Drawing meaning from a senseless act
By Teodoro Bacani Jr., DD

The terrorists, serving unwittingly as the left hand of God, have driven home again the fragility of all human constructs and the need to submit ourselves to God.

The well-coordinated terrorist attacks against the twin towers of the World Trade Center in New York, the Pentagon in Washington, D.C., and the plane crash outside of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania (in all probability parts of one orchestrated assault), are a catastrophe of almost unimaginable proportions. The plane hijackings and the kamikaze dives into these highly populated buildings were designed to cause the maximum human, economic and psychological damage. The attacks were carried out in midmorning, when these places were teeming with people. There must have been about 10,000 people in each of the World Trade Center towers, and there were at any given time about 30,000 people working in the Pentagon. It is safe to guess that the dead and the injured are in the thousands.

The suicide missions caused the total collapse of the two towers, symbols of American economic prowess; they destroyed a portion of the Pentagon, symbol of American military might. In the wake of the attacks, all US and Canadian airports were closed, and all flights were grounded. The US dollar immediately slid in value, and trading stopped in the stock exchange. It is strange to think of New York, a city that never sleeps, coming to a halt, with people being evacuated and no one allowed to go in. Very few catastrophes can compare with this one. Not even Pearl Harbor inflicted as much damage on the US, I believe.

It was terrifying to watch the second plane fly smack against the second World Trade Center tower, slicing it into two parts almost immediately, and then to see the two towers crumble like sand castles before being enveloped by billows of smoke and debris. A sight reminiscent of Mount Pinatubo's eruption.

The repercussions of this terrorist attack on the world peace and economy will certainly be far-reaching. The economy of the US is already weak. The shock of this tragedy will weaken it further. That will be terrible not only for them but also for us.

The world will remain tense for some time. If those terrorists could go to such lengths and launch such a coordinated attack against the world's most powerful nation, who can be safe? The fear struck into the hearts of people will exacerbate world tension and lead to partial paralysis of many necessary endeavors.

It is all so absurd. This man-made catastrophe partakes of the absurdity of all sin. As we pray for the victims, we must all condemn this attack which could have only been demonic in its inspiration. No matter how righteous might have been the motive of those who perpetrated it, they committed a hellish deed, killing innocent people and causing psychological and economic damage which will impact largely on the poor of this world. May the masterminds and planners be brought to justice. The minions who executed their orders have, by this time, received from God their due and, let us hope, His mercy too.

But if the terrorist attack was senseless, can we just the same learn something from it? I believe we can.

The terrorist deed hit and totally demolished the World Trade Center and partially destroyed the Pentagon. These are powerful symbols of the twin idolatry of greed for money and power which has dominated the world and caused sufferings to billions of people. More than anything else in this world, these two establishments represent the modern tower of Babel, which seeks human security in wealth and power.

Do not get me wrong. I am not blaming God for this inhuman, demonic act. But this terrorist act could not have happened without

God's permission. And God allows evil even this great to happen only for the sake of greater good.

We can be sure that the victims of the attack turned to God, if only by shouting "Oh God!" in their moments of supreme danger. So many turn to the USA, the superpower, the land of promise and opportunity. It is perhaps time for this mighty country to take in all seriousness again the words written across its dollar, "In God We Trust." It will be good for the whole world when the USA is brought to its knees, not before any country or terrorist group, but before God. Fortunately this seems to be happening. Two nieces of mine in New York report that the churches are full of praying people. TODAY