Catholic News Agency: New Yorkers wonder if US heard spiritual 'wake-up call' of 9/11

When Robert Harding saw the World Trade Center collapse four blocks from his Manhattan loft on September 11, 2001, he felt God calling people of every nation, race, language, and religion to repentance.

“When I saw the Towers come down, I didn't think 'God is punishing me' – but I did feel that it was a spiritual event. I literally felt the presence of a tremendous spiritual power. It was almost like a wake-up call, to me: 'Look at what you're doing, humanity. Take stock of yourselves. This is where you are, so wake up.'”

But many Americans who hoped for a new era of national purpose and unity after 9/11 find themselves disappointed. Harding, an internationally exhibited artist and lifelong Catholic who grew up during the Second World War, now thinks America might have missed the worldwide “wake-up call.”