9/11 Remembrance and Forgiveness

Tomorrow is the 13th Anniversary of the worst terrorist attack on American soil.  In some ways it doesn’t feel like it has been that long because of our continued consciousness of terrorist activities since then and the ripple effects they have on our everyday lives.  Yet it also seems long ago as those entering high school this year have almost no memory of those events.
Some adhere to the “Never Forget” motto with the desire to celebrate the many victims and heroes of that day, while others think it is better to move on and not live in the past.  Since September 11th has been and always will be my birthday, I have a different affinity for the day than most.  I cannot face the day being sad or depressed because my birthday has always been a day of celebration, of giving thanks for being born and enjoying the life I have.  I do understand that some have difficulty facing the day due to memories and losses. I can only pray that God’s healing presence will console them and that love and hope will conquer hatred and fear. 
It is extremely appropriate that our Gospel lesson for this Sunday from Matthew is Jesus’ instruction about forgiveness. “Peter came and said to Jesus, ‘Lord, if another member of the church sins against me, how often should I forgive? As many as seven times?’ Jesus said to him, ‘Not seven times, but, I tell you, seventy-seven times.’” (Matt 18:21-22)  Jesus’ instruction to the church is to not make interactions between members contractual but relational. Within a relationship, feelings of pity and mercy are necessary, where as in a contract, such emotions are considered irrelevant. While the secular world wants us to believe that rational behavior is devoid of emotion, Jesus calls us into a deeper way of life, one that recognized that we are made less when we harbor enmity toward our neighbor because it destroys our own soul more than it hurts the other.
The opportunity that this anniversary offers us is time to consider our lives and relationships.  Do you need to forgive someone for a sin committed against you; do you need to ask for someone’s forgiveness for something you have done?  Can you forgive those who are misguided by fear and hatred and work toward understanding and peace? 
Here are a couple of resources to help you commemorate the day.  However you spend the day, I hope you will take a moment to give thanks for God’s creation and our opportunity to be a part of it.
A Prayer for the Commemoration of 9/11
God the compassionate one, whose loving care extends to all the world, we remember this day your children of many nations and many faiths whose lives were cut short by the fierce flames of anger and hatred. Console those who continue to suffer and grieve, and give them comfort and hope as they look to the future. Out of what we have endured, give us the grace to examine our relationships with those who perceive us as the enemy, and show our leaders the way to use our power to serve the good of all for the healing of the nations. This we ask through Jesus Christ our Lord who, in reconciling love, was lifted up from the earth that he might draw all things to himself. Amen.
--Prepared by The Most Reverend Frank T. Griswold, Former Presiding Bishop

Six Moments of Silence for 9/11
1.      Observed at 8:46 AM (when AA Flight 11 crashed into the North Tower of the WTC)
2.      Observed at 9:03 AM (when UA Flight 175 crashed into the South Tower of the WTC)
3.      Observed at 9:37 AM (when AA Flight 77 crashed into the Pentagon)
4.      Observed at 9:59 AM (when the South Tower of the WTC collapsed)
5.      Observed at 10:03 AM (when UA Flight 93 crashed in Shanksville, PA)

6.      Observed at 10:29 AM (when the North Tower of the WTC collapsed)

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