Rochester, NY— The following statement may be attributed to Jason J. McGuire, President & CEO of New York Families Foundation, on the twenty-fifth anniversary of the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks:
Twenty-five years ago, the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001, changed America forever.
It was a national tragedy and a global event, but as New Yorkers, we feel its weight differently. The images of the Twin Towers falling are part of our collective memory, yet behind those images lie thousands of individual lives—fathers and mothers, sons and daughters, friends and neighbors—lost in an act of deliberate evil.
Today, we remember those who were murdered, the first responders who ran toward danger, the families who still bear the pain of loss, and all whose lives were forever changed on that September morning.
We should not allow time to blur the moral clarity of what happened. On September 11, radical Islamic terrorists attacked our nation, murdering thousands of innocent people in the name of a hateful and destructive ideology. Twenty-five years later, there remain those who would gladly harm us if given the opportunity.
But fear must not have the final word.
In the days after 9/11, Americans prayed, filled churches, cared for strangers, and were reminded of our dependence on Almighty God. Twenty-five years later, our nation needs that reminder again.
America’s ultimate hope is not found in government, wealth, military strength, or political power. It is found in turning again to the God of the Scriptures—the Creator our forefathers acknowledged as the source of our liberty and the One on whom this nation ultimately depends.
May we never forget those we lost. May we remain vigilant against evil. And may this anniversary call America once again to humility, prayer, repentance, and faithfulness to God.
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