Here’s a prayer of intercession written for an anniversary of the terrorist attacks on September 11. It was written by Tobias Haller.
Prayer of Intercession: September 11
With all our heart and all our mind, we pray to you, O Lord.
Make us instruments of your peace.
For the peace of the world,
that a spirit of respect and forbearance may grow
among nations and peoples, we pray to you, O Lord:
Where there is hatred, let us sow love.
For our enemies and those who wish us harm,
especially those led to acts of terror;
that in the aftermath of the destruction of September 11th, 2001
we may grow ever more deeply in your spirit of justice and peace,
we pray to you, O Lord:
Were there is injury, let us sow pardon.
For all who believe in you, Lord Christ,
and all whose faith is known to you alone,
that they may be delivered from the darkness of fanaticism
that arises from poverty and oppression,
and from the pride that arises from wealth and comfort,
and brought into your light, we pray to you, O Lord:
Where there is discord, let us sow union.
For those who have lost their faith in you,
for those who continue to mourn those who died on that terrible day,
that your Church may give comfort and hope in this time of remembrance,
we pray to you, O Lord:
Were there is doubt, let us sow faith.
For all those whose spirit has been broken
and whose lives have been disrupted
by the violence of that day and its aftermath,
we offer our prayers along with the persecuted,
the lonely, and the sick, and those who have bid our prayers today,
that they may be relieved and protected.
For these and for those whose need we do not know, we pray to you, O Lord:
Where there is despair, let us sow hope.
For the mission and ministry of the Episcopal Church,
especially in the Diocese of New York;
that we may hear the Gospel and proclaim it in word and action
to build up your kingdom here on earth, we pray to you, O Lord:
Where there is darkness, let us sow light.
For all who died in the terror of September, 2001
and for those others whom we remember today,
(especially _______________);
for those who believed in your resurrection
and those who did not know your promise of eternal life,
in trust that they have been found by you
and are at rest in your holy habitation, we pray to you, O Lord:
Where there is sadness, let us sow joy.
We pray for the concerns of our parish;
especially giving thanks for those who celebrate birthdays this week
_____________. (Silence)
And we pray for the forgiveness of our sins.
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.
Take heart, in Christ we have been reconciled to God.
For it is in giving that we receive,
it is in pardoning that we are pardoned;
and it is in dying that we reborn to eternal life. Amen.
~ written by Tobias Stanislas Haller, BSG, in Liturgical Resources for the first anniversary of 9/11/2001. Posted on the website of the Episcopal Diocese of New York. http://www.dioceseny.org/
