Singing and praying on 9/11

Image: Lowbird

Today is a day to remember, a day to pray and, yes, a day to sing...


I offer you two texts here. The first is a hymn which you might sing to the tune of Finlandia or O God, Our Help In Ages Past.  The second is a prayer I wrote for a community prayer service.


When Sudden Terror Tears Apart

When sudden terror tears apart
the world we thought was ours,
we find how fragile strength can be,
how limited our powers.

As tow’r and fortress fall, we watch
with disbelieving stare
and numbly hear the anguished cries
that pierce the ash-filled air.

Yet most of all we are aware
of emptiness and void:
of lives cut short, of structures razed,
of confidence destroyed.

From this abyss of doubt and fear
we grope for words to pray,
and hear our stammering tongues embrace
a timeless Kyrie.

Have mercy, Lord,
give strength and peace
and make our courage great;
restrain our urge to seek revenge,
to turn our hurt to hate.

Help us to know your steadfast love,
your presence near as breath;
rekindle in our hearts the hope
of life that conquers death.

By Carl P. Daw, Jr
2001 Hope Publishing Co.



Let us pray...

Gracious God,

All good gifts come from your hand,
and into our clumsy grasp
you entrust the precious realities
of life, justice and peace.

We remember this day
how fragile is the gift of peace
and how vulnerable are we
in each other’s hands.

We remember those who died
and those who mourn their loss...

We remember those whose courage
gave us a new model for bravery...

We remember those who gave their lives
in their efforts to save others...

We remember that day, that sunny morning
when the borders of our nation
were broken through to the depths of our hearts...

We remember and we pray
for the healing and peace
that only you can give
and that we must share...

Bring us to the day, O God,
when war is but a memory
and peace our way of life...

Bring us to the day, O God,
when the harvest of justice
will nourish the people of all nations...

Hasten the advent of that day, O God
and let our pride not stand in its way...

We ask this through Christ our Lord. Amen.



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In the shadow of your wings...

Image source: PF

O God, you are my God—
it is you I seek!

For you my body yearns;
for you my soul thirsts,
In a land parched, lifeless,
and without water.

I look to you in the sanctuary
to see your power and glory.
For your love is better than life,
my lips shall ever praise you!

I think of you upon my bed,
I remember you through the watches of the night.

You indeed are my savior,
and in the shadow of your wings I shout for joy…

- Psalm 63



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How will we remember 9/11?

If you Google "9/11 forgive" you'll come up with a number of variations on the theme in the graphic above.

The Lord's Word on forgiveness will pierce our minds and hearts as we gather to pray while commemorating the 10th anniversary of 9/11 this weekend.

Be prepared for what you will hear proclaimed in the scriptures - and let the Word begin to sink into your soul even before you get to church.

This Sunday's readings and commentary on them, along with hints for helping children prepare to hear the Word can be found at this earlier post.


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A Blessing of Angels

I found this blessing, written by John O'Donohue, over at Blue Eyed Ennis.  It's a blessing I believe  many readers here will find helpful.

Blessing of Angels

May the Angels in their beauty bless you.
May they turn toward you streams of blessing.

May the Angel of Awakening stir your heart
To come alive to the eternal within you,
To all the invitations that quietly surround you.

May the Angel of Healing turn your wounds
Into sources of refreshment.

May the Angel of the Imagination enable you
To stand on the true thresholds,
At ease with your ambivalence
And drawn in new directions
Through the glow of your contradictions.

May the Angel of Compassion open your eyes
to the unseen suffering around you.

May the Angel of Wildness disturb the places
Where your life is domesticated and safe,
Take you to the territories of true otherness.
Where all that is awakened in you
Can fall into its own rhythm.

May the Angel of Eros introduce you
To the beauty of your senses
To celebrate your inheritance
As a temple of the Holy Spirit.

May the Angel of Justice disturb you
To take the side of the poor and wronged.

May the Angel of Encouragement confirm you
In worth and self-respect,
That you may live with the dignity
That presides in your soul.

May the Angel of Death arrive only
When your life is complete
And you have brought every given gift
To the threshold where its infinity can shine.

May all the Angels be your sheltering
And joyful guardians.


- John O'Donohue in Benedictus


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Fr. Jim Martin, SJ reflects on 9/11

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Nativity of the Blessed Virgin

Nativity of the Blessed Virgin by Andrea di Bartolo

September 8 is the day when the Church commemorates the Birthday of the Blessed Virgin Mary.

Do we know the date of Mary's birth? Not from any records or birth certificates! But if you count back exactly nine months, you'll find yourself at another important date on the church calendar: the Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception. (This is a good way of remembering that the dogma of the Immaculate Conception is not about the conception of Jesus in Mary's womb but rather about the conception of Mary in the womb of her mother, Anna.)

In the history of the church calendar, the feast of Mary's birthday was observed long before the dogma of the Immaculate Conception was defined in 1854. The September 8 commemoration led to choosing December 8 as the date for celebrating the Immaculate Conception.

In the painting above, midwives and servants attend Mary's mother, Anna, on her bed, and her father, Joachim, in the anteroom.

Hail Mary, full of grace,

the Lord is with you!

Blessed are you among women

and blessed is the fruit of your womb, Jesus.

