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Church leader addresses community, country

Church leader addresses community, country

Following is the text of the remarks delivered by President Gordon B. Hinckley Sept. 14 at the National Day of Prayer and Remembrance service in the Tabernacle on Temple Square in Salt Lake City.

Our hearts are broken, our spirits subdued. We bow before the Almighty in reverence and reach out to those who have lost their lives, to their families, and to those who were wounded in the attacks made against our beloved nation.

Solemn faces and tear-filled eyes are part of memorial service.
Solemn faces and tear-filled eyes are part of memorial service. | Photo by Scott G. Winterton

Our treasured land has been brought down into sorrow through unbelievable acts of infamy. We cannot call back the dead or ease the pains of the wounded, but at this solemn hour we call upon our Eternal Father to bring comfort, solace, and reassurance to those who have suffered much.

The Son of God came to earth and gave His life that all mankind might have eternal life. It is to Him that we look on this dark and somber occasion.

May the peace of the Redeemer rest upon us. May His healing power mend the broken hearts and give strength to the wounded bodies and minds of all who have paid so great a price because of the evil acts of those who have injured us and betrayed the entire civilized world. We also remember before Him those who at this very hour search the ruins for any who may be alive.

We are profoundly grateful for this good land of America, a land choice above all other lands. We are grateful for its Founding Fathers, for its Constitution under which we live and for the hand of the Almighty upon this our beloved country. May the sure hand of Providence guide the destinies of our nation that it may remain a land of freedom, peace, good will, and yet a nation of power and strength, capable of striking its adversaries who would seek to destroy it.

May God bless us with an increased measure of outreaching love and that peace which comes alone from Him.

We pray that our Heavenly Father will hasten the day when men everywhere across this broad earth will "beat their swords into plowshares, and their spears into pruninghooks: nation shall not lift up sword against nation, neither shall they learn war any more" (Isaiah 2:4).

We so pray, in the name of Jesus Christ, Amen.

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