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By Penny Elsley
“We live, of course, in the tension between two worlds: the world where I need to prove that I am right and the world of daily right relationship with myself and others. One demands dominative power and concern with changing other people; the other is a self-renewing call to right relationship, and is primarily about changing me.”
~ Richard Rohr, from Jesus’ Plan for the New World
Two years ago, as part of my role as Coordinator of World
Youth Day for the Broken Bay Diocese in Sydney (WYD is a huge Catholic youth
gathering with the Pope, held in a major city every 3 years), I discovered that
we were to be the host of a large 13 foot high wooden cross that has been
traveling the world for 20 years (a bit like the Olympic torch). I have to confess that my initial
reaction to this news was “oh no!!!” What was so wrong you might ask? I thought
immediately about what this might look like in public places and all the people
it might offend or at best, exclude. I have a strong aversion to any actions
that project an idea that any one faith has all the answers, or that we believe
all the right things. I’m more concerned in believing in the ‘right way’.
I wondered about my Muslim friends. How on earth could I convince them that WYD was for EVERYONE while we proceeded to parade this gigantic symbol, which exclusively represented the Christian faith? The answer came a few days later when I went to the U2 Concert in Sydney and saw Bono wearing his renowned COEXIST bandana. “That’s it!” I exclaimed, “We just need to make the symbols of the other faiths 13 feet high too!!!!!”
And so the adventure began, in cooperation with my Muslim and Jewish friends,
we began to plan the big gathering we simply called “COEXIST”. But there was
still something missing. The Aboriginal spirituality so central to the spirit
of our people was not obvious in this equation. We soon began conspiring and
dreaming with some of the local Aboriginal community and the Australian COEXIST
logo was born! The Rainbow Serpent, central to the dreamtime was painted into
the logo in such a way that it connected the symbols of the faiths. And this
proved to be rather prophetic, for it was the Aboriginal people who taught us how to be one. And it has to do with
the fact that we are ALL intricately connected with mother Earth. The land is
our common denominator.
Along the way there was much encouragement and excitement but there were also those who warned us that a gathering such as this is not possible, that the Christian cross is offensive to Muslims and Jews and that it will never work. But there was an underlying conviction - it was time to break through the barriers of the past and proceed with a new way of being in unity. This wasn’t just any interfaith gathering. We gathered at a beautiful waterfront park and after being treated to a welcome dance by some wonderful local Aboriginal young people, the MC instructed everyone to go and pick up the symbols to prepare to carry them in procession to the site of our evening gathering. As people got up to approach the symbols, something unexpected happened. People didn’t walk towards the symbol of their own faith tradition but that of another. Together, Muslims and Christians carried the Star of David, Jews and Christians carried the giant whale, the totem symbol of the local Aboriginal community… The following day the local newspaper quoted a Muslim woman saying what a privilege it was for her to carry the WYD Cross!
And now, two years later I find myself in another country, seeking still the way of Coexistence. Yesterday, as I strolled along the 4 blocks between the subway and my house, I passed a large group of Muslim men kneeling, head lowered, on their prayer mats, facing Mecca. They took up the entire footpath outside the small neighborhood Mosque. This sight took me to another place…and I momentarily forgot that I am actually in New York City, metropolis and heart beat of the western world. Then I remembered that Ramadan was about to begin. And what a joy it was to experience once again that feeling of immense gratitude for this small window into the sacred life of another.
Just a few days earlier, I had the privilege of attending a
Faith House Manhattan gathering at the family home of one of the co-leaders, Samir
Selmanovic. The intention was to watch together and discuss the documentary
“Encounter Point”. I had no idea who would be there or what to expect, I just
knew that it ‘sounded like’ what I am looking for, the kind of church community
where people of different religions and professions of faith gather together,
bringing the mixture of belief and unbelief that we all possess, to a place
where we can freely explore our identity as human beings, simultaneously loved
and broken, seeking and failing. The only kind of Church that makes sense to me
these days. Why? Because worship should make us uncomfortable with things the
way they are – with the world now in our living room, we cannot pretend we
don’t know what’s happening in the lives of our brothers and sisters around the
globe. Globalization should not force us to retreat but rather to embrace the
compelling evidence that we can be one, not necessarily in practice, but in
spirit. The Christian tradition that I come from records Jesus at one point
crying out a prayer from the very depths of his agonizing heart, a plea to the
Father: “May they be one…as you and I are one” (from the Gospel of John 17:22).
