We ask for the wisdom to be builders of the human community rather than destroyers.
We ask for the humility as a people to understand the fears and hopes of other peoples.
We ask for the love it takes to bequeath to the children of the world to come
more than the failures of our own making.
We ask for the heart it takes to care for all the peoples of the world as well as ourselves.
~ from Prayer for World Peace by Joan Chittister, osb
Today I attended the interfaith service in Central Park. The irony or blessing of where it was held was not lost on me. 9/11/11—ten years after the terrorist attack on the World Trade Center Towers. A good number of us gathered to remember: Muslim, Christian, Hindu, B’hai, Sikh, Aboriginal, Jain, and Buddhist each praying in our own tradition, united in our desire for peace. Dance, chant, song, and prayer expressed that desire. I am glad that I went and ran into many people I knew there, people who try to live non-violently.
Ten years ago I woke up to the news that a plane had flown into one of the World Trade Center Towers in New York City. Something in my head went off and I stumbled out of bed and turned the TV on. I saw, as many of us did, the second plane hit live. That was when I knew that my initial assumption was correct. When the news of the third and fourth plane was revealed, there was no doubt of the horror that was unfolding. We did not fully understand how much it would change our lives and our world.
I ask, O God, for the grace to be my best self, to be a builder of community, to move beyond fears to hope, to leave this world a better one for the next generation, and to have the heart required to care when there is nothing left to give.
I have always signed off my blog with one word, but tonight, I especially mean it.
Peace,
Suzanne
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