A prayer on 9/11/11

9.11.11

Ten years ago, The Virginian-Pilot asked local religious leaders to write one paragraph each as part of a community prayer in response to the 9/11 attacks. On this anniversary, we asked another group of local religious leaders to do the same.

Each writer read the preceding lines before writing his own. The lines are in their own words and from within their own faiths.

Holy one, Eternal Wellspring of Hope, healing and new beginnings, as we enter now into this time of remembering the unutterable horror of that cloudless day, those moments, the images, where we were and what we felt, emblazoned as they are in the timelessness of our minds; make of this trauma the birthing place, not of blinding fear but of a liberating new vision of peace.

We ask that you would comfort the hearts of the families who lost loved ones. We pray for your grace to keep their memories alive through acts of kindness on their behalf. Protect our nation from attacks in the days ahead and teach us to put our trust in you.

We pause to recall singular events whose magnitude will always be seared into our individual and collective memory. May our proud nation, a beacon of light to the world, yet turn pain into promise, violence into vision and blemishes into blessings.

Humble us, O Lord, that as a nation we may examine our own hearts and see how we have offended you and not been the salt and light we should have been. Deliver us from evil wherever it is found, in the minds and hearts of others or in ourselves.

God of loving kindness, those who have died still live in your presence. Welcome into your loving embrace all those who died on Sept. 11. Grant them eternal rest. Comfort those who mourn them. Open our hearts to hear your word, and in it, find light in a time of darkness and strength in our belief that your son won for us eternal life.

As we pause to look back, remind us that out of the tragedy and horror, we also saw the triumph and hope of the human spirit as firefighters, police officers, military members, religious and aid organizations, neighbors, co-workers and friends worked to rescue, aid, defend, comfort and care for one another. Draw us together once again that we might stand together in solidarity and unity to love and care for one another.

Gracious and Almighty Creator, let us build the resolve, in the face of inconceivable calamity, to forever live with an indestructible hope. May we perpetually be energized by Your presence; agitated by evil; and activated to do justly and love mercy. We seek, today, and in the days ahead, a sincere spirit of unity, camaraderie and peace.

Seeking, wrestling, calling out, pondering, thirsting ... the ache for meaning in what appears agonizingly meaningless threatens to unravel tender threads of hope that knit hearts together in grace. May your peace embrace all questions born of grief. May your hands open sore eyes to eternal things unseen. May you press memories of those lost too soon into our minds, and may your strength engage our faith as we never stop believing love builds and celebrates the future, triumphing over all things.

With God’s Name, The Merciful Benefactor, The Merciful Redeemer. Our Lord we trust in you always, and we pray that you fulfill the needs of those who lost loved ones and those who suffered injury resulting from the attack on this nation. Heal the hearts of the people of America and punish the guilty as you deem to be fitting!

Heavenly Father and Creator of Everything and Everyone, we pause with humble hearts to thank you for life. We realize that on this day 10 years ago, thousands of people and families were affected by a massive loss of life. We lift them up to you today and ask that you provide comfort for them and give them the peace that only you can give. Heal their families and bring restoration to them. In the name of Jesus who is worthy.

Hear our prayers O Lord, we cry out to you. Do not hide your face from us on this day of our distress. Incline your ear to hear our remembered sorrow. Remind us of how we boiled in anger at injustice, And how we whispered prayers of mercy for families crushed by loss. Never let us forget the unity of spirit forged in the hot fires of those Trade Center towers and Pentagon halls, the steely camaraderie of a nation resolved to rebuild. Help us one day to beat our swords into plowshares and our spears into pruning hooks, our times of tragedy into a community of peace. Amen.

Contributors (Religious leaders are listed in the order in which their words appear): The Rev. Canon Irwin M. Lewis, rector, Christ & St. Luke's Episcopal Church, Norfolk; Bishop B. Courtney McBath, senior pastor, Calvary Revival Church, Norfolk; Rabbi Israel Zoberman, spiritual leader of Congregation Beth Chaverim and president of the Hampton Roads Board of Rabbis and Cantors; Rev. Ruffin Alphin, senior pastor, Westminster Presbyterian Church, Suffolk; Fr. Rob Cole, St. John the Apostle Catholic Church, Virginia Beach; Chaplain John Maurice, command chaplain, Naval Station Norfolk; Rev. Dr. Todd C. Davidson, senior pastor, Piney Grove Baptist Church, Virginia Beach; Michael Simone, senior pastor, Spring Branch Church, Virginia Beach; Imam Vernon M. Fareed, Masjid William Salaam, Norfolk; Rev. Ramon M. Owens Jr., minister of education and outreach, Great Bridge Baptist Church, Chesapeake; Rev. Dr. Richard Kidd, chaplain, Regent University.