INTERFAITH HARMONY WEEK
February 1-7, 2020

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“The World Interfaith Harmony Week provides a platform — one week in a year — when all interfaith groups and other groups of goodwill can show the world what a powerful movement they are. The thousands of events organized by these groups often go unnoticed not only by the general public, but also by other groups themselves. This week will allow for these groups to become aware of each other and strengthen the movement by building ties and avoiding duplicating each others’efforts.” (https://worldinterfaithharmonyweek.com/)

Recovering a Sense of the Sacred: Reverence for All Life and Creation

We are living during uncertain and transitional times. The life, fate, and destiny of our planet and human civilization, as we have come to understand it, are unknown. As we listen to and observe what is happening in the World, we realize our current way of living is neither sustainable nor life-giving.

We live in a broken and divided world.  We are often overwhelmed by the pain and suffering, violence, and destruction.  The growing tide of fear exacerbates unresolved feelings of animosity, polarity, and resentments.

One source of conflict and strife is the cacophony and dissonance of harmful words and ways of living. The harm is hurting everyone and every creature and every aspect and element of our life on Earth.

Yet within the depths of our hearts and souls, there is a deep yearning for healing, wholeness, harmony, peace, and love. We need to trust this yearning in symphony and concert with others. We are now drawn to a deeper and more expansive communion of life and spirit. This is an open dialogue and participation of our own inner communion of will and spirit with the will and spirit of Creation itself.

A deeper opening of our hearts, minds, and hands to care for each other, life, and creation leads to the realization of our vocation and vision to bringing more healing and wholeness into our World. HH Dalai Lama has said, “ Love and Compassion are not luxuries rather necessities if humankind is going to survive.” Truly the penultimate and urgent issues of our time are survival, sustainability, and solidarity in communion with others.

How do we, as one humanity, conspire together to bring into being a new harmony and creative way of living?  This is the challenge and calling of our age. We must recover a sense of the sacred and “reverential trust” in the goodness of life, each other, and the life-giving movements of continuing creation. We must more fully embody “xenophilia” (love of the other) and “biophilia” (love of life) as our ultimate value and virtue guiding and inspiring our lives. We must become more conscious and loving in all our relationships if we will contribute to the process of co-creating our global home.

The Interfaith Peace Project is pleased to offer you a prayer reflection for each day of Interfaith Harmony Week, beginning tomorrow, February 1, 2020. Interfaith Harmony Week calls on all Faith and Spiritual Traditions to engage in dialogue and mutual respect by profoundly reflecting on the issues affecting the World today.

Randy Thomas
Advisory Board
The Interfaith Peace Project