In Memory of Dan McNeil, Six Years Later

Almighty God,
Our Father,
Creator and savior of our world,
The One who searches for the lost,
Who heals the wounded,
Who comforts mourners,
Who raises the dead,
The God of perfect justice and infinite mercy,
In whose image and likeness we have all been fashioned,

We huddle before you
We kneel before you,
We lie before you,

Bloodied and broken, anxious and angry, unsure and unsteady,
Surrounded by debris and plagued by horrific experiences and images,
the deafening blasts and cries now replaced by an unbearable silence.

We desperately want to return to what was normal,
But realize that is impossible.
We have been thrown into an unknown world,
A world that no longer feels like home.

But we begin our new lives with our ancient faith,
Trusting that as your sons and daughters we need not be victims of history,
but are invited to be co-creators of the future. As followers of Your Son,
we know that we must pass through this Good Friday on the certain road to
an Easter Sunday already reflected in the courage of our rescue workers,
the care of our health care professionals, the leadership of our government
officials, and the compassion of our neighbors here and abroad.

We pray that you who are in and beyond all things will have your Holy
Spirit act with us, through us, and in us so that the best of our God-given
nature will prevail.
Be with us as we bury our loved ones, care for our wounded, pursue our
persecutors, and begin to rebuild our city and our lives.

Though we cannot wrap our minds around the magnitude of the evil that has
scarred us, we know that your arms are wrapped around us. We ask that you
hold us a bit more tightly.

Amen

Paul Homer, Director of Service Program
Fordham Preparatory School
October 2001