Soviets and hot dogs As the story is popularly told among employees, during the Cold War, it was discovered that the Soviet Union, using surveillance aircraft or other techniques, had observed a significant number of high-ranking military personnel (a.k.a. “top brass”) walking in and out of a building at the center of the courtyard. They assumed that that building must, therefore, be a very important office. For that reason (and perhaps also that it was the center of the Pentagon), it was said that the Russians had their missiles targeted at that precise location at the center of the courtyard. Thus, if a war with Russia were ever to happen, the building at the center of the Pentagon would be a primary target. Hence the name Ground Zero. But the real significance of that building was much more humble and, consequently, a cause for ironic mirth. Far from being a top-secret office, it was in fact a hot-dog stand, and all the high-ranking military personnel who entered and exited were not there for topsecret meetings, but because they liked hot dogs! Marian chaplains The Marian Fathers, based out of their house of formation in Washington, D.C., have been serving as contract chaplains at the Pentagon since 2007. The reason that the Pentagon calls upon civilian priests instead of their own military chaplains is that the military priests are often traveling or in meetings and are, therefore, not available on a consistent basis to celebrate Mass and to hear Confessions. Last year, I was privileged to celebrate Ash Wednesday Mass at the Pentagon. Rather than holding Mass in the small memorial chapel, we normally celebrate in the auditorium, which can accommodate about 200 people. Due to regulations that still limited the size of indoor gatherings, it was announced that Ash Wednesday Mass would be held in, of all places, the center courtyard — Ground Zero. The altar would be set up on the permanent stage located along one wall, which is sometimes used for honors ceremonies and other events. As Mass was about to start, I pondered the significance of the location: the prime target of our nation’s enemies. As Catholics, however, we know that the real battle is a much more significant one — not against flesh and blood, as St. Paul says, but against principalities and powers (see Eph 6:12). We are fighting a battle for souls. The ultimate Ground Zero was not the Pentagon or the World Trade Center. It was Calvary, where Jesus freely accepted death on the Cross and rose from the grave victorious over sin and death. And that mystery — that battle — is what we enter into at every Mass, which makes present for us Christ’s saving death and Resurrection. Standing at the Pentagon’s Ground Zero, about to celebrate Mass there, knowing the significance of that place during the Cold War, and knowing the significance of the Mass and the cloud of witnesses surrounding us, made me appreciate even more what I was about to do and the awesome power of the priesthood. I was aware that I was about to step directly into the enemy’s crosshairs and to boldly make Christ and His victory present in that very place: Ground Zero. The readings that day and every Ash Wednesday were significant. In the first reading from Joel, the Lord pleads, “Return to me with your whole heart … [R]eturn to the LORD, your God” (Joel 2:12-18). How fitting! That very day, employees were returning to work for the first time in several months. And all of the Catholics gathered there for Mass were also returning to the Sacraments, receiving Christ again in the Eucharist, after having to go without His Eucharistic Presence for so long due to COVID. If Americans are sometimes characterized by their perseverance in the face of opposition and their willingness to turn tragedy into triumph, we as Catholics look to the ultimate model: our Lord Jesus Christ, who, by His Incarnation, entered into the darkness of our world and won the victory over sin and death, turning the greatest evil, the Crucifixion, into the greatest good for us, the Resurrection. Fighting for Christ I was very aware in that Mass, as I pronounced the words of consecration, that Christ was coming, Body, Blood, Soul, and Divinity, into Ground Zero. And with me were 200 people, standing without fear in that very public place that was once the target of Soviet missiles and the flightpath of terrorists. In that Mass, as in every Mass, whether we knew it or not, we were all in Satan’s crosshairs, spiritually speaking, as each of us welcomed the Lord into the interior “Ground Zero” of our hearts. Through Confession and the Eucharist, the Lord transforms Satan’s target into His sacred dwelling place. That day, as I held up the Host at the consecration, I looked out over the sea of people and thought how good and fitting it was to be bringing Christ into that place and that, together, we were fighting for Him in the battle against evil, the battle for souls! Father Jim McCormack is the Marian director of formation, based at the Marian Scholasticate in Washington, D.C. To learn more about Marian vocations, visit Marian.org/vocations. ‘The ultimate Ground Zero was not the Pentagon or the World Trade Center. It was Calvary, where Jesus freely accepted death on the Cross and rose from the grave victorious over sin and death.’ Marian Helper • Summer 2023 • Marian.org 29
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