Julia Bacha, Blessed are the meek for they shall possess the land

h Arab Spring was a phenomenon this year when oppressive Middle Eastern regimes were peacefully overturned, one after the other.  Now, millions of Arabs are peacefully discussing and deliberating their futures and setting the stage for a peaceful world for their children and grand children.

An idea vs an army

Wait a minute!  Aren't Arabs supposed to be uneducated, war-mongering, terrorists?  How could such an Arab Spring be possible?  Isn't that kind of peace against the nature of such barbarians?

We've been lied to!  Many of those lies are lies of omission!  Arabs are not what they've been made out to be.  Can one assume that Americans are murderers, psychopaths, and godless materialists?  Certainly not, yet the majority of school shooters, legendary serial killers, and celebrities are!  Just as we cannot be know through our wacko or hedonistic citizens, so to Arabs cannot.  Yes, those who attacked us on 9/11 were Arab, but they were not a representative sample.

The vast majority of Arabs are meekly demonstrating and claiming their God-given freedom.  Blessed are they, for they ARE inheriting their lands at long last!  A lone voice, that of Julia Bacha is crying in the wilderness.  She is hoping that someone will listen.  Let's take fewer than 10 minutes to hear her speak.

Queen Noor of Jordan (tall in a light blue gown) with Julia Bacha
at the 2009 Dubai film festival

Queen Noor has been acquainted with many first-degreers.  Among them...

Bono

and

Nelson Mandela

let's see

3 Degrees

Julia Bacha to Queen Noor to Bono to Pope John Paul II

or 

Julia Bacha to Queen Noor to Nelson Mandela to Pope John Paul II

The Saints and Heroes of 9/11

May their memory be eternal.  I'd like to tell the story about brave and loving people who were cut down by self-righteousness and judgementalism.  The terrorists who used planes as bombs on 9/11 were certain that they were right and just in their actions.  They were wrong.  The people they murdered were some of the finest that mankind has to offer.

Even in death, Father Mychal saved lives

The man who has since been called, "the saint of 9/11" was a Franciscan friar and chaplain to the New York City Fire Department.  His name was Father Mychal Judge.  His death saved the life of every man in this picture.  If he had not died, these men would have been in the towers, trying to save victims, when the towers collapsed.  Father Mychal's was the first death recorded on 9/11.

For a biography on Father Mychal, click here.  Here is a trailer for the film, The Saint of 9/11.  A documentary film was being made on 9/11 and Father Mychal was captured staring out a plate glass window with his lips moving.  He was absolving people as they fell to their deaths.  Moments later there was an explosion and Mychal Judge was blasted to his death.  As members of his flocked carried his body out of the tower, the tower fell.  For the NPR story remembering Mychal Judge, click here.

1 Degree

The plane that started the fire that killed Father Mychal tipped off the passengers of Flight 93.  Through a series of plane-to-land phone calls, the passengers figured out that their plane was being hijacked to be used as a bomb and that they needed to act in order to save others and possibly themselves.  This past week some tapes were declassified.  These tapes give a clearer picture of what happened on that flight.  Families of those heroic passengers have requested that the final 30 minutes, the portion after "Let's roll," not be released.  That struggle and the impact are private and making them public would not be appropriate.  The 9/11 Commission heard them however, and used the knowledge from them in their report.

Here are some videos and audio clips.  May their memory be eternal.



For a transcript of the above video, click here.

The passengers formulated a plan, voted and ratified it, and implemented it in 30 minutes.  They rammed drink carts into the cockpit door.  In response the terrorist rocked the plane from side to side to knock the passengers down and stop them.  Finally the terrorist flying the plane said "should I put it in" and another said "yes" and the plane was crashed into the earth.  Here is a link to a story which describes that from the tapes.

Asia Cottom

I’m a native New Yorker.  9/11 raped the skyline of my favorite city.  I didn’t lose anyone personally in the disaster, “Luckily” they all missed their alarm, missed the train, were out on assignment, or otherwise delayed that morning.  It seems as though God did His best to get all those away that He could manage.  He didn’t choose to save the best people, just the most people. 

We are all sinners and every gift is all Grace.  Those who survived just survived, those who perished just perished.  

There is no reason or higher purpose for their deaths unless there had been a higher purpose for their lives.  

Little Asia Cottom had purpose to her life.  This purpose lives on, even a decade after her death.  

3 Degrees

11-year-old  Asia Cottom was one of three Middle School scholars on their way to study marine biology for 4 days in California.  These exceptional children earned scholarships from The National Geographic Society to do the research, then return home to write about their findings.  They and the three teachers who accompanied them, perished in the 9/11 Pentagon crash.

• To read the Washington Post story about Asia's death click here.  
• To visit Asia's charity and memorial website click here.  
• To read about "The Littlest Victims largely overlooked" click here. 

Paula Spruill

Third Degree: Paula Spruill A scholarship was established by Asia's family to help other young people realize their dreams.  Paula Spruill, a former tutor of Asia,  received an Asia Cottom scholarship.  Ms Spruill earned her bachelors degree in Engineering from Virginia Tech in 2006.  She earned a law degree from Franklin Pierce Law School in 2009.  To read Ms Spruill's graduate CV click here.  

Judge Baker

Second Degree: Judge James Baker was the commencement speaker at Ms Spruill's graduation in 2009.  Baker served President Clinton for 4 years as special council.  He now serves on the military court of appeals.  

First Degree: President Clinton met John Paul on several occasions.  

Father Stephen McGraw

John Paul would have been proud
of Father McGraw

2 Degrees

Father Stephen McGraw

First Degree: Father Kevin Cook was a classmate of Steve McGraw in the seminary.  

Second Degree: Father Kevin met John Paul II

Father Stephen's September 11 Story

Just months into his priesthood, Father Stephen McGraw was on his way to a funeral at Arlington National Cemetary.  He took the wrong exit and found himself stuck in traffic by the Pentagon.  As his car crept along a deafening sound roared over his head.  It was American Airlines flight 77.  Moments later the Pentagon was an inferno.  The following story quotes witnesses to Father McGraw's bravery and love.

Father McGraw kneels (right) in prayer
and comfort on September 11, 2001

"He literally had the stole in one hand and a prayer book in the other and in one fluid motion crossed the guardrail," said Mark Faram, a reporter from the Navy Times who witnessed McGraw in the first moments after the crash.

Within 45 seconds, McGraw was on the lawn of the Pentagon to provide spiritual comfort to the injured.

For the DC Military story click here.

For more stories of priests and how they responded, click here.  

For an article about a priest in New York who died from debris and the push by firemen to his canonization click here.  

Did you know? There are people who deny the attacks of 9/11.  There are people who deny the Holocaust too.  These people are violating a commandment of God, "Thou shalt not bear false witness."  Let's make a search for Father Stephen McGraw bring up the truth and love of his priesthood.  Please do the following things,

• link to his parish site http://www.holyfamilycatholicchurchdalecity.org/
• write blog posts about him and make all your friends read them
• pray for all priests who are scorned when they do right

Jesus is still maligned for doing what he did.  No matter how holy a person is, they will encounter persecution.  I'm so proud of the Orthodox and Catholic priests who ran toward the flames and the screams and tended the flock.  Where would we be without you?

The text of St. Matthew runs as follows:

• Blessed are they that suffer persecution for justice' sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. (Verse 10)

One of the conspiracy theory blogs had a comment "how many priests do you know who would leave a job to tend to people in 9/11?"  The answer, ALL OF THEM.  Here is a video of another priest who ran toward the destruction.  The saint of 9/11.  

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