American attacked. A nation mourns. The world watches.

By Rev. Dr. Sandra Bochonok (revsandyb@aol.com)
September 15, 2001

"The LORD is my shepherd, I shall not be in want. He makes me lie down in green pastures, he leads me beside quiet waters, he restores my soul. He guides me in paths of righteousness for his name's sake. Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me. You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies, you anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows. Surely goodness and love will follow me all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the house of the LORD forever." Psalm 23 "We walk by faith, not by sight." From the book of 2 Corinthians 5:7

Opening prayer

"O God, you are our refuge. When we are exhausted by life's efforts; when we are bewildered by life's problems; when we are wounded by life's sorrows: we come for refuge to you. O God, you are our strength. When our tasks are beyond our powers; when our temptations are too strong for us; when duty calls for more than we have to give to it: we come for strength to you. O God, it is from you that all goodness comes. It is from you that our ideals come; it is from you that there comes to us the spur of high desire and the restraint of conscience. It is from you that there has come the strength to resist any temptation, and to do any good thing. And now as we pray to you, help us to believe in your love, so that we may be certain that you will hear our prayer; help us to believe in your power, so that we may be certain that you are able to do for us above all that we ask or think; help us to believe in your wisdom, so that we may be certain that you will answer, not as our ignorance asks, but as your perfect wisdom knows best. All this we ask through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen." From Prayers for the Christian Year, by William Barclay.

Where were you when American was under attack on September 11, 2001? I had gone for my morning run and not yet heard the news when a distraught neighbor approached me, dazed and disbelieving from her home. "Don't you know," she wept, "America is under attack and I don't know what to do." "We can pray," I said, "there is no such thing as a little prayer." More neighbors approached. "We don't know what to do. We feel so helpless," they said. "Pray," I urged, "there is no such thing as a little prayer. Pray for those unable to pray. Pray for those who have preyed. They urgently need our prayers. That is something we can all do."

I rushed home and with millions of other shocked and disbelieving Americans watched the unfolding horror. What begun as an ordinary day quickly became a national day of mourning and mounting anger. Mourning for the victims and their families. Anger at the cowardly terrorists who had accomplished mass murder.

That morning four hijacked planes had been used in a carefully planned, well-coordinated attack. Two had deliberately crashed and destroyed the twin 110-story towers of the World Trade Center building in New York City. Minutes later another crashed into the Pentagon in Washington, DC, causing the White House to be evacuated while the fourth plane crashed outside Pittsburgh.

Air traffic screeched to a stop while the American military went on highest alert. Emergency national and local measures were implemented within minutes. International borders were closed. Public buildings throughout the United States were evacuated while doomed World Trade Center victims either fell or jumped to their deaths, attempting to escape their fiery inferno high in the sky. One image will haunt me forever; the image of people who jumped to their deaths while holding hands and linking arms. It was too much to bear. Scenes of hell could not be any worse than these horrific moments.

Within minutes the world changed forever as we experienced a national crisis. What happened in the United States of America could have happened anywhere around the world. With millions of others, I wept and prayed for the victims, survivors and rescue crews, desperately attempting to save lives. Hundreds of firefighters were killed in their heroic efforts, along with dozens of New York Police. Extraordinary acts of courage and heroism became common as complete strangers on the streets risked life and limb to help others. Dazed survivors, bleeding and covered with rubble were brought to more than 170 New York City hospitals. Television cameras panned the devastation as construction workers and other employees from neighboring buildings were evacuated to safety. Before some left, they hurriedly wrote in huge letters on large sheets to hang from windows, "Pray for the victims and their families" and "God bless America."

Hours later, a grim-faced President George W. Bush asked the nation to find comfort in Scripture, as the world began mourning the deaths of thousands of Americans. He concluded his address, asking the nation to pray for the families of the victims, "And I pray they will be comforted by a power greater than any of us spoken through the ages in Psalm 23. Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I fear no evil for you are with me."

Today our nation mourns while the world watches. We are a people in national crisis with international implications that are beyond our human comprehension. Prayers are whispered. Tears are shed as we reel from the horrific tragedy. People of faith continue gathering in synagogues and cathedrals, churches and mosques, temples and holy places around the world in ecumenical and interfaith services. We pray with and without words, with tears streaming down our faces. We are drawn to a power higher than ourselves, a Holy One who comforts those weeping. And so we are helped and comforted in our deepest moments of unspeakable anguish and fear.

And we cry out for strength and understanding, wondering where God is in all the horror. Where was God when the unspeakable happened? How could God have allowed this to happen? Who could the hijackers be? Why would they commit such atrocities to innocent men, women and children?

