9/11 Prayer Party
alec vanderboom
I was totally expecting to have a quiet day of reflection at home when I read an article in the NY Times that made me flip my lid. The National Cathedral --our Nation's prayer center in Washington D.C. is have no special services today because to semi-quote the priest in charge "we're leading the way in helping America" get over it.
Okay he didn't say "get over it" he said something like
“The cathedral’s mission is to serve a spiritual role for the nation, and part of that role is to help the country heal and move past the tragedy,” said Richard M. Weinberg, a cathedral spokesman, echoing a statement from the Rev. Dr. Francis Wade, the cathedral’s interim dean. “I think it’s fair to say that 11 years later, we all felt that it was important still to commemorate it, but to do so in perhaps a less overt, a less somber way — to do so maturely and look forward.”'
Excuse me??? Americans can't have a public display of prayer and mourning in a church, on this day of all days, because it would be "immature" or "too somber?" I didn't know there was like a specific ten year time limit for praying for the Dead. In fact, I'm pretty sure that both my grandfathers' remembered Pearl Harbor and D Day until their last days on this earth.
That NY Times quote made me so mad, that I woke up all of my sleeping kids and dragged them to 8:30 AM Mass. We went to two Catholic Churches, and no one had 8:30 AM Mass on a Tuesday. (I forgot the downtown parish has a noon Mass today and my poor parish church has nada Daily Mass Services on Monday or Tuesday). So we lit candles in dark church buildings instead. Then we bought donuts and have a pig out fest at home.
I'm hoping to bring the gang back to Mass at noon to pray today--but you never can tell what God has in store for you. We could be in the ER by then.
(Update: We did get to the noon Mass. Thank you, God!)
Thank you God for the heroes who sacrificed their lives for us. Mommy Mary, pray for us to become a Nation of Faith.
Okay he didn't say "get over it" he said something like
“The cathedral’s mission is to serve a spiritual role for the nation, and part of that role is to help the country heal and move past the tragedy,” said Richard M. Weinberg, a cathedral spokesman, echoing a statement from the Rev. Dr. Francis Wade, the cathedral’s interim dean. “I think it’s fair to say that 11 years later, we all felt that it was important still to commemorate it, but to do so in perhaps a less overt, a less somber way — to do so maturely and look forward.”'
Excuse me??? Americans can't have a public display of prayer and mourning in a church, on this day of all days, because it would be "immature" or "too somber?" I didn't know there was like a specific ten year time limit for praying for the Dead. In fact, I'm pretty sure that both my grandfathers' remembered Pearl Harbor and D Day until their last days on this earth.
That NY Times quote made me so mad, that I woke up all of my sleeping kids and dragged them to 8:30 AM Mass. We went to two Catholic Churches, and no one had 8:30 AM Mass on a Tuesday. (I forgot the downtown parish has a noon Mass today and my poor parish church has nada Daily Mass Services on Monday or Tuesday). So we lit candles in dark church buildings instead. Then we bought donuts and have a pig out fest at home.
I'm hoping to bring the gang back to Mass at noon to pray today--but you never can tell what God has in store for you. We could be in the ER by then.
(Update: We did get to the noon Mass. Thank you, God!)
Thank you God for the heroes who sacrificed their lives for us. Mommy Mary, pray for us to become a Nation of Faith.