The essence of religion is about growing in right relationship, with our creator and with each other as human beings. But so often we become trapped in defense mechanisms that support our need to be right about what we believe…and this need to be ‘right’ most often does not lead to ‘right relationship’. I would describe myself as someone who is captivated by the life of faith and all its implications. Along this journey I have become convicted of what Rohr describes as “the tension between two worlds”. If we allow the dominant call to be that of self-renewal and right relationship then doors open, for peace and for unity in this world. I can no longer simultaneously remain on this journey of faith and not be transformed by the opportunities at hand to encounter the sacred stories and experience something of what is of deep importance to others who do not necessarily share my tradition. It does require stepping into the uncomfortable places. But how can we not? The people I met that night surprised me with their generous hospitality, their openness and eagerness to share. Their raw honesty in the discussion left me walking away from Samir’s house that evening feeling enormously enriched and enlightened (and challenged!). A voice somewhere within said, “This is why you are here”. Another signpost for the journey!
Penny Elsley is a young Australian woman currently on a
journey around the world endeavoring to discover possibilities for connecting
young people of this generation through service and in a spirit of friendship
across the globe. At the moment Penny is interning with the Office of the
Chaplaincy at the Church Centre for the UN in New York. Her background is in
teaching, youth ministry and leadership. She is also a musician and songwriter.
~ by Frankie Fredericks, Executive Director of World Faith
It was three years ago that I embarked on a journey that
would begin to define my life. I was a Music Business student at New York
University, but felt I needed to spend a year abroad to pursue the larger,
unanswered questions in my life, like how to live as a Christian who truly
wanted to be "in the world but not of the world."
After studies in Greece and Italy, I went to Egypt to explore Christian-Muslim relations through independent research. Witnessing how mere coexistance and tolerance will never create greater community and understanding, rather than finding answers, I began discovering new questions. If we only tolerate each other, how can we create a space where religious identity is no longer a source of divisiveness?
It was in Cyprus, where I worked as a cook (while an illegal immigrant), that resolution came without answer. While I was there, the Hizbollah/Israeli broke out and I volunteered with the State Department in the Lebanese evacuation. I discovered: we don't need to have the answers, but if we determine our shared humanity, religious violence can be countered.
Upon returning to New York, the center of my universe, I switched from contemplation to action. As a small group of students at NYU, we formed World Faith, a student initiative that mobilizes diverse religious students for a community service team.
Three years later, we have become a non-profit working in five countries. My passion for the work is renewed with every project and experience that reaffirms the mission to push past "tolerating" the other, growing to understand and love the other.
My journey of interfaith understanding hasn't ended there. A year and a half ago, I met Medina, an Afghan-Mexican American, who grew up in an interfaith home. In high school she decided to embrace her mother's faith of Shiia Islam. We have been together since we met and moved in together earlier this year in the multicultural neighborhood of Astoria, Queens. Reconciling our faith communities, families, and even ourselves has been trying at times, blurring the lines of religion, culture, and love. Having found some balance, we are pursuing the possibility of a life together.
Recently as we sat down for dinner as we usually do, I bowed my head to begin praying quietly to myself. This time, Medina stopped me, and said, "Let's pray together. I've heard them say 'families that pray together stay together.'" I think we'll find our way.
Frank Fredericks, a native of Portland, Oregon, is the Executive Director of World Faith, a youth-led interfaith community service organization. He is President of Conar Records, and works as an Online Marketing Consultant.
A Ramadan Greeting from Faith House Islamic Co-Leader, Rabia Gentile
O blessed month of Ramadan, welcome.
Welcome, majestic month when God’s community comes forth and gathers together, leaving the worries of this world behind in favor of worship and devotion, of giving alms, of fasting from the limited self, from food and drink.
Oh blessed month when it is said God’s mercy pours down upon humanity in abundance: a month in which supplications are answered ten-fold.
Oh blessed Ramadan, hidden within you is the exalted Night of Power or Layl’ tul Qadr, the night that Holy Quran tells us is worth more than a thousand months; the mystical night during which the revelation of Holy Quran was sent to the Prophet Muhammad.
During this month we empty ourselves out, let go of our limited “i,” of limited ideas and merge with the One. While holding the physical fast, we become acutely aware of the reality of our condition- one of total reliance on God. We become aware that only God’s presence can provide us with the sanctuary we are longing for.
During the month of Ramadan, the lover of God strives to be a vessel of God’s Mercy on earth, aspires to be transparent to God’s presence in every moment, with every breath, and longs to encounter Paradise on the earthly plane.
