On the 13th anniversary of 9/11, the Rev. Deacon Joyce McGirr and the Rev. Lynne Weber of Church of the Atonement in Tenafly offered "Blessings to Go - Prayers for Peace" to commuters, bus drivers and passers-by at the Tenafly Bus Station during morning rush hour, and later at a local café.
Asked about their experience, McGirr said, "I was struck by the bus drivers being so open and thankful to have me come on board and offer prayers for them and all those who were in their care that day. They were most thankful for prayers and many on the bus responded also with 'thank you,' 'Amen,' affirmative nods, 'God bless you' and smiles. One bus driver said, 'We certainly need the prayers. God bless you.'"
One woman, when offered prayer, told McGirr that she prays the rosary every morning. "We just stood there holding hands and talking. Her strong witness to her love for God and the power of prayer in her life was a gift to me," McGirr said.
A Hispanic woman who couldn't speak English accepted a prayer in English and a blessing in Spanish from McGirr, and then gave her a hug and a blessing.
One young man named Kendrick accepted blessings as he was commuting home after working all night. "After I prayed for him," Weber said, "I reminded Joyce of one of my favorite prayers in the BCP, from Compline: “O God... Watch over those, both night and day, who work while others sleep, and grant that we may never forget that our common life depends on each other’s toil...."
Weber remembered in particular one man in a suit who politely refused their offer of a blessing, then while waiting for his bus observed them blessing other commuters. When his bus finally came, he turned back to look at them and said, 'Thank you for being here and for what you are doing."
"I found this very moving because despite his discomfort in being prayed for, he was grateful just for our presence," Weber said.
McGirr agreed, saying, "Whether prayer was outwardly accepted or not, the witness to God's presence was visible through prayer, conversation, friendly smiles and hearing the plea for the peace of God to reign in our hearts and ultimately in the world. People listened, observed, prayed and received and we were all blessed, I believe, in some mysterious way."
