Hello, Friends and everybody!
Yes, last Sunday, July 4, Independence Mall was not only a place to celebrate the independence of a nation, but also to pray for peace in the world!
Eight persons gathered there to give our witness, from at least five different meetings. Jonathan Sank (who identifies himself as a fundamentalist Christian and uses the pseudonym Ret Z) also joined us, after a long absence. He was carrying a net, as usual, which he wears as a cover upon himself. The signs that he carries are usually biblical quotations where the net is a metaphor for enslavement. Still, the newsletter he distributes (Life-Net News) uses the net as an image of hope. It reads: "Give a family a fish, and they'll eat a meal; give them a net, and they'll have a fish for life." Reflecting on how this symbol, a net, can have such different and even opposed aspects, I have been reminded of how the potential for evil seems to be present probably in any tool or action that are meant to support life.
A Friend, who was a key supporter of the prayer vigils while the last war raged in the Balkans, withdrew her participation when the war ceased, believing that to continue them now would be an act of "spiritual greed."
Another person, an attender to Quaker Meeting, has asked me, rather reproachingly, why I don't go to Kosovo to help there, instead of wasting my time on Independence Mall. I would then be able to see why the NATO bombing was necessary, the person said.
Yes, even a prayer vigil may be an act of spiritual enslavement and greed, instead of the Spirit of life, love and freedom; of idle arrogance, instead of service, humility, and learning.
Could it be that we who pray need to be prayed for, that we who keep watch need to be watched also? Yes! When Philadelphia Yearly Meeting in its winter session on March 27 minuted a statement on the violence in the Balkans, I felt troubled by its language, which I felt avoided the full weight of our responsibility in the course of the conflict. I felt inspired, however, by Friends who brought their concern for peace to that gathering and challenged us to labor with it. At home, that evening, I continued to struggle with the issue of our response to the conflict. Without being able to sleep, I felt the inner urge to write an invitation to Friends to set a Peace Pilgrimage to the Balkans, a collective endeavor to bring a collective presence of love to ravaged Kosovo and Yugoslavia: unarmed citizens willing to suffer violence but unwilling to inflict it, inviting every party to forgiveness and reconciliation. I shared it with a few Friends, including my meeting's Peace and Social Concerns Committee.
The responses I got were quite different. In general, in spite of several warm and affirming comments from individuals, I found out how far away we are of such collective witness in the face of war...
Lyn Back, a Friend from Central Philadelphia MM serving in a Peace Team in the Balkans, wrote offering some advice. She said that one colleague whom she talked to said, "tell peace activists that the United States is where they should be focussing and that they should be organizing protests and strikes and demonstrations there." Just the night before, at a called meeting for worship and sharing in Chestnut Hill meeting, where Marcelle was present, a group of Friends had agreed to have a prayer vigil for peace on April 4...
Do we gather in prayerful vigil to satisfy our spiritual greed? May the Light show us the truth and cleanse our hearts, so that we hunger and thirst for peace and justice.
Should I go to Kosovo to learn that the evil of violence is necessary to stop the evil of violence? I am in Kosovo now; Kosovo is here. And what I keep learning is that my own violence does stand in the way to stop violence.
But I do want to go to Kosovo! I want to go to Kosovo with you, and you, and you. I have a vision of all of us standing together, in our peace witness, in Kosovo here and Kosovo there, and there, a vision of all of us in a pilgrimage for peace to all the Kosovos of the world. Perhaps the road to Kosovo starts here. Perhaps the pilgrimage is on!
Thank you, Friends, for your continued support. REMEMBER: starting this Sunday, July 11, we will gather on the Liberty Bell side of Market Street (in front of the pavilion, between 5th and 6th Streets.)
A lighter, more personal note, and a request: When I told daughter Elisa Renata today that I was writing a report on our prayer vigil, she said "O, good! I liked it." (She has chosen to attend our prayer vigils several times.) I asked her what she liked, and she said: "That many people came, and the man with the net was funny!" (We had been joking, on our way to the vigil that very hot and humid afternoon, that she and I might be the only ones there.) When you pray for us, pray for her too. The strife of this world hasn't spared her, although hers continues to be a luminous heart!
Questions? More information? You can reach Marcelle and me at cityquake@aol.com or AmigoJorge@aol.com.
With Love,
Jorge
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