A Prayer for Peace and Compassion

Earlier today, I joined a dozen other ministers, priests, and imams to speak out against terrorism and hatred.  The Islamic Center of Long Island invited me to join them to denounce the terrorism that occurred last week in Paris.  It was a privilege to express to the world that people of all religious traditions deplore violence.  Below are the words I shared this afternoon:

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In a few hours, the Jewish Sabbath, Shabbat, will be upon us.  Jewish communities around the world will gather to read words from the Torah, the Jewish Bible.  We will reflect upon the story of Jacob’s dream.  Jacob dreamt of a ladder that went from the Earth all the way up to the Heavens above.  On that ladder, were angels, going up and going down!  When Jacob awoke from his dream, astonished, he replied, “God was in this place, and I did not know it!”

Thousands of years after Jacob dreamt his dream, we gather on these steps to proclaim that “God is in this place and we know it!”  Those of us, from the Jewish, Christian communities gather with our friends from the Islamic Center of Long Island to stand as one.  We recognize that not only is God in this place, but God is found everywhere around the world.  We value human life because we believe that the spirit and the soul of God is inside each and every person.

Sadly, there are a few people, who are unable to comprehend Jacob’s dream.  These men and women possess hatred in their hearts.  They believe in the idolatry of violence and destruction and death.  They allow animosity to rule over life and companionship and peace.  Today, we join with the Islamic Center of Long Island to cry out in unison, that we deplore violence.  We stand against everything that the terrorists believe to be true.  We value human life and freedom and liberty.  We care about religious pluralism.  We respect difference.  This afternoon, we speak out forcefully against violence and terrorism and say, “No More!  No more shall hatred rear its ugly head!”

The prophet Isaiah shares this utopian vision for the future: "They shall beat their swords into plowshares, and their spears into pruninghooks; nation shall not lift up sword against nation, neither shall they learn war any more."  We believe in Isaiah's vision.  Together we join hands and pray for compassion, for respect, and for peace.  Amen.