Bulletin Date: September 11, 2011 4:00 am
Prayers of the People
Please stand
Today, on the 10th anniversary of the events of 09-11-2001, we will open this time of prayer with prayers for our country. These prayers will be followed by Bishop Shannon’s Litany for the Tenth Anniversary of September 11, 2001.
We will begin the prayers for our country with Hymn 719, which is a not only a prayer of gratitude for our nation, but also a prayer of expectation, and a prayer of petition, in which we ask for God’s grace and guidance as Americans.
Hymn 719 “O Beautiful for Spacious Skies”
Let us pray.
Almighty God, you have given us this good land for our heritage.
We humbly beseech you that we may strive to be people mindful of your favor and glad to do your will. Bless our land with honorable industry, sound learning, and pure manners. Save us from violence, discord, and confusion; from pride and arrogance, and from every evil way. Defend our liberties, and fashion into one united people the multitudes who have come here from all over the world seeking a better life. Give a spirit of wisdom to those in authority, that there may be justice and peace at home, and that through obeying your law, we may show forth your praise among the nations of the earth. In the time of prosperity, fill our heats with thankfulness, and in the day of trouble, help us to keep our trust in your steadfast love for us. All this we ask through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen
Our father’s God to Thee
Author of Liberty,
To thee we sing.
Long may our land be bright
With freedom’s holy light
Protect us by thy might
Great God our King. Amen.
O God, you have bound us together in a common life. Help us, in the midst of our struggles for justice and truth, to confront one another without hatred or bitterness, and to work together with mutual forbearance and respect; through Jesus Christ our Lord.
Amen.
Litany for the Tenth Anniversary of September 11, 2001
God the Father, Creator of heaven and earth
Have mercy on us.
God the Son, Redeemer of the world,
Have mercy on us.
God the Holy Spirit, Sanctifier of the faithful,
Have mercy on us.
Holy, blessed, and glorious Trinity, one God,
Have mercy on us.
We remember, O Lord, all whose lives were changed on September 11. Bless our remembrance and bless our prayers as we come before you.
We pray to you, O Lord.
For all the victims who went to work or boarded planes that morning, never guessing what the day would bring, and for all who were caught in the attacks and lost their lives,
We pray to you, O Lord.
For those who resisted terror at the price of their own lives,
We pray to you, O Lord.
For all who worked valiantly and selflessly to help others,
We pray to you, O Lord.
For the firefighters and police officers who rushed in as others rushed out,
We pray to you, O Lord.
For houses of worship that opened their doors in the midst of chaos to provide places of rest and solace, prayer and hope,
We pray to you, O Lord.
For those who stood in line at blood banks and for all who gave time, money and labor to help survivors and their families,
We pray to you, O Lord.
For innocent people who were treated with hatred or suspicion because of their religion or nationality,
We pray to you, O Lord.
For this citizenry of many nationalities, races and religions,
We pray to you, O Lord.
For ourselves, as we remember that day as if it were only yesterday,
We pray to you, O Lord.
From all that threatens to divide us in the wake of September 11,
Savior deliver us.
From pride, vanity and hypocrisy and from all arrogance or envy that infects our hearts,
Savior deliver us.
From prejudice, hatred, and a desire for revenge,
Savior deliver us.
From all evil and mischief, from cruelty and malice and from every evil intent,
Savior deliver us.
In all times of sorrow; in all times of fear; in the hour of our death and at the Day of Judgment,
Savior deliver us.
By your ministry in word and work; by your mighty acts of power; by the preaching of your reign,
Savior deliver us.
By your agony and trial; by your cross and passion; by your precious death and burial,
Savior, deliver us.
By your mighty resurrection; by your glorious ascension; and by your sending of the Holy Spirit,
Savior deliver us.
Hear our prayer, O Christ our God.
Hear us, O Christ.
Govern and direct your Church; fill it with all love and truth; and grant it the unity which is your will.
Hear us, O Christ.
Give us boldness to preach the gospel of hope in a broken world.
Hear us, O Christ.
Guide the leaders of this nation and all the nations into the ways of justice and peace.
Hear us, O Christ.
Bless and keep all your people.
Hear us, O Christ.
Comfort and liberate the bereaved, the lonely and the oppressed.
Hear us, O Christ.
Heal the sick in body, mind, or spirit, especially those on our prayer list (read list here).
Hear us, O Christ.
Give us the grace and the resources to help provide for the homeless, the hungry, and the destitute.
Hear us, O Christ.
Keep in safety those who travel.
Hear us, O Christ.
Guard and protect all whose lives are in danger in the service of this country, especially those on our prayer list (read list here).
Hear us, O Christ.
Forgive our enemies, persecutors and slanderers, and turn their hearts.
Hear us, O Christ.
O Christ, hear us.
O Christ, hear us.
Lord, have mercy.
Christ, have mercy.
Lord, have mercy.
Let us pray together:
Lord, make us instruments of your peace.
Where there is hatred, let us sow love;
where there is injury, pardon;
where there is discord, union;
where there is doubt, faith;
where there is despair, hope;
where there is darkness, light;
where there is sadness, joy.
Grant that we 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.
Post Communion Prayer (at the close of the Eucharist)
Almighty God, we thank you that in your great love you have fed us with the spiritual food and drink of the Body and Blood of your Son Jesus Christ, and have given us a foretaste of your heavenly banquet. Grant that this Sacrament may be to us a comfort in affliction, and a pledge of our inheritance in that kingdom where there is no death, neither sorrow nor crying, but the fullness of joy with all your saints, through Jesus Christ our Savior.
Amen
If you would like to learn more about forgiveness, the following resources are helpful.
DVD: The Power of Forgiveness, A Film by Martin Doblmeier
(This DVD is available on Amazon, and is also streaming on Netflix.)
Letting Go: Five Steps to Forgiveness, by Fr. Frank Desiderio, C.S.P. 12 15-Minute Talks on 5 CD Set
From Now You Know Media WWW . N O W Y O U K N O W M E D I A . C O M / 1 – 8 0 0 – 9 5 5 – 3 9 0 4 / © 2 0 1
(The church owns a copy of this lecture series—a gift from Marilyn and Mike Newman.)
McCullough, Michael M., Steven J. Sandage and Everette L. Worthington, Jr. To Forgive is Human. Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press,1997.
Worthington, Everett L. Jr., Forgiveness and Reconciliation: Theory and Application. New York: Routledge, 2006.
Worthington, Everett L. Jr., The Power of Forgiving. West Conshohocken, PA: Templeton Foundation Press, 2005.
Bosco, Antoinette, Radical Forgiveness. Maryknoll, NY: Orbis Books, 2009.
McCullough, Michael M., Beyond Revenge: The Evolution of the Forgiveness Instinct. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass, 2008.
Tutu, Archbishop Desmond. No Future Without Forgiveness. New York: DoubleDay, 1999.
Luskin, Fred, Forgive for Good: A Proven Prescription for Health and Happiness. New York: HarperCollins Publishers, 2002.