NO PRAYER FOR 9-11

Marion Pellicano Ambrose 

Again, Mayor Michael Bloomberg of New York has given me reason to be glad I moved to Florida! First he excluded first responders from the upcoming 9-11 Ceremonies and now I find he has decided not to allow any religious leaders to speak or offer a prayer. Regardless of the comfort and consolation this might bring to the families who lost loved ones and those who lived through this traumatic experience, Bloomberg has made a political decision rather than one from the heart.

Our country was built on the principal of freedom OF religion, not FROM religion. How beautiful would it be to have all faiths represented, all races, religions, philosophies and socioeconomic levels together with one purpose: to remember and honor.

The days of patriotism, faith and enthusiasm are not gone. Americans can and should stand up and speak out, or in this case PRAY OUT!  Isn’t that what Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. did? Didn’t our founding fathers rely on faith and prayer to see them through? We need to show Mayor Bloomberg that America is not silent or apathetic. We are still the spirit filled, passionate, patriotic, rebels who rose against the powers that tried to infringe on our freedom so many years ago! This is the opportunity for us, as Americans, to defeat these attempts by politicians to stifle our spiritual expression and silence the voices of our souls.

Pray on 9-11. Pray loud and clear so that our voices will echo through the World Trade Center site, through the hallways of the Pentagon, and across that field in Pennsylvania. Pray for those who lost their lives, those who lost their loved ones, and those who lost their faith that day. Pray for our country and its leaders, that we can enter into a new era where we can once again hold our heads high in the global community and say with assurance, America is the land of the free and the home of the brave.

I read an article by Tom Wetzel, http://www.cleveland.com/opinion/index.ssf/2011/09/raise_your_prayers_on_911_tom.html

that challenged those at the ceremonies at Ground Zero to begin a “flash prayer” by reciting a formal, standard prayer, like the Our Father, and all who will be watching on TV to join with them in spite of Mayor Bloomberg’s plan to omit prayer. He stated:

“Those who do raise their hearts heavenward can be certain they will lift the spirits of those who lost loved ones on Sept. 11, 2001, as well as all those who have died defending our country since then. Sept. 11 will offer America a chance to deepen its connection with its creator and honor its victims and heroes. Hopefully, they will take advantage of this opportunity.”

I couldn’t agree more!