All Faiths United

“Keep your flame lit, and you will never feel darkness.”   - J. Parker On Sunday, Jews around the world will begin the eight-day celebration of Hanukkah. H anukkah , the Festival of Lights, a minor holiday which is not commanded by scripture, celebrates the victory, in 164 BCE of armed Jewish rebels led by Judah Maccabe who were victorious over the army of the Syrian Antiochus IV . Against all odds, the badly outnumbered Jewish freedom fighters slew the Syrians and recaptured the Holy Temple in Jerusalem. Hanukkah, which means “dedication,” commemorates the rededication of the Temple after the revolt, when the ner tamid, or eternal flame was relit. During the eight nights of Hanukkah, a candle of the menorah is lit each evening until the entire menorah is lit on the final evening.   Contrary to what many people believe, Hanukkah is not Jewish Christmas; it is a mere coincidence that the two holidays occur around the same time. Giving Hanukkah presents is a uniq...

In his Daily Meditation of November 30, 2019, Episcopal priest Matthew Fox says, “To be a spiritual adult is to be both mystic (lover) and prophet (one who speaks out about injustice).” 1 Being both mystic and prophet is something I have been reflecting on in the past few months. To be both mystic and prophet can be a challenge.   I must admit that most of my life I have concentrated more on being a lover than speaking out.   But, in our current world situation, I feel that no matter what religion we profess, we must speak out against injustice. As people of various faith traditions, what can we speak out against?   Below are four areas where I believe we can make our voices heard. Gun Control:   Speak out against the senseless killing of human beings by guns.   Semi-automatic assault weapons are a class of firearms designed for war.   Could we at least ban this type of rifle? Human Trafficking:   Speak out against this slavery...

When I was asked by my All Faiths United group to submit a post for the group’s blog, I was nervous because I have never been a great writer. I felt that others could do a better job. Yet interfaith is something very important to me and it’s something very important in today’s society so here I am. BASIS FOR MY RELIGIOUS BELIEFS I am an adopted child reared in a Catholic household. At 18, I met my biological mother, a devout Pentecostal Christian woman whom I have joined in a few church services. In college, I met and befriended some young Muslim men whom I still call friends. I learned a little about their beliefs.   Having met and interacted over time with many different cultures and religious beliefs, I’ve found my beliefs to be based on faith in a loving God and that everyone is equal in His eyes. HATRED AND PERSECUTION IN HISTORY AND THE PRESENT I always thought of hate associated with faith as a concept that was part of our past world history. Events such...

Gratefulness: A Window of Light in the Darkness Thanksgiving and Advent Reflection 2019 by Ann Hayden, MM Window of Light It was a time of religious upheaval and When the angry, ugly mob withdrew Crystal beauty lay in a shattered heap on the floor In calm of darkest night, the pieces were collected in courage In love, they were washed of anger, and sorted one by one In patience, they were prayerfully placed for sacred purpose Shattered shards were transformed into window to let in the light To shine in glorious colors of hope for the courageous; To glow as soft colors of peace for the patient; To shine like a healing wash over the broken, over the damaged, and even over the ugly mob. There is so much to be grateful for in life these days. The approach of Thanksgiving Day here in the Rio Grande Valley has called forth efforts for inter-religious prayer services and dialogue sessions; and has inspired the efforts of community organizations, faith congr...

Prayer… stillness… being with God by Sr. Shirley Mueller  I used to pray that God would feed the hungry, Or do this or that, but now I pray that he will guide me to do whatever I’m supposed to do, what I can do. I used to pray for answers, but now I’m praying for strength. I used to believe that prayer changes things, But now I know that prayer changes us and we change things. St. Mother Teresa   T he hallmark of prayer is the finding and becoming one with stillness. It is so amazing to me that God can dwell within us and be at the heart of the mystery of the Universe. I often think of the profound mystery of two molecules of hydrogen forming a unique relationship with one molecule of oxygen to give us water in all its varied forms to be the wonderful conveyor of life. In the deep silence of the Universe billions of star galaxies move in harmony to manifest such glory. In the deep silence of the mystery of water within us, as we continue to be...

Reflection:  History Past and History Yet To Be November 4, 2019 By Ann Hayden, MM  History has long given us endless examples of violent efforts to decimate culture, art, religion and tradition built up by peoples that are feared, hated, and sacrificed as scapegoats to bigoted ideals of supremacy and power. The violence has been unrelenting and can be chronicled in the stories of ancient conquests; of middle-age crusades; of inquisitions; of reformations; of religious persecution; and of 1 5 th , 1 6 th , 1 7 th , 1 8 th , 1 9 th , 2 0 th , and   21 st century modern colonization of natural resources, slavery, and wars fostered by European, Middle East, Asian and North American military, economic, religious, and political powerbrokers.     In our lifetime and the lifetimes of our parents and grand-parents, human beings (like you and me) have been forced onto reservations, have been trafficked as slaves, murdered in pogroms, gassed in trenc...

LIVING A MORAL LIFE IN A MULTICULTURAL WORLD  by Lois Eichman, AFU member Rabbi Jonathan Sacks writes on his website article, Morality matters more than ever in a world divided by fear and faithlessness , “One of the lasting unintended consequences of multiculturalism is that we no longer think of the nation as a whole. Instead the electorate has been fragmented into a series of subcultures, defined by ethnicity, religion, gender or sexual orientation. These can easily become competitive interest groups, less concerned with the common good than for what is good for those-like-me. Each group can be encouraged by the mood of our time, to see itself as a victim and to identify an oppressor who can be blamed for their current predicament. This gives rise to divisive and rancorous politics that divide society, like the dualisms of old, into the children of light and the children of darkness. It also produces a justification for the use of social media to manipulate public opinio...