Spiritual guidance for anyone seeking a path to God. explorefaith.org

 

Explore God's Love Explore Your Faith Explore the Church Explore Who We Are  

Home
> 9/11 Remembered > "God at Ground Zero" by Douglass Bailey
Join our mailing list
Join our mailing list
 
Send this page to a friend

Support explorefaith.org

Give us your feedback


RELATED LINKS


Remembering  9/11

Add a name to our
Prayer List


Reflections on the London Bombings
The London Bombings:
A Muslim Perspective

Why does God let bad things happen in the world?

Where do I look to find God in this world of tragedy and pain?

How are we to respond to acts of terrorism and the hatred expressed by self-proclaimed "enemies" of Christianity?

More Questions of Faith and Doubt

PRAYERS FOR LIVING
Prayers for
comfort, for coping with anger, for those who are suffering, and more.


 

September 28, 2001

God at Ground Zero
The Rev. Dr. Douglass M. Bailey

The horrific tragedy of September 11 has left its searing print and pain on the soul and heart of humanity. Each of us has been changed. Forever.

Terrible tragedy does that. Philosophers and theologians say that tragic events do more to shape the human journey of life and faith than do sunny, happy moments. That is not to say that life is tragic. It is just that tragedy requires a deeper response from within us.

When some of us stood at Ground Zero in downtown New York City on Monday, September 17, we had no words. Only silence. Only tears. Only wrenching hearts and stomachs. Somebody had mounted loud speakers. Occasionally, the silence was broken by John Philip Sousa's "March" or the instrumental "National Anthem." In the wake of that unspeakable terror and tragedy, with my entire body trembling, I listened to "America's music," I felt the hunger for God, and I noticed a tug of hope deep inside of me.

That seems to be the order. Feelings come first. Disbelief, silence, shock, tears come next. Later, feeble words begin to surface in an attempt to capture feelings. Acknowledged feelings are important. As is one's faith. As are the words. The telling and retelling of the stories of September 11, and its aftermath will be part of our healing.

We all stand near Ground Zero. Terror (and terrorists) have struck the heart of the world. Of the over 6,000 missing and dead in the World Trade Center towers alone, slightly over 2,500 are white Anglo-Saxon Americans. The others are our sisters and brothers who are African Americans, Arab Americans, Asian Americans, citizens of Great Britain, Brazil, Malaysia, etc. The world stands at Ground Zero.

The God of world faiths stands at Ground Zero: Yahweh, Allah, Christ…those are some of God's names. God weeps. God holds out his hands. God embraces her universal family. God is in the wordless souls of the saints departed, their families, the human family. Our hope is in our God.

Tragedy shapes the human journey. But, rising from the ashes of tragedy is the God of our spiritual ancestors, the God of Abraham, Ishmael and Jesus. Our God gathers us and lifts us up. Today we live in a sadder, more tragic world. But, we now live in a world of deeper spiritual and moral awareness. We live in a world of a heightened need for authentic community. We live in a world of fewer idle words (maybe), and more need for the Word. President Bush states that in the weeks ahead we will get "almost back to normal." I don't believe we'll ever return to "normal." In ways for which we do not have words, we are changed. Forever! "O God, our help in ages past, our hope for years to come."

© 2001 Calvary Episcopal Church, Memphis TN

 


(Return to Top)

 

Send this article to a friend.

Home | Explore God's Love | Explore Your Faith | Explore the Church | Who We Are
Reflections | Stepping Stones | Oasis | Lifelines | Bulletin Board | Search |Contact Us |
 
  Search  
Copyright ©1999-2007 explorefaith.org