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Reflection
Forgiveness does not mean condoning what has been done. It means taking what happened seriously and not minimizing it; drawing out the sting in the memory that threatens to poison our entire existence. It involves trying to understand the perpetrators and so have empathy, to try to stand in their shoes and appreciate the sort of pressures and influences that might have conditioned them. . . . By forgiveness we are saying here is a chance to make a new beginning.
Desmond Tutu
Opening prayer
(written by an unknown prisoner in Ravensbruck concentration camp)
Unison: O Lord, remember not only the men and women of good will but also those of ill will. But do not remember all the suffering they have inflicted on us; remember the fruits we have bought, thanks to this suffering - our comradeship, our loyalty, our humility, our courage, our generosity, the greatness of heart which has grown out of all this, and when they come to judgment let all the fruits which we have borne be their forgiveness.
Silence and Prayer
Benediction
Leader: Go
into the world in peace,
have courage;
hold onto what is good;
return to no one evil for evil;
strengthen the fainthearted;
support the weak;
help the suffering;
honor all people;
love and serve God,
rejoicing in the power of the Holy Spirit.
About the Painting on the Altar
Toni Franovic was one of the Artists-in-Residence at Wesley Theological Seminary during the 1994-1995 academic year. Toni grew up in Croatia, the child of Jewish and Catholic parents. Identifying with his Jewish heritage, he lived for some time in Israel. For the last several years, he has been living and teaching art at a university in Zagreb. A prolific and talented painter, many of his works are reflections on death, war, and the complexities of religious faith in his native country.
On September 11, Toni was visiting in New Jersey, and began to make his way into Manhattan to keep an appointment with a gallery that was interested in showing his work. He didn't get into the city that day. Instead, he watched the smoke rise from across the river.
The next day, he came to Washington, where he also had an appointment with a gallery. In the basement studio of friends, he began to paint. This untitled painting is one of several he did in the first few days after the attack on the World Trade Center. The artist's immediate response to the death and destruction there, he refers to them as a Kaddish, the Jewish prayer for the dead.
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