I find myself going back and forth...
The phone rang last night at around 7:30 and when I heard Grumpa's name on caller id I thought, "seriously guys, you know it's bedtime!" When I picked up the phone, holding a crying Mae and sounding grumpy, the first words I heard were "I'm sorry to call at bedtime but I had to tell you, they're saying on the news that Osama bin Laden was killed." And then I had to hang up the phone and call Paul at work and tell him and listen to the silence followed by, "I wasn't expecting that."
Paul knew someone who died in one of the towers.
Mae and Sadie and I had been in the middle of our rosary when the news came. We went back into the room and I added our intention for the night, half heartedly, more because I knew that it was what I should do than for any actual desire to do it (but life is just like that sometimes). I prayed that he felt remorse at the end. That he accepted God's grace. And we went on praying.
And, as I'm sure many of you did, I remembered September 11th, 2001, when I was driving to school and heard on the radio that the twin towers had been attacked and thought it was a War of the Worlds type joke, because the DJ giving the news was the joking sort... and that it wasn't a very good joke. When I pulled into the parking lot at school I saw on of my closest friends (she's now a Marine and Mae's godmother) and when I looked at her face I suddenly knew without a doubt that it wasn't some awful made up story... it was true.
Paul brought home a beer (which we split) and two ice cream cones and we watched people celebrate around the country.
I'm glad none of the Americans involved in this operations were hurt. And I'm glad that Osama bin Laden won't be able to plan any more attacks.
At moments I feel giddy. At other moments I feel relieved. And sad.
I find myself wondering how I'm supposed to feel at a moment like this...
I feel the same way. My husband is deployed right now so it's a mix if emotions like relief (is the worst over?) and fear of retaliation. I guess I just need to trust in God's plan for things. I thought the President's speech was quite good although normally while I pray for him, I'm not an avid fan.
ReplyDeleteHi Cam,
ReplyDeleteI am feeling great because it's my 14th birthday!
Thankfully I'm not alone in not gloating over the death of an unfortunate soul. I read where the Vatican issued a statement more to the effect of sober thoughtfulness & regret. Truly, the greatest evil is to be separated from God.
ReplyDeleteTake care & God bless. -Cliff
My Facebook status this morning:
ReplyDeleteI am glad Bin Laden cannot hurt anyone anymore. But I can't celebrate either. Christ said to love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you. How then can I rejoice at the death of an unrepentant sinner? For me it is more of a reminder how much I should be praying for the conversion of terrorists.
Happy Birthday Grace! I hope you had a great day!
ReplyDeleteAnd thanks everyone for the comments. It is comforting to know I'm not alone in feeling this way.
I can't celebrate the death of anyone...I just don't have it in me. That said, I think there is some kind of natural instinct in all of us that feels happy or relieved when "justice" is done (i.e. when a prisoner is executed, or a terrorist or dictator is assassinated). There is a sense of relief that a monster is no longer a threat.
ReplyDeleteBut the celebrating and cheering I saw on the news is excessive...reminiscent of a lynch mob, almost.
I am glad he is no longer a danger, but I am still sad that a person was so separated from God at the moment of their death. We can't celebrate. Only take this as a strong wake-up call about our lives, and about praying for others. Prayer is powerful.
ReplyDeleteWhen I first heard the news last night, my reaction was..."Oh, I had almost forgotten about him!" The search for him had gone on so long, with the US moving on to wars in Iraq, then Afghanistan, that bin Laden hadn't been on my mind for years. It all seemed so anti-climactic for me, I guess.
ReplyDeleteAs Christians, we are called to a different response from the over-the-top patriotic outbursts that we have witnessed. I certainly understand that people are pleased that the author of so much heartbreak and misery is gone, but I fear it is by no means the end of terrorism, and may cause militants to seek spectacular revenge.
I'm a long-time reader (at least over a year, don't even remember how I stumbled here), Christian (but not Catholic ... I'm a Lutheran Sunday school teacher), wife, and mom to a daughter adopted from China.
ReplyDeleteAnyway, I'm very pleased to see this entry. I agree completely, and in my daily, lunch-time web wanderings, this is the first of my regular haunts where the reaction genuinely resonates with my own feelings/reactions on the whole news-story. Relief, yes. But no, I can't bring myself to physically jump for joy either. What Catherine wrote above, is exactly where I am. So thanks for posting. :)