"God of peace, bring your peace to our violent world:
peace in the hearts of all men and women and peace among the nations of the earth." - Catholic.org
Whenever I hear that date, my stomach turns into a knot. I was a freshmen at the University of Scranton on 9/11/01. I am trying not to relive the day. I am not watching the newscast. I am not reading the paper. This does not mean that I am not remembering the lives lost that day. I remember...
This year is different than the others because for the first time I realize that someday I will have to explain the day to my son who wasn't alive on 9/11/01. I will have to tell him why the streets in our neighborhood have victim's names on them. I will have explain why there are two large pieces of steel from the towers at the beach. I will show him the memorial in our church.
I presume this is one of those things that you just do. You just explain it when they ask.
Today, I am blessed to have my sweet little boy happily playing with his feet on the bed oblivious to all of the hate, crime, and terrorism in our world. It is wonderful to see how innocent his is.
My prayers today are for peace.
O God of love, compassion, and healing,
look on us, people of many different faiths
and traditions,
who gather today at this site,
the scene of incredible violence and pain.
We ask you in your goodness
to give eternal light and peace
to all who died here—
the heroic first-responders:
our fire fighters, police officers,
emergency service workers, and
Port Authority personnel,
along with all the innocent men and women
who were victims of this tragedy
simply because their work or service
brought them here on September 11, 2001.
We ask you, in your compassion
to bring healing to those
who, because of their presence here that day,
suffer from injuries and illness.
Heal, too, the pain of still-grieving families
and all who lost loved ones in this tragedy.
Give them strength to continue their lives
with courage and hope.
We are mindful as well
of those who suffered death, injury, and loss
on the same day at the Pentagon and in
Shanksville, Pennsylvania.
Our hearts are one with theirs
as our prayer embraces their pain and suffering.
God of peace, bring your peace to our violent world:
peace in the hearts of all men and women
and peace among the nations of the earth.
Turn to your way of love
those whose hearts and minds
are consumed with hatred.
God of understanding,
overwhelmed by the magnitude of this tragedy,
we seek your light and guidance
as we confront such terrible events.
Grant that those whose lives were spared
may live so that the lives lost here
may not have been lost in vain.
Comfort and console us,
strengthen us in hope,
and give us the wisdom and courage
to work tirelessly for a world
where true peace and love reign
among nations and in the hearts of all.
Pope Benedict XI--Prayer at Ground Zero
New York, 20 April 2008
10 Years Later
9 Years Later
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