Dear Friends,
On Sunday, October 17, 1999, seven of us gathered to pray for peace in the world on Independence Mall. It was a rainy and somewhat cold afternoon. The rain was gentle at times, at times hard.
Before the vigil, over lunch, my meeting (Marcelle's) had discussed the recent failure of the Senate to ratify the nuclear test ban treaty and the consequences that might follow if more countries around the world saw this as an opening to acquire and test nuclear weapons. Accounts of other disastrous decisions by municipal and local authorities followed. We talked about how to live in a world in which environmental damage is occurring at an accelerated rate. I went to the vigil feeling burdened by bleak considerations of these and other sorts. I was already dripping wet before the vigil started. The night before I had spent more than an hour making a new sign and didn't want to expose it to the possibility of being destroyed by rain in the very first minutes I used it. After some uncertainty, I chose a sign that had already been weathered by rain at previous vigils.
Sirens screamed and a caravan of at least five police cars and several "unmarked" vehicles (three of them identical) raced by on Market St. I wondered what violent situation they might be speeding toward and prayed for God's peace there. A bus went by displaying a billboard for a TV show called "Wasteland." The caption, in bold letters, read: "Life has no master plan."
"That's not true!" was my immediate response. Yes, our behaviors suggest we may be collectively determined to turn this planet into a wasteland. Nonetheless, I was standing on the street in the rain praying for peace because I am convinced that there is a Love, a Wisdom, a Peace, and a Master Plan by which we can live our lives if we choose.
Again and again at moments I have been made aware that I can live my life according to a divine plan full of love and healing. These thoughts from the prophet Jeremiah (29:11-13) are some of the most important to me in the Bible: "I know the plans I have for you, says the Lord, plans for peace, and not disaster, plans for a future full of hope. Then shall you call upon me, and you shall go and pray to me, and I will hear you. And you shall seek me, and find me, when you shall search for me with all your heart."
Jeremiah warns that the course that the people of Israel were taking, a path not in keeping with God's guidance for their nation, would lead to Israel becoming a wasteland. But God promises that someday the wasteland will be turned again to a place of gladness, where people will rejoice: "Give thanks to the Lord of hosts, for the Lord is good, for his steadfast love endures forever." (Jer 33:11)
Yes, there is a divine plan of peace for us, I affirmed, even if the human race creates a wasteland. I thought of the violence, poverty, pain, oppression, and pollution all over the world. I am convinced that God has the power to heal all of that easily — so why does God let it exist? A perennial human question.
As I stood in the rain praying, gradually I remembered something else I have been taught: God is interested in the transformation of human hearts. God wants us to choose healing, peace, love, unity. Without the divine Spirit, we cannot make it happen, but we must play an active role, too. We must seek it, we must pray for it, we must accept it, we must live it. We are invited to become united with the divine plan for peace in the world; we are invited to be active agents for divine healing and transformation.
I (Jorge) did not have a smooth day on Sunday the 17th. The day's loving interactions had been overshadowed by others that left me feeling alone, hurt, insecure. I stood in prayer, asking to be given the grace to stand in God's love, and to have the faith to, yes, stand alone if necessary, minding God's will and not other people's regards for me...
At the end of the prayer vigil, I silently recited one of Jesus' prayers, according to the Gospels, Padre Nuestro... Perdona mis (nuestras) ofensas, así como yo perdono (nosotros perdonamos) a los que me (nos) ofenden.... [Our Father... Forgive me my (us our) debts, as I (we) also have forgiven my (our) debtors...]
To forgive and to be forgiven... To be restored to purity and to harmony, to be washed and cleaned, like the rain was washing and cleaning trees, roads and sidewalks... As the prayer vigil closed, I found myself experiencing what God's love can do! It helped me find the way back home — peace.
At six o'clock, we gathered in a circle and talked about the fact that darkness was coming earlier each week and Daylight Savings Time would soon end. We agreed to hold our prayer vigils an hour earlier, from 4 to 5 PM, starting October 31st.
We also agreed to gather for meeting for worship before the vigil on November 7th, at 3 PM, to consider how we are led to conduct the prayer vigils in the future. We will hold our meeting for worship at Friends Center that day (15th and Cherry Streets).
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