Television commentators spoke of Islamic fundamentalists as terrorist possibilities. These cell groups of highly motivated, hate filled; mostly young men historically have been willing to blow themselves up in suicide/kamikaze missions. We have seen the results of their bloody actions mostly in Israel in recent days of escalating violence. They are willing and eager to sacrifice their lives in religious holy war.

But wise spiritual leaders from around the world quickly reminded the dazed public to refrain from retributive hate crimes. They reminded the world that the overwhelming global majority of Muslims also condemned these cowardly acts of terrorism. Within hours, people from many faiths came together and began many extraordinary interfaith vigils mingling Jewish, Christian and Muslim prayers for peace and healing. These interfaith prayers brought words of comfort in national and personal crisis, words of courage and compassion as our nation resolved and mobilized to bring those responsible to justice. As we walked in faith and not by sight, our prayers connected us in our common human condition of mourning.

And tragically, even before the dust of the rubble settled, prominent television evangelists Jerry Falwell and Pat Robertson, powerful voices of the religious right, said "liberal civil liberties groups, feminists, homosexuals and abortion rights supporters bear partial responsibility for Tuesday's terrorist attacks because their actions have turned God's anger against American." When Americans urgently need to stand united, this harmful religious rhetoric points fingers at innocent American citizens as being as evil as the terrorists. These kinds of hurtful and divisive words influence ignorant and bigoted and fearful people who might respond with savage violence against fellow Americans in their eagerness to retaliate.

I thank God that a White House official called these remarks "inappropriate" and added, "The president does not share those views." We must courageously unite, not divide. We must refuse to scapegoat innocent people who are suffering. We have all lost life partners, children, friends and lovers.

And so as a nation, we must unite and walk together. We walk by many faiths, not by sight. Gay and straight, young and old, feminists and traditionalists, survivors and bereaved--we have lived through the initial hours of crisis but are not crushed. We grieve yet are comforted by words of faith, hope and love. As the dust settles, we will bury our sacred dead with the utmost love and devotion. We need our cherished sacred faiths for strength and comfort. By faith in God and all that is holy and good, we are sustained. Through faith in God, our nation and ourselves, we will find the courage needed to go on living one day at a time when even one minute feels overwhelming. And we will always remember our loved ones, keeping their cherished memories alive in our hearts.

In the ensuing chaos and confusion from terrorist aftermath and suffering, many have wondered where God was in these terrible moments. God was with us in all the bloody mess, confusion and chaos. God was empowering, energizing, encouraging and enabling desperate people searching for survivors. And this compassionate and all caring, all seeing, comforting God continues to weeps with us. God sees. God cares. God was in the fiery inferno of the WTC towers, helping the poor souls unable to escape in their final moments. God was in each of the hijacked planes, empowering the hostages with courage. God continues to be at work in our midst, through the extraordinary acts of kindness and quiet heroism of strangers and friends. God was in the long waiting lines of volunteers donating blood, working in the hospitals and at ground zero.

God is with us in the rubble of life, when we are blinded by clouds of flying fragments of hatred and violence and paralyzing anguish. This loving Presence is closer than our breathing, nearer than our hands and feet. And through the prayers of people like us, God's presence continues to guide, comfort, encourage and strengthen our nation and the entire world during this time of danger and fear, crisis and uncertainty. Truly, we are called to pray for those unable to pray and for those who have preyed. History will belong to the intercessors.

While there are many prayers being said, in many faiths, in many languages during this time of national and global grief, I must now speak to this tragedy as a distinctly Christian minister. I personally experience a very special spiritual strength and solace through the remarkable person of Jesus Christ. It is the compassionate face of Christ that sustains and encourages me in these moments of shock and disbelief.

In my study I have an inexpensive copy of a beloved Russian icon from Svenigorod, painted by the famous 15th century artist, Andrew Rublev. In Behold the Beauty of the LORD, the late Henri Nouwen wrote this description about this compassionate face of Christ, the Peacemaker: "To see Christ is to see God and all of humanity. This mystery has evoked in me a burning desire to see the face of Jesusbut when I saw Andrew Rublev's icon of Christ, I saw what I had never seen before and felt what I had never felt beforeit was severely damaged.the face was injuredI had the distinct sense that the face of Christ appears in the midst of great chaos. A sad but still very beautiful face looks at us through the ruins of our world...to me, this holy face expresses the depth of God's immense compassion in the midst of our increasingly violent world."

Fellow citizens-this is the face of God that war, injustice; hatred, betrayal and violence cannot remove from our world. As we look deep into the compassionate eyes of this icon, we experience the kindness and unlimited goodness and love of God, through the tender face of Christ. It is a face full of love and strength, offering courage and comfort. It is the face of Christ who has experienced oceans of tears. It is a face that brings us into the heart of God. And in times of crisis and our moments of deepest need, it is a holy face that reminds us of God's deep compassion for a suffering humanity. It is a sacred face worthy of contemplation for people from all walks of life, religions, sexual orientations and ethnic backgrounds.

