I was sitting in a staff meeting when we heard the news about the Twin Towers. It was one of the most ghastly and frightening moments of my life.

To honor those who had died, I tried to read the obituaries and memorials printed in the New York Times. I read the book "102 Minutes." I thought every day about the people who were there — their terror, their pain, their injuries, their deaths. I thought of their loved ones and the grim news that confronted them that day. I thought of the courageous firefighters and police officers and ordinary citizens who acted with grace and selflessness that day.

I thought — a few days after the event, as I was preparing a sermon for Sunday for what was a huge crowd of wounded people —  that the tragedy could provide opportunity for the world to see the foolishness of violence, an opportunity for the world to come together in support and caring.

I thought of the fact that some 86 countries lost citizens in the Twin Towers. This was not an American catastrophe — it was a human catastrophe. Here was a chance to bring people of different regions, different religions, different ethnicities, different nations together!

Out of the ruins of those buildings in New York and in Washington was a Phoenix waiting to rise, a Phoenix that would be the peace and justice around the world we so desperately need. Clearly, but sadly, this opportunity was missed in a mad rush by our government to assert American's pre-eminence in the world.

Sharing the burden of the death and destruction and caring for a world in which such things could not and would not happen became secondary to proclaiming our greatness as a nation. America failed this golden opportunity.

So did religion. Religion has been failing for long centuries, failing to live up to the noble words we so easily mouth, failing to inspire the leaders of the nations to abide by just means in pursuit of just causes, failure to instill in the people under their care the desire to share with others and care for others and build hope and not despair, failure to resist the lure of war and violence and pride and greed.

May the 10 year anniversary of 9/11 stir in us all a determination not to fail as religious leaders and not to fail as Americans. May we be inspired to act out the great dreams of our many faiths and of our nation's noble words at the founding. May we repent of all that we have done wrong that has helped to continue the slaughter of human beings and the destruction of nature and the wasting of property.

May we remember and live out those memorable words of the ancient Hebraic prophet Micah: "What does the Lord require of you but to do justice, to love kindness, and to walk humbly with thy God."

Ken Phifer is minister emeritus of the First Unitarian Universalist Congregation of Ann Arbor.

For information about local community service and commemoration events for the 10th anniversary of Sept. 11, please visit www.icpj.net/september11.