Christ in the Rubble

For the dead and the bereaved,
for the rescuers, and for the world.
September 11, 2001

O Christ, beneath the fallen stones,
Nailed fast to twisted bars of steel,
And slain in flesh and blood and bones,
Pierced by the fear all mortals feel:
Arise from ash and dust and death,
And breathe into crushed hearts new Breath.

O Christ, among the wreckage shorn
Of hope for those who lie there dead,
Yet bathed in sweat of labors borne
To free the grieving from their dread:
Arise from our despair's long night,
And pour upon us living Light.

O Christ, within a world at war,
Where love and hate fight for the soul,
And all sights trained on death see far,
But only Love can see the whole:
Arise from unforgiving pain,
And teach us how to love again.


Genevieve Glen, O.S.B.