On the sixth day of the Week of Prayer for World Peace, we pray for those who hold to their beliefs in peace and justice. Dr. Nirinjan Kaur Khalsa Baker offers a prayer from the Sikh tradition which originated in medieval India during a time of invasion, forced conversion, oppression, and injustice. Nirinjan introduces the work of the Sikh gurus who were mystics, poets, musicians, and warriors and who taught of the same interconnectedness of all life that Rev. Qalvy... Read more
On this fifth day of the Week of Prayer for World Peace, we pray for families caught in conflict. Rev. Qalvy Grainzvolt offers a prayer from the Shinnyo-en Buddhist tradition. The mantra, the GOREIJU (mantra of benevolence and liberation) and one of the core chants in the Shinnyo tradition, the JOJUSAN is composed of two words Namu Shinnyo. These words call us to be in oneness with the ever-present nature of awakening and the embodiment of inner goodness. As we... Read more
On this fourth day of the Week of Prayer for World Peace, we pray for those we perceive as enemies. Savita Singh offers a prayer from the Hindu tradition. The Week of Prayer coincides with the nine days of Navaratri in honor of the nine forms of Durga, the mother goddess. The universal mother is known by many names, and in today’s prayer, we pay homage to her as Shakti and to her power in overcoming the maya, the physical... Read more
On this third day of the Week of Prayer for World Peace, we pray for those working with courage to improve our world. Serge El Helou from Beirut, Lebanon offers prayers from the Lebanese Maronite Christian tradition. As our hearts are heavy with the news of war, as we search for ways to be of support to those in our own communities whose every breath is gripped with the terror of violence and loss, we pour out our prayers in... Read more
On this second day of the Week of Prayer for World Peace, we pray for those who find the path forward through reconciliation, not revenge. Elika Mahony offers a beautiful reflection on the words of Abdu’l-Bahá from the Baha’i faith. Abdu’l-Bahá, the son of Bahá’u’lláh, the founder of the Baha’i faith wrote: When the thought of war comes, oppose it with a stronger thought of peace. Elika responds to his words, “Revenge takes hold of our thoughts and tightens its... Read more
On this first day of the Week of Prayer for World Peace, Hazzan Harold Messinger and Caroline Friewald offer a Jewish prayer to this international and interfaith call to peace. The intention of this global collaboration is to encourage those seeking peace for all of humanity to expand our own practices of prayer by embracing the prayers of other traditions. Our hope is that by nurturing understanding, empathy, and harmony among diverse faith communities, we can stand grounded and united... Read more
Are prayers enough? No. Never. But they are foundational.We sit here today and watch horror unfold. Families and friends slaughtered. People we will never know devastated. We send donations, attend rallies, reach out to those whose very being is threatened and offer love and light. And we pray. Are these prayers enough? No. But they root any action we take, any support we offer, any pain we suffer in something that transcends our circumstances and capabilities. Prayers honor that we... Read more
From Rosh Hashanah to Lunar New Year, we honor the turning over to a new year with fresh perspective and new intentions. Despite my connection to different faith traditions and their threshold rituals, Labor Day weekend will perhaps always mark the beginning of the new year for me. Welcome-back activities for students are outlined. Classroom decor holds the message of belonging. Opening meditation for Alignment’s new season is ready. Retreats and programs are on the website. I feel the lurch... Read more
The open door. A symbol of invitation. Of acceptance. Of welcome. It was the theme of how I was raised. My parents arrived in Birmingham, Alabama in 1949 from their small Scottish village. Through a door that was open to them because they were coming to continue their ministry in a Presbyterian church. They found that doors open for them were not open for all in the highly segregated city where they strove to further the message of all-encompassing love.... Read more
The labyrinth started to breathe. As those gathered for a sunset walk made their way into the center, into circles expanding and contracting, it became the very image of a pulsing heart. The crunching of measured footfalls, step after slowed step, sounded the beats. Walkers fell into rhythm, on a journey alone but as part of a living, breathing organism. A chrysalis. The Outdoor Chaplain, Rev. Cairn Neely, was our labyrinth walk guide. A frequent presenter at Alignment: Interfaith Contemplative... Read more
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