As my shoddy, old gray sedan veered along the curve at 94th street near Laguardia Airport on the Grand Central Parkway, the burning building came into plain view. Five minutes prior, a radio caller meagerly reported “an incident” that occurred downtown, as very limited information was available.
Then, there, at the lower anchor of the New York City skyline it stood tall but injured; a fiery gap near its apex, World Trade Center Tower One struggled to maintain its concrete footing. A passenger plane commandeered by a terrorist network slammed into the first of the double obelisks at 8:46 a.m. on September 11, 2001. A second hijacked airliner followed suit at 9:03 a.m., ravaging the southern Tower.
The reports early on were perfunctory at best. I was detoured to the Bronx, listening intently to 1010 WINS radio news. I vividly recall the panic, the eery silence at the then Triborough Bridge, the traffic overload, the gut-wrenching catastrophic feeling when the structures collapsed, my exact location. New Yorkers distinctly remember where they were when their lives and hearts were forever interrupted. Many lost colleagues, friends, relatives or know someone who was directly impacted. The victims were globally mourned and memorialized.
A week ago, at approximately 2:00 a.m. on June 13, 2016, a mass murderer ended the lives of 49 individuals and interminably damaged 53 others at the Pulse night club in Orlando, Florida during the worst shooting in American History. Occupants of LGBT affiliation were targeted at the patio and dance floor and cornered in the restrooms where their lives were snuffed out one by one. Hours of terror endured before law enforcement blasted their way in, silencing the killer with a fatal shot. Many around the world mourned and the gay community received great support. Although, some instead questioned and even disparaged the life choices of those who perished.
Striking is the contrast between support for 911 victims and those at Pulse. Certainly, varying opinions abound on political, religious or relational alignments. However, victimization, terror, and hate all equate in both scenarios. What is unbalanced are the number of faceless decedents, perhaps unclaimed, unknown, disowned or even outed for the first time at the time of their deaths on that unlucky day, at a surveilled venue in Orlando that early morning. Many were young souls departed, on their journey, without full reverence.
At it’s most rudimentary stratum, the discord in beliefs falls within the battle of judgments. Biblical legalists shun on the basis of interpretation of Scripture rather than appeal to the current culture to reveal and spread the message of love sanctioned by Christ Himself. As a result, families, churches and support networks are needlessly divided and self worth and belongingness wane for the unaccepted. Yet, the same Book affirms us all; as such, “…we are God’s masterpiece…” (Ephesians 2:10). Our position is to honor, empathize and strive to comprehend what is unconventional to us in order to gain common ground. (“Love each other with genuine affection, and take delight in honoring each other.”
Romans 12:10 ). Let this be a time to grieve together and pay respects to the affected, mourning together as a collective.
1 Timothy 4:4: “For everything God created is good…for it is sanctified by God’s word and prayer”.
Special thanks to Jackie and Lou for your insights and fellowship.
God Works Always 