The following includes accounts written by John Gallery and Marcelle.
John Gallery writes:
Three Friends gathered on December 26th at Independence Hall, one of whom was Renata, braving a cold afternoon. Although the afternoon was cold, there were as many people as usual visiting the Liberty Bell. For some reason there seemed to be more Asian visitors than usual (though there are always many, often in a tour group), perhaps because this isn't a holiday season for them. What few signs of Christmas existed were the shopping bags in the hands of passersby. A lady walking by on the other side of the street waved, but most passed us with a glance at the signs and a quick look away to their other tasks. One Asian man stopped, took literature and talked briefly. Our most interesting visitor was a man from India with his son. He said, but isn't the world at peace right now? Then he mentioned the plane that had been hijacked that day, as if contradicting himself. I mentioned children in Iraq, the fighting in Russia and said, no the world wasn't at peace. But, he said, even when Jesus lived the world wasn't at peace. You can't expect the whole world to be at peace. Yes, I said, you could. The whole world. This seemed unrealistic to him. He asked in we knew of Gandhi and I said, yes, we were Quakers and also believed in non-violence.
But when he left I knew I hadn't convinced him. Nor could we convince the people passing by with their shopping bags. From the perspective of anyone in the US, the world must certainly seem at peace. Why worry? What need is there to do anything about it? It doesn't affect us. So it seems.
Before coming to the vigil I stopped at a Christmas party of some friends. There a woman cornered me and complained about Quakers. She challenged me to say something positive. "They've never produced any artists," she said, "or a signficant number of civic leaders, they are complacent, middle class," she complained. What to say? In a sense she was challenging me to say what was the essential strength of being a Quaker, and my answer could not be in deeds. I said, at its best being a Quaker, attending meeting for worship, forces you to sit down and look in the mirror. And what you see reflected there is your relationship with God. If you look long enough and hard enough, either you see the relationship reflected back to you and you change or you do not — but you can't escape reaching one or the other conclusion. You can see yourself, and just walk away. But if you see God and yourself, then the rest of your life will change of its own accord. This is, it seems to me, what Fox meant when he said Christ has come to teach his people himself. Unlike other religions, Quakerism forces you to look in the mirror.
A block north on Independence Mall there is a Christmas scene — statues of Mary, Joseph and Jesus set up by a Catholic organization. Another block away at Old First Church there is a live manager — with real animals and on Christmas eve, real people playing Mary, Joseph and Jesus just like the scene St. Francis of Assisi set up when he invited this Christmas custom in the 12th Century. Cars stream by, and hearts, too often to me, seem full of cheer but not so full of peace, good will to all people.
Marcelle writes:
In Woodstock, Virginia, the vigil began late, but soon five of us, including my parents, were standing together on Main Street. Like the early vigils on Independence Mall, the first vigils in Woodstock had included some vocal prayer and/or singing, but this one was held in silence. There was a strong wind, and the posters would not stay attached to their support, so two of us held them to face the street, as we do on Independence Mall. It seemed that more people waved from their cars than in past weeks, perhaps because they recognized Diane and John, who joined the vigil for the second week. After church bells rang the five o'clock hour we joined our cold hands and gathered in a circle. Several people expressed gratitude for the opportunity to participate in this witness in Woodstock.
It's unlikely that the vigil will continue next week, after I leave Virginia, but the experience has shown me how simple it can be to create a prayerful witness anywhere, and I am more convinced that, as our prayers are needed every where, any place is good for our vigils. I have also come to feel that even a single person can maintain this witness. On the week when I was by myself until the end of the hour, I did not feel alone: I felt connected to those holding the vigil in Philadelphia, to the Divine Father/Mother and to Christ. I hope that people everywhere will consider joining the vigil at a public place in their own locations, for one Sunday afternoon, or more, and telling us afterward about their experience!
BACKGROUND INFORMATION ON THE
Independence Mall Vigil for PeacePlease join us at our weekly prayer vigils for peace in the world, held in front of the Liberty Bell on Market St. between 5th and 6th, every Sunday from 4 to 5 PM. For more information, contact cityquake@aol.com.
In our reports, participants share their experiences of the prayer vigils and explore beliefs related to their participation. Reports reflect the experience of each author and do not necessarily represent the beliefs or practice of all vigil participants. We welcome your responses, which are forwarded to the individual authors (when possible). We sometimes include part of a response in a future report, unless you ask us not to.
It is meaningful to us that you share in the vigils by reading these reports and in other ways, such as joining us in prayer.
Last modified: Wednesday, February 18, 2004 at 08:18 AM