one step from contempt. Pity them if you like. Don't ask the average American citizen, or any Christian, to pity a terrorist. The terrorist is already in hell. He/she is just still breathing. Try, if you can, to concentrate on the victims all over the world who need our help from them.
Posted by: Llana at September 12, 2002 2:49 AM
All people are in God's Image. Prayer is for all of them - each one a victim of sin and death, the only things that count - I only ask you to pray for me for I am a sinner too.
Posted by: Huw at September 12, 2002 8:40 AM
Huw, your piety is misplaced if you feel yourself a part of Christianity, because if hell is not just then God is not a just God. And if God is not a just God, then why would you bother? The grace is that not all of us go to hell, not that none of us should. And those who kill innocents with glee deserve it more than most. Yes, I would pray for their souls, yes, I have pity that they chose this path, but that doesn't bring any hesitation about putting an end to their evil.
Your approach seems more Pharisaical than godly. Are you more righteous than God? Would you save the unrepentent evil amongst us? All I can say, and this is my prayer, God forbid.
Posted by: susanna at September 12, 2002 11:08 AM
