Certainly the world had neither forgotten nor recovered from the shock and horror of the Boko Haram kidnappings and murders in Nigeria, or the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) acts of terrorism in the Middle East when the violent murders at Charlie Hebdo in Paris horrified millions around the globe.
How can we respond? Prayer is our first and last refuge in all adversity, and it is prayer that is needed now. Only one aspect of prayer is what might be called mental or internal prayer, prayer that might be said kneeling beside the bed before sleep at night, or in a religious service. Every action undertaken with the full attention and consciousness of love could be called ‘prayer.’
Thus, the gathering in solidarity with those killed in Paris, gatherings that have taken place all over the world, can truly be called prayer. Also the sustained efforts of those who seek to legislate for the control of guns is prayerful.
Our prayers when we are in private and alone only seem to be isolated. We are, whenever we pray, not only with God but with all who pray. When we gather in sight and within the reach of each other’s hands to pray, this sense of our interconnectedness in prayer is very strong.
I want to encourage you to pray in all these ways. You may find that connecting with the Fellowship of Reconciliation is a useful way to work prayerfully for peace in the world. Martin Luther King, Jr., whom we remember especially this coming weekend was a member of the Fellowship of Reconciliation, and it has supported the prayerful lives of many heroes of the Civil Rights Movement and other historically significant peace and reconciliation movements.
I want to invite you in the Bay Area to join a group of interfaith leaders and me at the Six O’clock Service at Grace Cathedral on Sunday, January 25, 2015. We will celebrate the Christian Mass, but also join in prayers and ritual for peace and the end of religious-based violence. We gather on the indoor labyrinth just inside the main doors of Grace Cathedral at 6 PM for this service.
While religious-based violence is a heartbreaking reality in our world, there is an ocean of suffering from violence at every level that has no connection or basis in religion. Far from being the source of this widespread violence, religious people are in the forefront of those seeking to bring healing to neighborhoods, regions, and countries. The remarkable movement, Black Lives Matter has many supporters from within religious congregations. In our own diocese, the Episcopal Diocese of California there is a relatively new effort, the Urban Peace Collaboration, which is sponsoring learning and discussion opportunities. You can learn more about the Urban Peace Collaboration here: www.diocal.org/urbanpeace
+MHA
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