Today is the 5th day of remembrance of the events of 9/11. I remember exactly where I was when I heard what happened. It was my first year in seminary as well. I would hope that we all pause from our busy schedule today and say thank you for the brave men and women of the fire, police, EMT’s ect. as well as your troops still serving in the Middle East. We owe them that much.
Two years ago I became a Fire Dept chaplain for many reasons. One of those reasons was the example of Fr. Mychal Judge. Fr. Judge, a Franciscan Priest, was the chaplain for Engine Company 1/Ladder Company 24 FDNY and was the first casualty. Fr. Judge ran to the be with his guys in their moment of need. Now I serve a small town, and we don’t have any large buildings like the World Trade Center, but my guys put their life on the line everyday to keep the citizens of our community safe. I would like to think that I would have the same sense of duty that Fr. Judge had and run to be with my guys in their moment of need. I wear a silver bracelet on my wrist engraved with the name of Fr. Mychal Judge and he is constantly in my thoughts as I hear to “tones” go off and I rush to be with my guys.
Fr. Mychal was a hero for many reasons beyond his 9/11 bravery…