PRAYERS OF
ACTION
In times of crisis, people often look for ways to participate
and express their feelings of empathy, sorrow, and concern. Yellow ribbons, moments of silence, memorial
services are some of the ways we strive to show our concern. And, while these things show respect , they
are only sympathetic words. Given the
scope of the tragedy that took place on September 11, perhaps our token of
sympathy and prayers should go beyond the traditional and take the form of some
type of Active Prayer or tribute.
Think for a moment of these victims and the families of those
who suffered the consequences of this senseless act of evil. While nothing can take away their grief, would
it not offer some token of comfort to know that the sacrifices made a
difference in the lives of people? If
this terrible act helped to change peoples’ attitudes and lives in some way? If out of this tragedy hope might be given
to the hopeless, or hatred be removed from someone’s heart? There may be a way that we can extract a
little good from this horrendous act of evil, honoring the memory of the
deceased, offering a sense of purpose to this madness, and actually spiting
those who would foster hatred and contempt through such acts of terror.
What we are suggesting is that we turn all the expressions of
concern, all the generosity that is taking place and supplement them with a
personal action that reflects love and brotherhood, the very antithesis of
terrorism. In this spirit we have put
together some suggestions of things we might personally do in memory of those
that died. It is our hope that you can
come up with your own personal tribute, but offer these things as examples of
the kinds of tributes which could lead to a very different world and go far
beyond words themselves. Obviously,
some can do more than others, and what one does is not as important as doing
something (big or small). In that
spirit we have tried to give a versatile list of suggestions.
SOME SUGGESTIONS!
1, Giving blood is one of the
most obvious and many have. But for
those who can give it maybe we could make it somewhat regular (maybe once a
year) so blood supplies never run short for any tragedy. And, those with rare blood types can offer
the gift of life to so many.
In conjunction with this concept, we may even want to go
further and join the organ donor program; so in the event of a personal tragedy
--- we may give the gift of life to someone else. God forbid that any of us ever need go through the a tragedy such
as took place, but let it serve as a reminder that we never know what lies
unexpected in our lives and that life itself is such a precious gift so that it will never be taken
for granted.
2, Speaking out against
intolerance in the form of letters to bigoted commentators, letters to elected
officials, and raising our voices against those who would perpetuate
intolerance, divisiveness, and foster hatred.
In conjunction with this ideal, we might seek to learn more
about some religion, race, or lifestyle that differs from ours, for in striving
to understand the seeds of tolerance are sown.
3, This tragedy has left a
lot of children without a parent as one can assume that many of those who lost
their lives had children. In the spirit
of not forgetting, maybe we could volunteer time to a youth group, or the Big
Brothers (or Sisters) programs. What a
wonderful way to remember --- by giving love to someone who may be in need ---
by offering hope and friendship to a child that may be lonely.
And children are not the only ones we can reach out to. There are the aged, many in nursing homes
with no one to care. Maybe they would
like someone to share their thoughts about this tragedy with. There are the just plane lonely who may just
need a friend. To reach out to another
in any form is to help rid this world of the seeds of
hatred where so much
hostility can be born.
4, Do something special with
your own family, demonstrating how precious your time with them is. Remember the calls that went out from the
airplanes and World Trade Center, when
in the face of certain death the victims could only think to call and express
their love for those close to them.
Take some time and express your love for those close to you in a special
way.
5, Perhaps we might bring
peace to our own hearts by “burying the
hatchet” so to speak and settling some differences or disagreement we might
have with someone else. Every settled
dispute, every quieted argument, are
simple steps in making the world just a little better place.
___________________
These are just a few simple suggestions to offer
inspiration. The truth of the matter is
there are a million ways to turn our words of prayer into actions that express
our real sorrow. While we all seek
justice for those who perpetrated these atrocities, truly the best revenge is
to make our nation and our world a more loving, tolerant, and caring
place. Love is the key to the Kingdom
of God, not in the next world, but in this one! To reach out is to build a bridge of love and a little
self-sacrifice can be the pillars of that bridge. Any act of love, big or small, is the Essence of God moving out
into our world. So let us pray not only
in our words --- but in our actions as well, and those actions can become the
Image of God shining forth from the ranks of humanity.