January 21, 2026

Dear Friends,

We began a one-year observance of our twenty-fifth anniversary on September 8, 2025. It will conclude on September 8, 2026. 

As part of our observance, we began, on September 21, 2025, a year of reflections on the heart of the Interfaith Peace Project – the Interpath Principles. The reflections are being sent to you on the eighth and twenty-first of each month. If you would like to view the previous reflections, you can find them 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

THE INTERFAITH PEACE PROJECT

A Legacy of Peace-Making for Twenty-Five Years
September 8, 2001 – September 8, 2026

THE THIRD INTERPATH PRINCIPLE – PART TWO
CONTEMPLATIVE STUDY
GLEANING WISDOM

Contemplative Study

We strive to harvest the Wisdom of the Great Teachers 
past and present in our quest for 
expansive respect and understanding.

Let us explore the implied methodology that makes the practice of the Third Interpath Principle possible. Recall that the Interpath Principles are the direct consequence of Interfaith outreach, love, and understanding. As the dialogues with people of various faith traditions unfold, one becomes aware of the unique ways individuals practice their beliefs and philosophies in the pursuit of everyday life.  

The wisdom found in the Faith, Spiritual and Cultural Traditions of Humankind is too vast and complex for anyone to comprehend or master. The best one can do is learn to swim in this almost infinite ocean of mystery, insight, wisdom, and creativity.  

The “method” we discovered for such an enterprise is inspired by the Jewish Book of Leviticus 23: 22:

When you reap the harvest of your land,
you shall not reap to the very edges of your field,
or gather the gleanings of your harvest;
you shall leave them for the poor and for the alien to glean.

The idea of “gleaning” is profound and quite suggestive for our purposes here. The produce and fruit that are left behind after the harvest belong to the poor and hungry. It is a simple matter of justice by which the injustice of hunger is repaired. 

The Interfaith Peace Project locates the essence of its work at this juncture. What inspires the oppressed and stirs their imagination and courage offers us the nourishment we need to witness to what is just, good, true, and beautiful. We literally explore what the poor have gleaned from the wisdom of humankind.

Over the years, we have discovered the obvious. The largest Interfaith Community in the world is the poor, oppressed, war-torn, and rejected who suffer injustice. They have been, are, and always will be the source of that peace which births the justice of repair, understanding, and reconciliation. Without their love and friendship, we can do nothing.

I think of David. As he enjoyed a morsel of bread to soothe his hunger, he taught us to be deeply aware of those who suffer. His motto is, “Never ignore anyone.”     

I think of Agnes as she wrapped herself in a blanket of warmth, singing, “Life is like a river, I do not resist it, I go with the flow.”

I think of Mark. When he experienced the hurts and sorrows of others, he wept and protested, “No one should be treated that way!” 

The great teachers of humankind often suffered terribly as they shared their wisdom with the world. The great teachers are still among us. Look at those risking their lives for others in Minneapolis, Ukraine, Greenland, Gaza, Iran, and in our own neighborhoods. The Faith Traditions were born in times of conflict, and their teachers are still inviting us to walk the pathways of love, understanding, and compassion in the pursuit of justice and for the sake of peace. It is our privilege to glean their wisdom.

Beloved Community, glean in peace.