Through the openings that come during this holy month, each one of us manifests as a channel of divine Rahma or Mercy, as we live our day-to-day lives. Shaykh Nur al-Jerrahi writes in his book, Atom from the Sun of Knowledge; “The hands of the perfect human being are ya Rahman and ya Rahim, the continuous invocation of Divine Mercy and Compassion.” During this month we strive to be insan kamil or Perfected Human Beings.
Inshallah, each one of us will taste the beauty and breadth of this Ramadan and realize our true nature.
Ya Hu, (In the Name of Essence)
Rabia
BACKGROUND NOTES from CommonTables.org
The traditional greeting during Ramadan is "Ramadan Mubarak" (RAH-mah-dahn moo-BAR-ahk , “May God give you a blessed month") and the reply is "Ramadan Karim" (RAH-mah-dahn KA-reem, "May God give you a generous month").
In 2009, for much of the world, the observance of Ramadan [begins today] Friday, August 21st and will continue for 30 days until Saturday, September 19th. In North America Ramadan will start a day later - on Saturday, August 22nd. Muslim holidays begin at sunset on the previous day, so this year observing Muslims will celebrate Ramadan beginning at sunset on August 20th/21st.
Fasting in the month of Ramadan is one of the five pillars of Islam and is observed by more than one billion Muslims. During Ramadan, Muslims around the world get up before sunrise to eat Sahur, the pre-dawn meal. They then stop eating and drinking before the call for Fajr (first) prayer starts and continue fasting until the fourth prayer of the day, Maghrib.
Subscribe to free Interfaith eLerts from CommonTables.org
Below is a piece I wrote earlier this summer for a blog series on everyday spiritual practices organized by Christine Sine, a radical Christian in Seattle. I wrote this reflection suddenly and unexpectedly, having planned to write about sorting garbage as a spiritual practice! The series now has more than 30 contributions, on topics ranging from being unemployed, to playing children's games, love-making, twittering, washing the dishes, and using GPS navigation as a spiritual practice. Read them all on on Godspace.
Grief as a Spiritual Practice
I was spiritually touched by the televised farewell to
Michael Jackson. I think it was
good for the country to have a collective day of grief for one so beloved by so
many. It got me thinking about
grief.
Churches have sacraments for grief and many cultures have customs to help people accept permanent loss. In my life, the process of letting go of those I knew and loved best has become a primary spiritual practice in my journey with God.
My dad is a priest and we moved around a lot when I was growing up. I was born in Manhattan, spent my first year in Bronxville, two years in the South Bronx, seven in Newark, four in Cincinnati, and finished high school in Olean, NY.
We were deeply integrated into the greater church family in
all of these places and left behind many loved ones. I developed a deep sense of loss very young. Below is a poem I wrote when I was 27
about a childhood memory:
Did I ever tell you
That I’m sentimental?
Or the story
Of my last day in kindergarten?
I had gone to preschool
Too at Playhouse
In West Orange, New Jersey.
I remember that day
Walking around the playground
Past the monkey bars
And adventure tower
Where I had played with
My friends, people I had known
For two or three
Of my five-year life
And I cried.
I knew life would
Never be the same again.
I have experimented with ways to do this, faithfully and with God’s assistance. Prayer is place I turn in times of loss. Think about it and talk about it – with God. Ask for what you want. Ask for mercy. “Be merciful to me, O LORD, for I am in distress; my eyes grow weak with sorrow, my soul and my body with grief” (Psalm 31:9).
I have also found solace in the companionship of my family and friends. I once found myself alone in a kitchen literally crying over a mess of milk spilled on the floor. I called a girl friend who came over immediately. I began despairing that I was never going to recover from my recently lost love. I though I should have been ready to move on… but here I was, in tears before the day had begun. “Don’t try to mess with grief,” she warned me. “Or grief will come back and mess with you!”
Be good to your body in times of grief. Go for walks. Eat delicious food. Let others care for you. Grief is a highly physical emotion. Strong as love is grief and “love is as strong as death” (Songs 8:6).
I always felt that God knew my grief and that my grief was small compared to those of others. As I grew, and my horizons broadened, entering into new places and new relationships, I believed more and more that God is everywhere and grief is everywhere too. It is part of life and should be entered into intentionally, not resisted. One must move through it to move past it.
In this practice, I have learned how to love. How to take
care of myself and to give my love fully.
How to love and be loved by God.
And, most importantly, to believe in resurrection. It is a practice that has been part of
my spiritual journey. May God
bless you and be merciful in your times of grief.
ORIGINALLY POSTED July 22, 2009 on Godspace
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