April 7, 2024.
Dear Friends,
We will gather together remotely for our Badaliya and Peace Islands Institute faith sharing on Sunday, April 7, 2024 from 3:00 pm to 4:30 pm. Please join us on Zoom, or in spirit, as we encourage Inter-faith relations and pray together for peace and reconciliation in the Middle East, especially in Israel and Palestine; for an end to the violence in the West Bank, a ceasefire of the war in Gaza and an end to war as a solution to the many conflicts in our world, especially in the Ukraine. Our prayers are on-going for all the victims of human-created violence as well as natural disasters and for the many humanitarian groups risking their own lives to offer much-needed aid.
In 1937 a Polish nun, named Faustina Kowalska, described a vision in her diary that she had received in prayer. She was to paint a portrait of the Mercy of the Divine pouring out from the heart of Jesus for all of humanity. On April 30th in the year 2000, a devotion to this image was approved by Pope John Paul II and Sister Faustina was canonized as a Saint. The first Sunday after Easter was designated as the Feast of Divine Mercy. One year later, on April 22, 2001, Pope John Paul II's Easter message stated:
Jesus said to St. Faustina one day, "Humanity will never find peace until it turns with trust to Divine Mercy". This is the Easter gift that the Church receives from the risen Christ and offers to humanity.
Last month I chose the theme of Compassion for our reflection noting that at this moment it can easily seem that the one human value that is missing in our public discourse, faced with the ongoing tragic effects of war as well as stark divisions and polarization socially and politically, is the experience of Compassion: the capacity to recognize our own humanity in the lived traumatic experiences of others. Today, we are called upon to focus on Divine Mercy, an image of God found in all three Abrahamic faith traditions that reminds us of one of the last words attributed to Jesus as he suffered and was dying on a Cross:
Father, forgive them for they do not know what they are doing.This was forgiving those who condemn innocent lives to death, those whose rage at others results in collective punishment of whole communities, wiping out extended families, innocent women and children and destroying neighborhoods and infrastructure. Forgiving those who we are told are our "enemies" so that nations can rise up against other nations without "guilt". Forgiving others as Divine Love forgives us.
We beg for Mercy in our prayers to God, and from others in our lives, knowing that we have made mistakes, injured others, failed to act when we witness injustice, racism, xenophobia and inequity; for Mercy is always preceded by Compassion. In our Biblical and Qur'anic texts, the Hadith, (the words attributed to the Prophet of Islam, and in the words of Jesus), we are reminded of just how much Divine Love is grounded in Compassion for us because Divine Mercy, Forgiveness, pours out from the very heart of compassionate Love for all of us.
The very opening words in all but one chapter of the Qur'an are:
In the name of God Most Gracious, Most Merciful.The Divine Name, Ar-Rahmaani is referring to Allah's universal Mercy for all of Creation. Many Islamic scholars then suggest that ar-Rahiim is referring to the special Mercy that Allah has for all Believers.
Thus we hear;
Say: O My servants you who have transgressed against their souls! Do not despair of the Mercy of Allah for Allah forgives all wrong doing. For He is ever forgiving; Most Merciful. (Surah 39:53)
In his Convocation Letter dated March 5, 1960 Louis Massignon reminds us that during this past month of Ramadan we have "taken to heart our participation in spirit in all the acts of reconciliation and reparation that will be asked of them [the Muslim community] during this month of fasting."
He noted that every year, in solidarity with the Muslim community, he gathered the Badaliya for a celebration of Mass on The Night of Destiny, Laylat al-Qadr, that falls on the 27th day of Ramadan. In keeping with this tradition we have dedicated the Mass at 8am at St. Paul Parish on Friday April 5th to the blessings of our Badaliya and Peace Islands communities associated with Laylat al-Qadr.
For Muslim believers, this Holy Night is when the Qur'an was first sent down from heaven and the first Qur'anic verses were revealed to the Prophet, Muhammad. The date falls on one of the last odd-numbered days at the end of the month of Ramadan. It is celebrated as a special time of blessing and of Mercy and forgiveness by the Divine.
It is most difficult to break open the day of Ramadan fasting with a shared Iftar meal when so many in Gaza are being deprived of food and water in the midst of violence and war at this moment. It is equally hard as Christians to celebrate this Easter Season with joy, or for the Muslim community to celebrate the joy of the final days of Ramadan, Eid al-Fitr. May all of us turn with trust to Divine Mercy that the compassion and forgiveness of Divine Love be made visible through us in our war torn world.
Peace to you,
Dorothy
See www.dcbuck.com for all past letters to the Badaliya and Peace Islands