When we can think of the Lord coming like a thief in the night, we can think of our own enduring a life changing event that happened in an instant. That of course would be 9/11. You realize the world changed that day, so your life as you lived at 8:59 am was the last moment in that pre-9/11 world. It would seem that it was a surprise, certainly no one expected it, however, no one should have been surprised that it was  going to happen. Terrorists tried to blow up the World Trade Center in 1993, you may remember. During his administration, Bill Clinton warned at least six times that we are going to suffer a severe terrorist attack, publicly. The warning signs were there.

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Ralph Nader, who ran for president in 2000, was asked what he would have done if he was president on 9/11. He responded, it would not have happened. His group, he said, sounded the warning for years of the vulnerability posed by not properly guarding cockpit doors. The warning signs were there, but were not heeded. Granted no one could have predicted Tuesday morning September 11 at 9:00 am, but, the warning signs were there. We have an expression in our language: “Asleep at the switch” referring to not being awake and the result is disaster happens.

If you want to think of being caught like a thief in the night, look no further than that very day.

Today, St. Paul in the second reading could almost be seen as speaking in the 1990’s. He is sounding a warning with a twist. He is saying, everyone else is asleep, but he warns you are not. I cannot emphasize those words any stronger. Everyone else is asleep, you are not. Look outside, they are all asleep. Yet, the warning signs are there.

When  people think of warning signs of God’s coming, they think of famines and earthquakes. However, what is the sign of God’s coming, the fruits of a world that rejects Him and chooses to do its own will: wars, terrorism, hatred, vengeance and dissension. When one group seeks to destroy another for their own personal interest.

On Holytrinityquincy.info, this week, I take the words of Physicist Lawrence Krauss who says that through the efforts of atheists, religion will be eliminated in about two generations. I ask the obvious question, what will replace it, if that is true. He will paint a rosy picture, but history warns us otherwise.

This was portrayed excellently in William Golding’s story The Lord of the Flies. In fact, that was what the story is about. When we turn from God, we make ourselves gods, but if we are not gods then the fruit of our action will be destructive. Where do these great tragedies come from, by not living the law of God and by not loving God and neighbor more than we love our own personal interests. William Golding portrayed it well. Indeed, one teaching says it clearly, anytime we see God destroying the world such as at Sodom and Gomorrah, it is because humanity in those places has become so distorted that the only solution is eliminate it so that the evil does not spread to the other communities. Go back and read the story of Sodom and Gomorrah in Genesis, it is right there.

Sunday Homily: 1Thessalonians 5:1-6: You Are Awake! by Frbob Carr on Mixcloud

However, I am not sounding the warning to you that you are the people of Sodom and Gomorrah, I am doing the opposite. Look at what St. Paul says, They are asleep, you are not.

You live in danger of going to sleep, but aside from that you are awake.

The Sunday after 9/11, I preached that on 9/12 it was equally as sunny a day as 9/11. Despite everything, the sun rose, God is still with His people. We are the people who need to preach that message when all goes wrong. But we also need to be awake to do that. We need to be strong in our relationship with Christ. We need to grow in our relationship with Him so that we can see be the light that shines in  the darkness.

Let me give you an example: CBS News reported Thursday night that the for the first time Russia will be patrolling the skies over the Caribbean with its bombers. We can look at that and say why is Vladimir Putin seeking to provoke our nation like that? The answer is probably quite large, but let me ask you, what do we have in our country that he does not want in his. What philosophies do we export that he does not want in his country? You can point to all the issues in Russia including the fact they have what many describe as the most dangerous organized crime operation in the world, however, there are philosophies in our country that they do not want imported into theirs. Just like during the cold war, we felt the same about their ideas, many of which we have since embraced.

What would they do to stop those philosophies from flowing into their own country? Why is this happening? Now you understand that what Mr. Putin sees is at stake is not only his borders, but also what goes on inside his borders. This is not a praise of Mr. Putin, it is a practical view of a reality outside our borders. Meanwhile, look at how many people around you are asleep.

We heard this week of a man who boasted of being able to exploit the “stupidity of the American voter.” Let me translate that: how easily manipulated people are so that others can convince them of anything. Why? They are asleep.Such manipulators may be educated, but if you are wise, you will see through those who seek to manipulate you. The unwise and enamored of the educated manipulators are asleep.

It is time to vow to stay awake. Embrace your faith. Turn from sin, for it puts you asleep and  keeps you in a state of foggy thinking. It is time for you to realize that you do see the light, while others embrace the darkness. Be awake and be ready to work to wake those who are asleep. Most will stay asleep, but some might listen. You do that by seeking holiness and living holiness as you turn from sin. Your life becomes a part of the warning system telling people to wake up. As I said, my own experience tells me that but a few will listen, but at least you have convinced a few.

I told you the message for the weekend after 9/11 was God is still with us. We proclaim that message with our lives and some will  hear it and wake up.

Fr. Carr is an alliance member of the New Song Community (Canção Nova). He is the pastor of Holy Trinity Quincy, MA and is the editor of this blog. He is the author of several books, blogs and hundreds of videos all of which you may find at his website. He also has a regular radio program on WebRadio Canção Nova. Which he podcasts on Mixcloud and here on Catholicismanew.
You can follow him on twitter as @frbobcarr. Thoughts, comments on the homily? Let us know at Facebook