On Friday, Sept. 11, 2026, Rev. Gerard Critch, affectionately known as “Father G,” gave the following sermon durnig the special mass held at St. Bernard Catholic Church in Holmes Beach. The special mass marked the 25th anniversary of the terrorist attacks that occurred on Sept. 11, 2001.
For many of us, it is difficult to believe that 25 years have passed since the morning of September 11, 2001. And yet, for those who lived through that day, certain memories remain remarkably clear.
We remember where we were. We remember the images. We remember the fear and confusion.
We remember watching something happen that we never imagined could happen here. And today we remember nearly 3,000 people who began that morning expecting an ordinary day and never returned home.
For me, September 11 is also personal. I had the privilege of being present at Ground Zero and serving there in the aftermath. There are things from those days that stay with you. Certainly, there was destruction. There was tremendous sadness. There was exhaustion. There were people desperately looking for someone they loved.
But 25 years later, what I also remember is something remarkably powerful. I remember how people responded. Firefighters. Police officers. Port Authority. Emergency medical personnel. Chaplains. Construction workers. Medical professionals. Volunteers. And ordinary men and women who simply saw another human being who needed help and responded.
At one of the darkest moments in our nation’s history, we saw extraordinary examples of courage, sacrifice and love. That is why today’s Gospel is so important.
Jesus says: “Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you.”
Notice that Jesus doesn’t promise his disciples a life without suffering. He doesn’t promise that nothing terrible will ever happen. He promises something much deeper. He promises that even in the middle of fear, suffering and uncertainty, He will remain with us. That is Christian peace. It isn’t pretending that everything is fine. It isn’t forgetting the past. And it certainly isn’t ignoring evil. Christian peace comes from knowing that evil will never have the final word.
Twenty-five years ago, we witnessed terrible evil. But we also witnessed goodness. We witnessed people running toward danger while others were running away. We witnessed strangers helping strangers. We witnessed people praying together. We witnessed courage. And we witnessed sacrifice.
The Church reminds us that remembering September 11 cannot simply be about looking backward. Our remembrance must change how we live today. Because our world still desperately needs peacemakers. We live at a time when it is very easy to divide ourselves. We disagree politically. We disagree socially. Sometimes even families have difficulty speaking to one another.
And yet for a brief time after September 11, many of those differences seemed less important. People helped one another simply because another human being needed help. Maybe 25 years later, that is something worth remembering.
Before we ask whether someone agrees with us, perhaps we should first remember that he or she is our brother or sister. Before responding with anger, perhaps we should listen. Before holding onto resentment, perhaps we should forgive. Before walking past someone who needs help, perhaps we should stop.
Jesus tells us: “Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you.” That peace has to begin somewhere. And perhaps it begins in our own hearts.
Today we also look around this church and see men and women who continue to serve. Our firefighters. Our police officers. Our sheriff’s deputies. Our EMTs and paramedics. Our emergency personnel. Every day, these men and women leave their homes not knowing exactly what they will encounter. They go toward accidents. They go toward fires. They respond to violence. They enter situations from which most of us instinctively move away.
Today we thank them. And today we pray for them and for their families. But there is something else September 11 should teach all of us: Life is precious. Thousands of people woke up on September 11 believing it was simply another Tuesday. They made breakfast. They poured coffee. They kissed someone goodbye. They went to work. And the world changed.
So perhaps today is also an opportunity to ask ourselves: What are we waiting for? If there is someone you love, tell them. If someone needs forgiveness, forgive them. If you’ve been meaning to call someone, call them. If someone needs your help, help them. And if you’ve drifted away from God, come home. We are not promised tomorrow. We have today.
Twenty-five years later, we remember. But as Catholics, we remember with hope.
Because we believe that death does not have the final word. Hatred does not have the final word.
Terrorism does not have the final word. Jesus Christ has the final word.
And His word is mercy. His word is reconciliation. His word is resurrection.
And His word to us today is: “Peace.”
May God receive into His eternal peace all those who died 25 years ago and after. May He comfort those who still mourn. May He protect the men and women who serve us today.
May He heal the divisions within our nation and throughout our world. And may He begin that work of peace in each one of us.
Amen.
