Thomas S. Monson Blogs About September 11 Anniversary
In preparation for the tenth anniversary of the September 11 attacks on the Twin Towers, the Washington Post asked a number of the world’s greatest religion leaders and thinkers to comment on what we’ve learned from those tragic events. Thomas S. Monson was one of the people asked to blog. He is the prophet and president of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, whose members are sometimes nicknamed Mormons. He is possibly the first Mormon prophet to do a blog post. Excerpts of his blog post can be found on LDS News.
President Monson reminded us of the power reactions that followed the attacks. People came together, putting aside petty differences. They prayed and turned back to God, remembering the faith they had forgotten or taken for granted. They instinctively understood they, and their nation, needed God’s help to get through it all.
But then something changed.
“Sadly, it seems that much of that renewal of faith has waned in the years that have followed. Healing has come with time, but so has indifference. We forget how vulnerable and sorrowful we felt. Our sorrow moved us to remember the deep purposes of our lives. The darkness of our despair brought us a moment of enlightenment. But we are forgetful. When the depth of grief has passed, its lessons often pass from our minds and hearts as well.”
Thomas S. Monson,
Thomas S. Monson reminded us that God is always there. His commandments, though sometimes seemingly hard, are designed to give us the best possible life. Unfortunately, God’s children sometimes forget all of that. We forget to pray, forget to keep the commandments, and forget to take care of the poor. President Monson reminds us this is never good for us.
“If there is a spiritual lesson to be learned from our experience of that fateful day, it may be that we owe to God the same faithfulness that He gives to us. We should strive for steadiness, and for a commitment to God that does not ebb and flow with the years or the crises of our lives. It should not require tragedy for us to remember Him, and we should not be compelled to humility before giving Him our faith and trust. We too should be with Him in every season.”
President Monson asked that we remember that we need God all the time, not just when there is a tragedy. We need to always be praying and serving. “We will mourn the lives we lose, but we should also fix the lives that can be mended and heal the hearts that may yet be healed.”
The spiritual lessons of 9/11 must not be forgotten. The anniversaries can serve as a reminder that we need God all the time. Don’t wait for a tragedy to pray.
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