Here we all are, delighted in an Interfaith virtual gathering. Supporting each other in remembering that we embody God, the One, the Only. This virtual space is full of God! We do have different faces and respond to different names but each of us embodies a piece of the one sky that enfolds us all, a ray of light of the one sun that warms us all, a spark of the divinity that gives meaning to our human adventure. May we always remember who we are, what we are and why we are here. Rejoicing in gratitude, we get to say thank you God and we let love and peace rule in our hearts and minds now and always.
Lately, I’ve been remembering the time when I was dealing with personal and family addictions. It was a time when resentments and fear ruled my life. I hated my alcoholic relative, it felt like he was murdering my soul, I hated my codependent family members for enabling his unacceptable behavior and I hated myself because I was also trapped in my own addiction. I disappointed myself too. The only reliable being that was left was also a failure. I couldn’t stop abusing my substance of choice. I guess that made me a good addict.
But one day, I got to my first interfaith gathering, a room full of beautiful people, just like you. Listening to each of them, I got to truly listen to myself…
And it didn’t really matter if the people in that room were Jewish, or Muslins, or Christians, or Hindus or Baha’i, or Buddhists, or atheist or agnostics, or scientists, or gay or straight. What mattered is that we cared about each other and that we chose to be there for each other. To each other, we were the face and the arms of God.
When I started listening to them with an opened heart and mind, what they said resonated in me. Today, I realize that just like my Jewish brothers, I can’t stop wondering why? Why this and why that? Why me? Why not? I guess that could make me a good Jew!
Like my Muslin sisters, I can’t stop praising God using only grandiose words to talk about God… The Almighty, the Merciful Allah. I guess that could make me a good Muslin.
Like my Buddhist brothers, I can’t help having a compassionate heart! I guess that could make me look like a good Buddhist!
Like my Hindu sisters, I can’t wait to rest my wondering mind in the quiet silence of my meditation. I guess that makes me feel like a good Hindu.
Like the native people of this world, I can’t avoid listening to the desperate whispers of Mother Earth, asking only for our love and respect. I guess that makes me a good indigenous soul.
When I listened to your pain and joy, I hear you and feel you so much that sometimes I ask to myself… Am I you? Maybe yes! Maybe I am a holocaust survivor. And a Nazi. A slave, and a master. A Priest and a Swami. An Imam and Rabbi. A hero and a coward. A gay man, a straight woman, a transgender fellow. Maybe I am One with all that was, is and will be. I know by experience that I am capable of creating heaven and hell here on Earth. I’m always a choice away from peace or war. After all, I was a woman of substance abuse and now I’m a woman of substance!
It was in the presence of others that I found myself. I believe that in any interfaith gathering where we choose to honor the diverse and fascinating aspects of God there is only room for growth and transformation. There is always room for healing and enlightment. And there is something I know for sure, when I lose sight of God, I lose myself.
Today I choose to say once again Thank You God for another exquisite day in this human adventure. We remember you! We know we are here for you. And we love you. We move on and forward, choosing to remember that you got our back. And so we let it be. Amen!
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