This week's report was written by Pat McBee, of Central Philadelphia Monthly Meeting:
I joined the vigil again today. I had been a regular back at the beginning when the U.S. was bombing Serbia. Why had I come today? A more open Sunday schedule is part of it. An intensified awareness of the many ways in which peace and justice get lost in our world gave me a further motive. Maybe if I went and prayed I would be transformed, I would be given a clearer sense of what God wants from me in this suffering world.
So I stood there with two others and a whole string of signs lined up against the glass wall of the Liberty Bell Pavilion. Families with small children walked by — some of them having a good time, some of them tired and grumpy from a long day in the sun. How does peace and justice prosper in their homes, I wondered? Are the children being so grounded in love that they can spread the love, which I believe is God, wherever they go? Or will they grow up wounded and angry and spread that, instead?
A few people paid attention to us and the signs. Two young women joined us for a few minutes. A man with a camera gestured for permission to take our picture. Another young man walked by reading the signs aloud, and I wondered if he was practicing his English.
As we were packing up, two women, sometimes attenders at a meeting in Massachusetts came by and guessed that maybe we were Quakers. They wanted directions to historic meetinghouses in Philadelphia. Earlier a down-on-their-luck young couple from Lancaster county were asking where they could get food. I was grateful that someone else went to talk with them.
I spent some time musing about what we could say on the signs that would catch people and not just make us seem like a bunch of kooks. It seemed to me that every earnest statement can seem hackneyed. It is just a ministry to stand there, be a quiet spot, touch those who are open to the message, and maybe subtly affect others. I believe in the power of prayer. We were praying. Maybe the world is just a hair more peaceful because we stood there. I expect that we were more peaceful for having stood there.
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