It is a face that speaks to us without words while we rebuild our broken and shattered lives. It is this Christ who taught the world, "blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted" (Matthew 5:4). It is this timeless Christ who urged a hurting humanity to bring him their heavy burdens. In exchange, he offers us God's rest and healing for wholeness (Matthew 11:28). He has many names, including Good Shepherd of our souls. Yes, "even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I fear no evil; for you are with me; your rod and your staff-they comfort me" (Psalm 23:4). He is well acquainted with grief and sorrow, betrayal and hatred, violence and injustice (Isaiah 53). He is the ultimate grief counselor and spiritual guide for a world reeling and off balance with the recent terrorist acts of senseless hatred and violence.

And Scripture reminds us that nothing and no one will ever be able to separate us from the love of Christ. Neither hardship nor distress, persecution or famine, or danger or violence or any of the powers of evil can separate us from his all-encompassing, divine love. So we are more than conquerors through Christ who loved us. And we are "convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor rulers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor anything else in all of creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord" (Romans 8:35, 37-39).

Therefore we can comfort one another with these words of faith taken from the famous hymn of St. Patrick: "Christ be with me, Christ within me, Christ behind me, Christ before me, Christ beside me, Christ to win me, Christ to comfort and restore me, Christ beneath me, Christ above me, Christ in quiet, Christ in danger, Christ in hearts of all that love me, Christ in mouth of friend and stranger."

It was the famous apostle Paul who wrote seven sacred words that can comfort us in crisis, while bringing us courage and God's compassion in the aftermath of terror. "We walk by faith, not by sight." We walk by faith one step at a time, one moment at a time, one breath at a time. We walk with God even when our steps stumble with fatigue and grief in the darkness of stark evil, hatred and injustice. While our steps may be heavy with grief today, someday they will dance with joy again. God is faithful. God will not abandon us. God cares deeply. God's comfort embraces us and will never let us go.

And so in Christ, grieve with a significantly unique and distinct hope. Death is not the end. Jesus hated death and compassionately taught people that he was the resurrection and source of eternal life. He came to planet earth to conquer evil and yes, even death. "The last enemy to be destroyed is death"(1 Corinthians 15:26). Through Christ, we have a hope beyond the grave. We can fully expect to see our loved ones again, but with imperishable resurrection bodies. Someday there will be a resurrection of the dead. It is a great mystery for people of faith. In the twinkling of an eye, we will all be changed and we will be in the Presence of God forever. Therefore, we can echo these words of faith written by Paul during the first twenty-five years of the early Christian church, "Death has been swallowed up in victory. Where, O death, is your victory? Where, O death, is your sting? The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law. But thanks be to God who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ" (1 Corinthians 15:54-56).

We will see our loved ones again. As believers in Christ, we grieve with hope. We believe that Jesus Christ died and rose again, and through him, the dead in Christ will rise someday in the great resurrection. And we who are alive, who are left, will be caught up in the clouds together with them, to meet the Lord in the air; and so we will be with the Lord forever. "Therefore, we encourage one another with these words" (1 Thessalonians 4:13-18).

During yesterday's memorial and prayer service inside the National Cathedral, Reverend Billy Graham preached, "Yes, our nation has been attacked. But now we have a choice whether to implode and disintegrate emotionally and spiritually as a people and a nation, or whether we chose to become stronger through all of the struggle." People of God, I urge you to become stronger. Be of good courage. Comfort one another with these words. Be extraordinarily kind and thoughtful to everyone. Keep looking up. Keep your faith. Remember to pray. There is no such thing as a little prayer. Pray for those unable to pray and for those who have preyed.

Now trust God in the hours and days ahead. We are not alone. Christ is with us. The Spirit of the Living God will indwell, uplift, sustain and comfort us. And may the peace of God that surpasses all human understanding guard your hearts and equip you in the uncertain days to come. God bless you and God bless America. Amen.

Closing prayer

Our closing prayer comes from St. Francis of Assisi (1181-1226). "Lord, make me an instrument of thy peace. Where there is hatred, let me sow love. Where there is injury, pardon. Where there is discord, vision. Where there is doubt, faith. Where there is despair, hope. Where there is darkness, light. Where there is sadness, joy. O divine Mater, grant that I may not so much seek to be consoled as to console; to be understood as to understand; to be loved, as to love; for it is in giving that we receive, it is in pardoning that we are pardoned, and it is in dying that we are born to eternal life." Amen.