Governor John Engler

Lansing – St. Mary Cathedral

Friday, September 14, 2001

We come from many different faiths – Jewish, Christian, Muslim. But we are all Americans. And as Americans, when we are tested, we close ranks and stand shoulder to shoulder. By the grace of God, we will renew our national purpose under God.

Just 76 hours ago, America was at peace. Now we are at war – at war with enemies of civilization and freedom – at war with evildoers who devised and executed the most savage attacks ever on our soil.

Our generation, regrettably, has its own "date which will live in infamy." These acts of mass murder have seared our hearts – but they have also strengthened our resilience and steeled our resolve.

Throughout our history, Americans have turned to God in times of war. During the American Revolution, the Continental Congress asked patriots in the Thirteen Colonies to pray for wisdom in forming a nation.

During the Civil War, President Lincoln asked Americans to pray for wisdom in preserving a nation.

Now President Bush calls on Americans to pray for wisdom in defending our nation. By the grace of God, justice will be done.

The losses due to the terrorists and those who’ve harbored them are beyond comprehension.

It is not just the New York City skyline that is emptier.

It is thousands of families that have lost one or more loved ones.

It is hundreds of organizations that have lost one or more colleagues.

It is scores of communities that have lost a Little League baseball coach, a Brownie Troop leader, a school volunteer.

Their names have begun to be broadcast, names like ours. They were David … Barbara … and Peter; Michelle … Chris … and Ruth; John … Daniel … and Lauren; and many, many, many others, reflecting our diverse ethnic and cultural traditions.

On this "National Day of Prayer and Remembrance for the Victims of the Terrorist Attacks on September 11, 2001," we pray for the victims, their families, and the heroic rescue workers. By the grace of God, we will help them bear this tragic burden.

In the face of such horrific carnage and suffering, words seem inadequate. Yet we should take comfort in a passage from St. Paul’s Letter to the Romans, in which he assures us that "The Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit Himself intercedes for us with groans that are too deep for words."  By the grace of God, our deep wounds will begin to heal.

In our nation’s first great test, the American Revolution, Samuel Adams urged fellow patriots:

"Contemplate the mangled bodies of your countryman, and then say, What should be the reward of such sacrifices?"

For more than two centuries, America has had an answer to that question – an answer that has inspired millions of people around the world.

The answer is freedom. America stands for freedom. To be an American means to be free.

The victims of the September Massacres did not choose to become casualties in a war with the enemies of freedom. So today, as our nation mourns, our solemn obligation to the victims is that we shall never, never forget.

Likewise, as survivors, our duty is to ensure that our generation and those that follow shall live in an America that remains the land of the free and home of the brave … a beacon of liberty and justice for all.

God bless America.