Six people gathered on July 9, 2000, to pray for peace in front of the Liberty Bell on Market Street.
Tricia McManus sent the following report:
Tired, but inspired from the Friends General Conference from which I had returned the day before, I ventured to the vigil. It was my first time, but I had felt part of it through the posts I'd been getting. I looked around and found Friend Jorge sitting on a shaded bench nearby. We greeted one another and found we both were tired, and soon settled into companionable worshipful silence.
Our small group assembled in front of the Liberty Bell and I took up the sign Peace Begins Within. This was a good message for myself as I was feeling uneasy and self conscious. I prayed silently the prayer of St. Patrick which contains the words:
Christ in the sight
Of each eye that shall seek me,
In each ear that shall hear,
In each mouth that shall speak to me.
Christ none the less in each heart I address.I changed to the sign Be Peace and was feeling more able to experience the rightness of this public prayer for peace.
A little boy walked by and read our signs and said, "Peace, Peace, Peace." Like blah blah blah. I looked for a sign that would minister better to the purpose of our vigil and took up Marcelle's sign Let's Be Guided by God's Love — Peace on Earth. This one felt quite right. I felt close to dear Marcelle when I held the worn corners of her sign and took her place as a witness for God. Many moments of joy, peace and power took place within me as I bowed my head in prayer.
When I looked up I saw we were facing only a pile of rubble that will soon be the Independence Park Information Center. All the people were inside the pavilion behind us. I took up a sign Start Peace and hung it on my back. I felt it would be better seen and pondered by the many people inside.
I began to feel weary and weak, I realized I hadn't eaten anything that day and had driven 10 hours in the last 24. "Is this going too far? A week at a religious conference, meeting for worship at Arch Street Meeting in the morning and now standing for an hour in the heat of summer?" I asked myself. Then I felt assurance from the Holy Spirit that this all was God's purpose for me. I was working hard for the Kingdom of God on earth.
I took off my suddenly uncomfortable sandals. The moment when my sweat ran down my legs and onto the bricks I remembered the name of the Friends General Conference: Deep Roots, New Growth. The roots of our Society go deep into the ground I was standing on. I felt my growth and exercise of spirit was watering those roots. I felt connected to William Penn, Anthony Benezet, Stephen Grellet and all the unsung Quakers who also sought to bring God's peace and love through their spiritual work in Philadelphia.
To all who read this, "May God bless thee and keep thee, may He shine His countenance upon thee and give thee peace."
Dan Homan contributed the following reflections:
Coming to these vigils is something in which God gives me joy, but God gives me joy in other circumstances as well. In fact, Paul writes in chapter five of his first letter to the Thessalonians, verses 16-18, that we are to have joy in all things ...
"Be joyful always; pray continually; give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus."
The third part of this statement, especially, was hard for me to understand for a long time. It became clear when I heard someone point out that this verse says we should give thanks "in" all circumstances; not for all circumstances.
An update on our vigil for July 30:
We received a call from the National Park Service (Special Events Office) asking if we were still interested in holding our prayer vigil for peace on July 30. Our answer was yes, and a permit has been mailed to us. Along with the permit, we have received a layout of the area around the Independence Bell pavilion showing the specific sector where we would stand, which is right in the middle of our regular place. On our flanks there will be a group from the Silent March and another from, we presume, the Moral Majority. Apparently we will be sharing our space in the middle with another (small) group with the acronym PCCY. The two large lateral terraces of the park will be occupied by the Silent March and the 2nd Ammendment Sisters, respectively. We have not heard from the Silent March people about our request to let us join their vigil.
This coming Sunday, July 23, after the vigil, we will be trying to discern ways to maintain our prayerful witness in the described circumstances. Let us pray that we will be open to Divine guidance.
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