Tragedy cannot destroy faith
Observer editorial
The Observer editorial board
Sometimes, there are no answers.
There are no answers to Tuesday's tragic attacks on the Pentagon and the World Trade Center. There are no answers to explain why terrorists attacked the heart of our nation. But as a nation left vulnerable by a brutal blow to our freedom, we crave the need for an explanation.
No answers were found Tuesday as the nation sat mesmerized by the seemingly insurmountable tragedy that evolved on our televisions. We were angry, we were scared, we were violated.
And still, we have no answers.
But even watching in uncertainty, the students at Saint Mary's and Notre Dame turned to the one place where they could find answers: in faith. Even under the tragedy where President Bush said "our citizens, freedom and very way of life came under attack," the faith-bound community held together in prayer, searching together to explain the day's events.
Thousands shared in the Eucharist on South Quad. Hundreds watched as students lit candles dedicated to loved ones at a prayer service in Regina. Even more prayed the rosary on hourly intervals at the Grotto. They cried, they prayed, they hoped. And even among the countless newscasts that constantly gave updates, to find the answers their hearts so desperately sought, the Notre Dame and Saint Mary's community turned to each other.
It will be weeks, maybe months, before the nation is given an answer to Tuesday's tragedies. The uncertainty will continue. But even amid the confusion, Tuesday's displays of faith did give the Notre Dame and Saint Mary's community one answer:
No act of terror can ever destroy our faith.
All Viewpoint Stories for Wednesday, September 12, 2001