Holy Mary, Mother of God,

pray for us sinners, 

now and at the hour of our death.

Amen.

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The Scriptures we'll hear on 9/11

Image: DwellingInTheWord

Wrath and anger are hateful things,

yet the sinner hugs them tight...

Forgive your neighbor's injustice;

then when you pray, your own sins will be forgiven.

(from the Book of Sirach)
 

If we live, we live for the Lord,

and if we die, we die for the Lord;

so then, whether we live or die, we are the Lord's.

(from the Letter of St. Paul to the Romans)

Lord, if my brother sins against me,

how often must I forgive?

As many as seven times?

Jesus answered, "I say to you, not seven times

but seventy-seven times."

(from the Gospel according to Matthew)

Minds, hearts and memories will be focused this Sunday on the tragedy of September 11, 2001.  On the church calendar we'll be hearing the scriptures for the 24th Sunday in Ordinary Time.

How will we hear these words?  
How will these scriptures be preached?

How will these texts touch our minds, our hearts and our memories?

Every week I encourage you to read and ponder the scriptures and background on them as the best way to prepare for Sunday worship.  This week you might make this little scripture study a part of your prayer as we approach the 10th anniversary of 9/11.

Will you be shepherding young ones to church this weekend?  Here are some hints to help children prepare to the Lord's Word.

Take some time today, this evening, tomorrow or the next day to sit with these scriptures.  You'll be grateful that you did.


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If you ask me...

I'm increasingly aware of, curious about and annoyed by the frequency with which folks seem to misusing "Okay."

For example:

John: Glad to meet you. Where are you from?

Mary: Concord.

John: Okay.  (often:  Oh, Okay.)

What's John saying here?
Is he confirming that Mary does, indeed, know where she lives?
Is he giving Mary permission to live in Concord?
Is he telling Mary that Concord is a decent place to live?
Is he giving approval, assent or agreement to Mary's living in Concord?

OK?

What's John saying here?

The above is just one example.  Keep you ears open today and listen for how often "Okay" enters your conversations and ask yourself, "Is it always okay to say okay?"



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A prayer for teachers as school begins

In my part of the world, school begins tomorrow and there's plenty of understandable attention on the children going back to their classrooms. Of course, teachers, school administrators and school support staff are also returning to school and they shoulder an awesome responsibility as a new academic year begins.  Here's a prayer for teachers but I think it can easily be prayed by all who work in our schools.

A Teacher's Prayer

Dear God,

A new school year is about to begin
and my classroom door will soon open
to the students you've assigned to my care...

Open my mind and heart to each of them
and especially to the ones
who will challenge me the most...

Help me challenge my students, all of them,
to study, to learn, to grow in knowledge
and even a little wisdom...

Help me remember, Lord,
how young my students are:
give me patience to help them grow up
and insight to know the help they need...

Help me to understand that sometimes
my students may not understand me:
may I be clear in the things I say and do,
and in how I say and do them…

My students don't know the burdens and worries
my heart brings to the classroom,
so help me remember, Lord,
how anxious and heavy my students' hearts may be...

Keep me from favoring any particular students, Lord,
except for those who most need my help...

Let my decisions in the classroom
be fair and just, honest and true...

Send your Spirit to fill me with gifts
of knowledge and understanding, counsel and wisdom…

Lord, open my mind and heart to my students' parents,
especially those who will challenge me the most...

Help me challenge parents to challenge their children
to study, to learn and to grow...

Help me to teach as you would, Lord:
help me be understanding when I need to be firm,
gentle in all things,
and patient until the last bell rings…

A new school year is about to begin, Lord,
and I wonder,
what will you teach me today?

Amen.


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Monday Morning Offering - 159 / Labor Day Prayers

Image: George Mendoza


Good morning, good God!

Another Monday morning, Lord,
the first one in September,
Labor Day:
summer’s end, fall’s debut,
a day off from work
for all who have a job…

Grant a day of rest, a Sabbath plus,
to the weary, the overworked,
to those who work two jobs or more,
to those who toil without joy or satisfaction…

And I offer you, Lord,
I lift up to your hands,
those who have no job,
who’ve searched in vain for months,
for years, for work to do
to pay the bills, to make ends meet,
to just get by…

I offer to your mercy, Lord,
those not justly paid
whose rights have no defenders,
whose work sites fail to rise
to any standard decent, clean, humane…

I lift up to your eyes, O Lord,
those who’ve lost themselves in work,
forsaking rest, forgetting family, friends
and joy…

I offer you to your counsel, Lord,
the young who seek good jobs
and older workers suddenly
let go and set adrift…

I lift up in thanksgiving, Lord,
those who work for laborers’ rights,
who toil for those whom others cheat
and use with no regard
for human life and for your Spirit, Lord,
dwelling deep within each worker’s heart…

Refresh the weary laborer, Lord,
and lead the jobless back to work…

Lift up those who work too hard;
refresh the hearts of those
whose working days are done
and chart a path
for those whose work has just begun…

Move the minds and hearts
of those who give employ;
make just and fair the worker’s lot
and safe each place where work is done…

Let my work give you glory, Lord,
and praise,
this day, this week and all my life…

Amen.


(Click here for an archive of Monday Morning Offerings)


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