Dances of Universal Peace this Sunday, June 11th after the vigil. All are welcome! Vigil: 4 – 5 PM. Dances: 5 – 6:45 PM.
On Sunday, June 4th, one Friend began the vigil alone in front of the Liberty Bell, while two other Friends held it on 69th Street, by the SEPTA train station. Eventually five more Friends arrived to join the vigil on Independence Mall.
The following report is from John Gallery:
Each Sunday I've gone to the vigil I've wondered what would happen if no one else showed up. Would I be willing to stand there alone with my sign? Would I have the patience to stay the whole hour or, alone, would I tire more easily and leave early since no one would really know? How would I handle, alone, the people who might stop and talk? How would I handle, alone, the indifferent stares of those who just passed me by?
Last Sunday I had a small taste of that. For 10 to 15 minutes I stood alone. I knew that Dan was there, finding quarters for his parking meter, and that I would not have to stand the full hour by myself. But in those 10 to 15 minutes I experienced at least some minor part of what I had often wondered about.
Throughout my life I've seen individuals on the street carrying religious messages. My first thought used to be (and I confess, often still is) "religious crack pot." There are some of whom I think differently — Jehovah's Witness's handing out their magazine or individuals giving out small pamflets printed by the Street Bible Tract Association. I admire their courage and ability to witness to their beliefs so publicly. Generally, I say of myself, I couldn't do that. But others strike me differently. In Philadelphia I often see individuals around City Hall carrying signs. The messages invariably go back to John the Baptist (Repent, the end is near!). Some invoke Jesus's name (Only Jesus Saves from Sin — on a carefully lettered sign nailed to a tree that I see each morning on my trip to work) or make reference to a passage of scripture — usually something from the Gospel of John like the signs you occassionally see at baseball games when the TV camera scans the audience (John 5:10-14, or something similar). I look at these people and think they've lost a part of their sanity. What fools, I say to myself, believing that such actions have any value, any impact. And that's what I imagine people would think of me if I were standing alone with my sign, "Pray for Peace in the World" with a list below of the word for peace in all the languages I could find in the foreign language dictionary section of Borders Books.
Am I prepared to be a fool for God?
In the Tarot deck, the Fool is the first of the major arcana — number zero, no-thing. He is depicted as a carefree young man in a richly colorful dress carrying a rose in one hand and a stick in the other from which is suspended an embroidered purse. He stands on a high mountain ledge under bright sunshine gazing happily into the distance with his little dog jumping beside him. "He is the prince of the other world on his travels through this one," one explanation reads; "He is the spirit in search of experience." For me he is, in many repects, the personification of Fox's phrase "walk lightly over the earth answering to that of God in others" (do I quote correctly?). The explanations of the card say that the Fool calls to the child inside of us, the part of us that wants to act intuitively, instinctively, even impulsively, spontaneously, joyously, without fear. To me, he seems to be child in spirit, living completely in the present moment, in total unity with God, in joyous harmony with all creation. He seems to fully represent such thoughts as "Unless you are like a little child you shall not enter the Kingdom of God" (He's entered!) and "If the birds don't worry about where their next day's food will come from, why should you? Don't you think God loves you as much as the birds?" (At least that's the gist of it.) (He doesn't worry!) One can easily say that anyone who truly tries to live by Jesus's teachings — anyone who tries to live in the Kingdom — will be viewed as a fool in the eyes of the world. So, yes, then, I must be willing to be like him, a fool for God.
As I stood alone only I felt different. Those who ignored me and rushed past to the Liberty Bell or heading home from the bike race, would have ignored all of us. Those who looked and paused would have looked and paused at all of us. One black woman walked slowly by. She read the signs I had propt up against the building then read mine. She looked a lot like Whoppi Goldberg. Around her neck she wore a plain, dark wooden cross suspended on a leather string. She looked at me and softly said, "Bless you" as she walked on. No, she did not think me a fool, just a fool for God.
I often struggle with my feelings about the people who pass. It's easy to become judgmental: there are "them" (the ones who ignore us and go about their business) and "us" (those who pause, read, talk, make a positive sign of acknowledgement or take a picture). It's easy to forget that we are called to love them all. At the end of the hour, Tony brought me back to that when he shared his reflection. He said he often found himself classifying the people who passed — that one understands, that one does not, etc. And he didn't like that judgmental feeling any more than I do. So he decided that he would look directly at each person and pray for that person as long as the person looked at us. Thus, everyone become the object of his love and prayer — even those who just glanced and walked past — and those who walked more slowly got the benefit of a longer prayer. It was a powerful reminder that we are called to love them all — all whom we meet each day of our lives — and to pray for their well-being. May you be happy, Buddha used to offer as a blessing to someone leaving.
We are called to love them all — supporters, opponents, interested, disinterested, wealthy, poor, all. And if that makes us fools for God, so be it.
Coming up: - June 11th, Dances of Universal Peace after the vigil, 5–6:45 PM.
- June 18th after the vigil we'll stay to discuss our presence during the Republican Convention and other issues related to our witness for peace.
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