May 8, 2025

Dear Friends,

The Interfaith Peace Project continues its ongoing observance of International Women’s Day (March 8) and the International Day of Peace (September 21) by sending out reflections on the eighth and twenty-first of every month. On March 8, Fr. Tom started a 10 part series on the Beloved Community. You will receive a section of the series on the 8th and 21st of each month through July 21, 2025. If you miss a part of the series, you can find it on our blog at interfaithpeaceproject.org. If you have anything that you would like to share, please contact:

Thomas P. Bonacci, C.P.
[email protected]
925-787-9279

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The Beloved Community
Part 5
Diversity
by Thomas P. Bonacci, C.P. and June Kirk

Diversity, equity, and inclusion are the hallmarks and backbone of the Beloved Community, which is emerging as the hope and promise of the human family.

A world filled with hate, fear, and violence makes no one happy or fulfilled. If anyone were attracted to violence, they themselves would deeply need the Beloved Community and its healing compassion.

Diversity points to the splendor of difference, which animates the Beloved Community and delights the human heart and soul. Zenju Earthlyn Manuel teaches us deeply when she writes in her book, The Way of Tenderness: Awakening through Race, Sexuality, and Gender (p. 30), “I remember when I was a child my father tipped his hat to strangers on the path. I would smile and nod along with him, and the strangers would nod back. What I received in the nod back from the strangers was recognition that we were living beings. It meant that my undeniable difference was nonetheless seen as part of the landscape of life.”

Our differences, our rich diversity, need not be a source of conflict or division. Our differences, our plurality, reveal what it means to be a true human family. Different languages help us to discover the depth of human thought and expression. Think for a moment of the great diversity of literature, music, and the arts that bless all of us each and every day.

The diversity of cultures enlivens our sense of what it means to be alive, vital, and engaged in the world around us.

The encounter with another person invites us to explore the depths of our own souls, the truth of our beliefs, and the biases that prevent us from truly meeting one another as fully human persons. Mattie Stepanek put it this way in his poem, “For Our World”:

“In so many ways, we are the same.
Our differences are unique treasures.
We have, we are, a mosaic of gifts
To nurture, to offer, to accept. …”

Diversity is a virtue inviting us to a richer and fuller life as a robust human person fully engaged in the world. Consider these vital aspects of diversity:

1) Diversity invites us to move out of our “safe” spaces and see the world with new eyes.

2) The embrace of diversity invites us to be kind and loving to everyone we encounter.

3) Diversity invites us to be people who trust and are trustworthy.

4) Diversity encourages us to see others and ourselves as equally Beloved.

5) Diversity empowers us to face the difficulties of life together as together we learn, grow, and are inspired by one another.

Blessings to you Beloved Community as you continue to practice the virtue of diversity. Seek what is true from everyone, be transformed by everyone you meet, and continue to discover the splendor of yourself in all those who meet you.