No Excuse

Two days after the eighth anniversary. The first Sunday after the eighth anniversary. It's the sabbath and a day for prayer in Church.

We pray for many things at my Episcopal Church and it's all good.

But I'm afraid that my little parish is a little too close to the liberal "irrelevants" (my word) that currently run most dioceses and the national office. Because we NEVER pray for our military service folk. And today, there were no prayers offered for the victims of 9/11 and those they left behind. Not one word. Shameful.

The liberal arm of our Church would never pray for a soldier in Afghanistan, as if that soldier ordered himself over there. As if he made U.S. military policy. As if he wanted to kill. As if praying for him or her, somehow puts the Church into a position which promotes violence. It's truly absurd.

And now, if we can't pray for 3000 innocent victims of terrorism, what is the excuse?

I offered my own petition as is permitted in most forms of prayer in our worship. But it is not the same as the Church community doing it. For there is power in prayer and power in numbers.

Anymore, I feel like I'm on my own in so many things involving my Church. Like a little island of conservative orthodoxy. That feeling is awful, and it's counter to the very reason one attends Church. It is supposed to be a community. Of one mind in the core beliefs, at least. Isn't it?