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Never Forget: What 9/11 Should Teach Us 25 Years Later

Never Forget: What 9/11 Should Teach Us 25 Years Later

Last updated on: September 10, 2026 at 4:20 pm by Fr. Nicholas Sheehy, LC

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Never Forget: What 9/11 Should Teach Us 25 Years Later 2026-09-10T16:20:53-07:00 Fr. Nicholas Sheehy, LC

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If you are old enough to remember the terror attacks on the Twin Towers on September 11, 2001, you probably remember when you learned about them. I was finishing my novitiate in Germany and had made my first profession of vows a few days before, on the feast of the Birthday of Mary, September 8. I had been out touring a German city with my mom, godmother, and youngest brother. When we arrived at the novitiate, I noticed that one of the other brothers’ families was talking about some type of plane attack on buildings. I thought to myself, “Did they go see a movie?”

An hour later, I was seated in a small auditorium, watching the news for the first time since entering the novitiate two years earlier. We saw the horror of 9/11. It was still far too soon to comprehend the way the world changed in a few hours. Practically speaking, we were wondering about our flights back to the United States. I had been assigned to study humanities at our house in Cheshire, Connecticut. For the first few days after the attacks, all flights to the United States had been canceled. When would I be able to go home?

Now, we are commemorating 25 years since those fateful attacks. Telling stories about the days when you could walk up to the gate at an airport to say goodbye to loved ones seems to age you as much as talking about dial-up modems and life before Google. What lessons can we learn from the horrific attacks 25 years ago?

Reject Political Violence

I would like to think that we could all agree that political violence is always something to be condemned. Unfortunately, as we commemorate 25 years since 9/11, we have witnessed a rise in political violence.

It seems that every time political violence occurs, there is a discussion about the values of the person suffering the violence, or a justification of the motives of the assailant or would-be assassin, instead of a simple condemnation of the use of violence to achieve political ends.

In every case, in every circumstance, it is always wrong to turn to political violence as a political expedient. Especially in a democratic society, the weight of ideas should carry the day, rather than the force of arms.

World Trade Center Memorial

If our country is going to progress, it needs to return to its basic values. Freedom of the press is a key freedom. | World Trade Center Memorial, Courtesy: Pexels.com.

Recover Constitutional Principles

One challenge of 9/11 was a wholesale condemnation of American values. In the 25 years since the terrorist attacks, it seems that there is rising confusion about what American values are. There is no State religion and our culture is often described as a melting pot. So, where do we find the values that we can dare to list as American?

I think we can at least agree on the values proclaimed in the Constitution and the Bill of Rights. While we are open to other cultures, it is important to integrate American values civically. How well are we preserving our values? We can think of constitutional principles, civic habits, and cultural practices as making up our American values. While there may be much discussion around cultural practices, we should at least all assimilate our constitutional principles.

There is a lot of discussion around free speech. The debate often seems weaponized in favor of one political position or another. This is simply not right. Free speech should be for all and it means that sometimes we will have to hear opinions that we disagree with and are uncomfortable for us.

We should also encourage the right to peaceful assembly. Yet we have too often seen mass riots justified as a form of political self-expression. If our country is going to progress, it needs to return to its basic values. Freedom of the press is a key freedom. Reporters need to grow in their awareness of the professional and civic responsibility that comes with their high calling. Pope Francis reminded the press of their duty to communicate truth and avoid propaganda.

I have spoken of our need to “disarm” communication and to purify it of aggressiveness. It never helps to reduce reality to slogans. All of us see how – from television talk shows to verbal attacks on social media – there is a risk that the paradigm of competition, opposition, the will to dominate and possess, and the manipulation of public opinion will prevail (Pope Francis, 59th World Day of Social Communications, 1 January 2025).

Resist the Temptation of Empire

Without justifying the attempt of the 9/11 hijackers to topple Western democracy, the past 25 years have also shown us that the hubris of wanting to export American-style Western democracy is flawed. Just as we need other nations to respect our values, we need to respect the values and idiosyncrasies of other cultures.

It is especially concerning when American leaders assume powers that properly belong to other nations or seek to exert unnecessary dominance over other countries and regions of the world. We must stand up to it now, before it is too late. We are called to be a nation, not an empire.

My most powerful memory in connection with the 9/11 terror attacks was the visit to the US 93 memorial site in Pennsylvania. Often forgotten, the 9/11 attack, the museum bears testimony to men and women who prevented the day from being even more horrible. They did not worry about partisan politics; they stood up for freedom, putting civic responsibility first despite the fear they surely felt. They sacrificed everything to prevent the hijackers from reaching their intended target.

The slogan around 9/11 is “Never forget.” As Americans, it is our duty to never forget, and especially to work together to build a country that embodies the values our Founding Fathers sought to give us. “Never forget” cannot simply mean remembering what happened 25 years ago. It must also mean remembering the country we want to be despite what happened then.

Follow me on Substack. | Another September 11 perspective on Patheos: A Buddhist Perspective on 9/11

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About Fr. Nicholas Sheehy, LC

Fr. Nicholas Sheehy is Chaplain at the Duke Catholic Center. He was ordained a Catholic priest in 2013 for the Legionaries of Christ. You can read more about the author here.

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