I recently read somewhere that twice as many Americans have died in Iraq and Afghanistan as did in the attack on the World Trade Center. Violence too often begets further violence. I am reminded of a quote from Richard Rohr: “there is no path to peace, but peace itself is the path.”
On the anniversary of that terrible day, let us dedicate ourselves to peace.
- Lord, make me a channel of thy peace;
- that where there is hatred, I may bring love;
- that where there is wrong, I may bring the spirit of forgiveness;
- that where there is discord, I may bring harmony;
- that where there is error, I may bring truth;
- that where there is doubt, I may bring faith;
- that where there is despair, I may bring hope;
- that where there are shadows, I may bring light;
- that where there is sadness, I may bring joy.
- Lord, grant that I may seek rather to comfort than to be comforted;
- to understand, than to be understood;
- to love, than to be loved.
- For it is by self-forgetting that one finds.
- It is by forgiving that one is forgiven.
- It is by dying that one awakens to eternal life.
- Amen.
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That is such a great prayer. Ambitious is one description I think I would put to it, as many prayers are because, from a personal perspective anyway, it is only through the grace of God that we can hope to achieve any of it.
Simon,
You’re right, of course. It is only through the grace of God…
Paul
For some reason this anniversary is a more challenging one… I do not know why. Having experienced 9/11 from the relatively safe distance of five miles north from the WTC site, I still have sharp memories of a day that I was sure would be my last.
Peace is the path, Christ is the path. The words from Rohr, from the St. Francis peace prayer… they are gifts so early on this day.
I thank you.
Fran,
You were so close. I was in Ireland and I will never forget my sister calling me and saying, “This is the start of the end of the world.”
I sometimes wonder if she wasn’t right.
Paul
Last year at the 10th anniversary of this horrific day, Paul Simon sang at Ground Zero performance of “The Sound of Silence.” His song written right after the JFK assassination, opens with “Hello darkness, my old friend” — if you have not seen his performance, please go to:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kQjH1t3Ddlc
September 11th will always bring thoughts of the innocent victims, the first responders and the surviving families of all those who were lost that day. In the aftermath, eleven years later, thousands and thousands of families from here and abroad have been caught up in conflicts that have no end in sight.
Our prayers continue to go to those who lost loved ones that day, as well as to all those who suffer from acts of war. We pray for God’s peace and God’s mercy in light of the tragedies that people are now inflicting on each other.
Wars are poor chisels for carving out peaceful tomorrows. ― Martin Luther King Jr.
Tim,
Love the MLK quote. Thank you for the link to the Paul Simon performance. I hadn’t known about it or seen it.
Paul
I dread this day every year, the barrage of news purporting to ‘remember the victims’ but really seeking to inflame hatred. Thank you for reminding me that I have a different lens with which to view it.
Sasha,
You are most welcome. I perfectly understand why you dread this day each year.
Paul
Thank you!
A few years ago I was surprized ( and delighted) when a very “conservative” family member mused that they wondered what would happen if we had made an effort to forgive and understand rather than seek revenge for 9/11.
I know it sounds simplistic but it has become clear that our injustice begets more anger, resentment, violence and injustice creating a vicious cycle of ongoing violence.
When will we who are “christian” nations begin acting like christians?
When will we stop seeing our sons and daughters, brothers and sisters, mothers and fathers come home scared from battles that did not need to be fought?
When O Lord will we be guided by the wisdom of your spirit and seek to better establish your vision of the Kingdom rather than establishing our own petty kingdoms?
Maura,
Amen, Amen, Amen. Beautifully put.
Paul
Thank you, Paul, and all those who have left such beautiful comments. I also wonder when humankind will realize that we are all one – that we breathe the same air and are created to live in harmony. Everything we do and say needs to reflect a desire to love one another as Christ has loved us.
Lynda,
It’s funny because at our community meeting last night we were discussing the fact that we of the USA never seem to learn from our experiences but make the same mistakes over and over.
Paul
Thank you Paul for reminding us of those beautiful words on this anniversary date. We alone may not be able to bring peace to the world. But we can do all we can to bring peace to our corner of the world and hope that it will spread. I do not always succeed at this myself, but I do constantly pray for the Grace to do it.
My prayers go out to all people who were affected by this day 11 years ago.
“Let there be peace on Earth and Let it begin with me…” Sy Miller and Jill Jackson
This was very unexpected today when I read your post. It made me realize the anger I was still holding onto even though I was so far away from it. Thank you from pulling me out of that mindset.
The words that stood out from your post was “grant that I may seek rather to comfort than to be comforted; understand, than to be understood”. I think I need to practice these things.
I am not convinced we don’t learn from our experiences. What worries me is that we learn the wrong things. When we were attacked, we learned to be fearful, and we acted out of that fear and a ‘need’ for revenge. Too many leaders — poplitical, military, business, academic — are telling us that we still need to be afraid of everyone one, all the time.
Americans could draw confidence from so many sources. We have so many strengths and values that could encourage us, unite us, strengthen us.
I love the last line of this version of the prayer — I don’t I’ve ever heard it phrased that way before. Sometimes I feel like too many of our decisions over the last 11 years have been made in s state of semi-consciousness. I pray that we awaken soon, that we accept God’s grace, and have the real courage to be the peacemakers that this prayer, that the church, that Christ calls us to be.
Peace be with you all today.
If only it was as easy to live peaceably as it is to speak of peace. I find myself quite the hypocrite lately. I cry out, “Peace! Peace! ” but the first opportunity that arises, this visceral reaction takes over and I find myself embroiled in confrontation with a psychopath in, of all places, a truckstop laundromat, defending my clothes! “If I speak God’s Words with power and angelic ecstacy, revealing all His Mysteries and have not love, I’m nothing but the creaking of a rusty gate. ”
I don’t remember much of 9/11. I was 9yo when that happened, staying in a shelter. The adults, clustered around the tv, snippets of
conversation. One woman’s rather sarcastic comment, “Oh damn, they
cancelled my flight, there goes my trip to Hawaii this year. ” But I don’t remember a time when ever there was peace. A time with no war. First, on the streets in the neighborhood, then between nations and now amongst ourselves : looking at each other with suspicion and condemnation. FBI Web Site has 13,756 homicides
Continued : The FBI murder stats : 13,756 homicides since Jan. 1st. Almost 300 less than 3yo. 9/11 was a golden opportunity for us. People once again turned to God. They came together in love. Many heroes were revealed, then nation building and fear overtook us once again and we blew it! It’s in our nature. Our fallen, human nature. “Lord, set me back on the path of your peace. I/we cannot stay on the road without You.
I just found your site today. Thank you. I am struck particularly today by “For it is by self-forgetting that one finds.”
9/11 is my birthday, I was in the Saudi office at the IMF that day, my colleague and I left downtown and went to an apartment overlooking the Pentagon because roads were clogged and that was our closest option. It is also the anniversary of my father’s death. But, I have been moved by grace and love, and I believe that pain is soluble in love.