[John writes] On the morning of September 11, 2001, I stood at an office window in Plainfield, NJ, with tears in my eyes and fear in my heart. From there, I could see the World Trade Center Towers burning, exploding, collapsing. Eight members of our office staff were on planes departing from NYC. Were any of them on the plane that struck the Twin Towers? We did not know. Was this a single terrorist attack or an act of war? How would this horror touch our families and loved ones? It was a terrible, overwhelming day for us, for our whole country, and a shock to the world. For weeks, the air around the NYC area had a smoldering heaviness. It stank of a caustic mix of jet fuel, vaporized buildings, and even incinerated human flesh.
This tragedy had a massive effect on the hearts and souls of many. Some people turned to God in prayer. Crowds appeared in parks and intersections, praying the “Our Father,” and singing songs like “Amazing Grace.” Catholic Churches in the North East corridor of the USA were packed with people, alone and in groups. My wife, Therese, was drawn into intercessory prayer: during the attack, for the people trying to escape and for our son-in-law who was in the area: later, for those suffering from PTSD.
As a speaker, I received a staggering number of requests for a workshop entitled, “Walking with Jesus in Great Suffering.” As someone in ministry, I met with dozens of people drowning in grief. By the Holy Spirit’s power was I able to share ways that the Gospel message brings meaning, especially as we join ourselves to the grief, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ.
Seven lessons about Catholic evangelization emerged:
- Suffering brings us face-to-face with the truth that our lives are ultimately not under our control. It is an illusion for us to imagine that we are the masters of our own reality. God is God, and we are not.
- When we suffer, we have the opportunity to grow in compassion and in empathy those who are weighed down by excruciating pain. Our hard hearts can be pried open by the Holy Spirit. Jesus can heal us, giving us hearts of flesh and gentleness, to replace our hearts of stone.
- Suffering is an opportunity to turn to God for help, a prompting to deeper intercessory prayer for those who are suffering. A kind of prayer that goes beyond words and into tears, groans, music, or charismatic tongues.
- Our prayerful response can be an inspiration to others in agony. A study called, “Faith Development in the Adult Life Cycle,” concludes that if someone who is suffering is supported by friends who believe in God, they move closer to God. If their friends are unbelievers, they tend to move away from God.
- Suffering can open our ears to hear the Gospel of Jesus Christ, who from the Cross joins us in our suffering, as the Great Evangelizer.
- Offering to pray aloud with someone who is suffering is an act of evangelization. the Holy Spirit can help us put his or her needs and emotions into God’s presence.
- Jesus invites us to offer our presence and love to those who are suffering. It is an act of evangelizing mercy. Jesus can empower us to embrace what Pope Francis calls the “art of accompaniment.” “Someone good at such accompaniment does not give in to frustrations or fears. He or she invites others to let themselves be healed, to take up their mat, embrace the cross, leave all behind and go forth ever anew to proclaim the Gospel” (The Joy of the Gospel, 172).
The tragedy of 9/11 rocked the world, but in many ways, it was a dress rehearsal for future, worldwide tragedies like the COVID-19 pandemic. Millions have suffered and died from this illness. Millions have been traumatized by the more than 650,000 deaths in the USA alone. This disease touches all of us, offering another opportunity to reach out to, walk with, and evangelize those around us who need Jesus Christ, the healer of all suffering hearts, the Savior sent by our Father-God.