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 Spiritual
Care 
We,
extend deepest sympathy to all who have suffered and
continue to agonize due to the tragic events of
September 11, 2001. When the World Trade Center towers
collapsed taking the lives of thousands, we all are
shaken with grief and loss. Terrorism also struck
Pentagon and Pennsylvania. We have changed, we feel we
need each other more than ever, as we sense that we are
not safe and secure. Reaction to the loss is seen in
many different ways. Fear of attack and victimization is
experienced by many. It is still very difficult to
believe that it was real. Strong denials take a toll on
many who lost the loved ones. Many try to walk around
grief, unable to walk through it. The void is so great
that there seems to be nothing to fill it. The absence
of the towers on the skyline, and the rubbles and smoke
at Ground Zero is etched deep in our memory. Disbelief,
shock, anxiety, fear, restlessness, anger, helplessness;
such emotional reactions affect our common daily life.
We will continue to serve
the community using every opportunity offering
spiritual and emotional support at this time of
uncertainty.. At such time as this you can do
something to contribute to your own well being in
different ways: Relaxation activities such as exercise,
massage and walking are helpful. Using your own faith
resource is a sure way to gain more strength to
move forward in life. Talk about your feelings to a
support group. Volunteering your time to help others
goes a long way to bring about a healing process. Even
if our physical, mental and emotional needs are
adequately met, each of us has a spiritual side. This
spiritual aspect reminds us that each person is special.
Pursuing a healthy spiritual relationship with God
puts us on the right path
of wholeness. Send mail to
sensible@nyc.rr.com
During these
troubled time, what we need is 'helping hands.'
The model that comes to my mind is that of a poor widow
in Luke 21:1-4. Two phrases stand out in the observation
that Jesus made. Many gave out of their abundance,
the widow gave out of her poverty. Real help
is helping others when you yourself need help, listening
when you do not have the time to listen, extending peace
when you yourself do not experience peace, offering a
word of comfort when you yourself are troubled, and
giving when you yourself do not have enough. It is easy
to give out of abundance, because there is no
sacrifice involved, but giving out of poverty is
sacrificial. This kind of sacrificial giving has
the greatest therapeutic application, and I believe
that is what brings people together during theses
calamities.
We
provided voluntary Spiritual Care at the Respite Center
under the guidelines for Spiritual Care established by
the American Red Cross as one of the 9/11 chaplains.
After closing the Respite Center near Ground Zero,
spiritual care continued at the Family Center. The
grieving families and everyone involved with the tragedy
one way or other have been receiving the spiritual and
emotional support to move forward with hope. More than
500 people were given spiritual care they needed. May
30th marked the Recover Closure Ceremony. It was a very
somber ceremony, which began with Ringing of Fire Bell
at top of Ramp at 10:29 a.m. The ceremony centered on
the final emergency vehicles and a beam from the site
that came up the ramp at Ground Zero, and then the
procession. The ceremony lasted about 30 minutes, and
for me and millions of others I believe, it brought some
kind of closure in terms of the reality of this
enormous tragedy. But people who lost their loved ones
and their families will always carry the pain of loss,
and our thoughts and prayers are always with them.
Remembering 9/11
2009
As
we observe the
eighth
anniversary,
slowly recovering from the 9/11 terror attacks, we
remember as a nation all who lost their lives, and
uphold the survivors, families and friends in our
prayers. Construction has started
for the Freedom Tower, progress has been made on this
1776-foot Tower.
We will never forget!
Our
concern is the ongoing war in Iraq and Afghanistan. Our
prayers are with the families who lost their loved ones
in combat. Overall US military fatalities have passed
beyond 5000.. The condition in Afghanistan and Pakistan
is getting worse. We continue to pray for the safe
return of all troop. We continues to offer counseling to
those in need of help. Our best wishes to the soldiers,
their families and the people of Iraq and Afghanistan.
Human tragedy
increases as a result of Hurricane, flood and fire..
9/11 was a terrorist attack, hurricane are natural
disasters. But the effect is the same. People who lost
everything need help for food, water, shelter and care.
They need to rebuild their shattered lives, they need
our help.
After the Wall Street collapse and the Banks bail out programs
where are we as people? BP finally choked off the
flow of oil into the Gulf of Mexico, after up to 184
million gallons of oil polluting the sea and the land. What do we do? Do
we panic and take drastic measures? May be it is time to
take an authentic look at human greed and selfishness.
Do we really care for others, or do we care for
ourselves at the expense and peril of others? It is time
to look at our own human frailties and get our acts
right, so that no one knowingly and deliberately
violates the human dignity of others.
Our prayers are with all those who are burdened
with heavy loss and displaced from their homes, those
who anguish for their missing loved ones, those who
toil in the midst of this calamity to alleviate the
misery from government agencies, private agencies,
individuals, and with our president and all those who
bring comfort and hope in this catastrophic situation.
email:
sensible@nyc.rr.com
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