Michele Marr -- Soul Food

Last Friday at noon, in observance of the National Day of Remembrance

and Prayer proclaimed by President Bush, I drove to a nearby church, St.

Peter by-the-Sea Presbyterian on Bolsa Chica in Huntington Beach.

The walkway to the sanctuary was lined with American flags anchored in

large clay pots of colorful annuals. The flags rustled lightly in the

faint sea breeze. The sky was blue and lit with cottony clouds.

I stood for a moment before entering the church. I felt the sun on my

face and for the first time since Tuesday, Sept. 11, I had a momentary

sense that the horror of the past week was only a bad dream.

Like Snow White or Juliet, the dead were not dead, I thought, only

sleeping. But the prince has not come and the potion has not worn off. It

is no dream.

As part of the United Nations International Decade for a Culture of

Peace and Nonviolence for the Children of the World 2001-10, Tuesday,

Sept. 11, had been set aside as The International Day of Peace.

As I walked into the church’s sanctuary and took a seat, I wondered if

those pilots knew that. Perhaps it was their quiet little joke. Peace for

the children.

A few more than 100 people had gathered to mourn and hope and pray.

The sanctuary was a sea of national colors. All down one wall a huge

plate glass window was open to the Southern California sky.

Every person there was in some fashion of red, white and blue. There

were stars on navy dresses and stripes on T-shirts. There were Hawaiian

shirts of hibiscus. There were ribbons on lapels.

The pastor offered up his homily. A young man sang a song. This is a

Day of Remembrance and Prayer. How long will we pray? How soon will we

forget?

The International Day of Peace has been celebrated on the opening day

of the General Assembly of the United Nations since 1981. A minute of

silence for peace is observed. It is meant to be evidence of a commitment

to peace “in all its viable ways.”

The people in the sanctuary began to offer up their prayers:

o7 Lord, comfort the children who have lost their parents and comfort

the parents who have lost their children. O Lord, hear our prayer.

Lord, give us wisdom and give our leaders wisdom in the days ahead. O

Lord, hear our prayer.f7

Another day of remembrance came this week: Rosh Hashana. It is one of

my favorite Holy Days. This year it fell one week to the day from the day

of our national tragedy. Rosh Hashana. Head of the year.

It is a time to reflect on the past, to glean its lessons and it’s

wisdom and to bring hope to the future.

It signifies a fresh start. We take time to reflect, to recognize and

admit our wrong doings. We renounce them and, where appropriate, we make

restitution to those injured by our actions and promise not to repeat

them.

The people in the sanctuary continued to pray:

o7 Lord, help us to pray for our enemies, that you might change their

hearts. O Lord, hear our prayer.

Lord, protect those who may now come into harm’s way in defense of our

nation. O Lord, hear our prayer.

f7 The people stood and began to sing “America the Beautiful.” I

cannot carry a tune with the help of a bucket, so I sat quietly and

prayed:

o7 In time of war and tumults, O Almighty God, the supreme Governor

of all things, whose power no creature is able to resist, to whom it

belongeth justly to punish sinners, and to be merciful to those who

repent; Save and deliver us from the hands of our enemies.

In time of calamity, O God, merciful and compassionate, who art ever

ready to hear the prayers of those who put their trust in thee;

Graciously hearken to us who call upon thee, and grant us thy help in

this hour of our need. Amen.f7

* MICHELE MARR is a freelance writer and graphic designer from

Huntington Beach. She has been interested in religion and ethics for as

long as she can remember. She can be reached at o7

[email protected]