Remembering 9/11 Twenty Years Later

 

Life is short,

And we do not have much time

To gladden the hearts of those

Who travel the way with us.

So be swift to be kind,

And as we go,

May the blessing, the love,

the joy, and the peace

Of the Holy One

Who is in the midst of us

Be among you and remain with you

Always.

Amen

(adapted from the French Poet Henri Amiel)

Remembering 9/11

 

Pastoral word from Presiding Bishop Michael Curry on 20th anniversary of Sept. 11

 

Note: the following information is presented in English and Spanish Aviso: La siguiente información se presenta en inglés y en español Pastoral word from Presiding Bishop Michael Curry on 20th anniversary of Sept. 11 [Sept, 8, 2021]     As followers of Jesus, and with our siblings in other faith traditions, we place great value on the act of remembrance. As we reflect on the solemn anniversary of Sept. 11, 2001, we remember many loved ones lost and first responders who put their lives at risk, modeling the sacrificial love of Jesus, who said: “No one has greater love than this, to lay down one’s life for one’s friends.”   While 20 years have passed, I also want us to pause and remember the days that followed these tragic events. There was a moment in the aftermath when people came together. We were praying, grieving, and also working together. Because in that moment, however fleeting it was, we knew with immediacy and vulnerability that we need God, and we need each other.   Memories of that tender cooperation—of love for each other as neighbors—serve as guiding lights for the present. Amidst the ongoing pandemic and natural disasters that have taken so many lives and pushed first responders to their limits, and amidst a worldwide reckoning with the sin of racism, we are called to become the Beloved Community whose way of life is the way of Jesus and his way of love. ____________   Presiding Bishop Michael Curry will deliver a blessing and sermon Sept. 11 and 12 as part of A Time and Space of Remembrance and Healing at Trinity Church Wall Street in New York, which served as a relief mission for recovery workers at Ground Zero for nearly a year after the buildings fell. Tune in online at trinitywallstreet.org/september-11.

Today

Today

Today I'm flying low and I'm
not saying a word.
I'm letting all the voodoos of ambition sleep.

The world goes on as it must,
the bees in the gardening rumbling a little,
the fish leaping, the gnats getting eaten.
And so forth.

But I'm taking the day off.
Quiet as a feather.
I hardly move though really I'm traveling
a terrific distance.

Stillness. One of the doors
into the temple.

From Mary Oliver, A Thousand Mornings: Poems 

(New York: Penguin, 2012)

Praying through the storm

 

My siblings in Christ, Following last night’s storm and tornados in parts of our diocese coupled with today’s continued flooding, I wanted to remind you that I continue to hold all of you in my prayers. We have begun checking in with some of our churches, so if your church has been affected, please contact our office directly (contact@diopa.org, or respond to this email) for prayer, support and resources that may be helpful during this time. Your safety is our utmost priority.  I extend Psalm 46 for all in our diocese to pray together:   God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble. Therefore, we will not fear, though the earth should change, though the mountains shake in the heart of the sea; though its waters roar and foam, though the mountains tremble with its tumult. God is in the midst of the city; it shall not be moved; God will help it when the morning dawns. The Lord of hosts is with us; the God of Jacob is our refuge. In Christ,

Bishop Daniel