08-29-24

ECCLESIOLOGICAL ETCHINGS
August 29, 2024
Tuesday night, I attended an interfaith event at the Baitus Samee Mosque on Spears Road. They experienced hateful vandalism a couple of weeks back, and Tuesday’s gathering was an opportunity to demonstrate support and engage in dialogue. The Ahmadiyya Muslim Community has as its mission statement: “Love for all, hatred for none.” Sadly, not everyone agrees, even within the Islamic community. Like Christianity, there can be plenty of internal disagreements; some of those have brought about violence and death in Algeria, Pakistan, and Malaysia. What caught my attention before the event got started was a little girl who was running around the mosque laughing and occasionally stopping in front of different people with a big grin and a giggle. I was there 20 minutes early, and her grandfather was sitting a few chairs down from me. On a number of occasions, she ran to her grandfather and gave him a big hug. He then kissed her on the top of her head and absolutely beamed with joy. Once he turned to me and said, “Lots of energy, but I love her so much.” In a world so easily divided along more lines than one could even count, it would be nice for more people to sit down next to each other and see the interaction between a grandfather and a granddaughter. His religion and ethnicity were different than mine, and though I am not a grandfather, I felt the love he had for her. The love we feel for our family members provides at least one good connecting point amidst the many differences that have sadly become places of distrust and hate. Of course, it all begins with a willingness to actually sit down in the same place and listen to one another.

Wherever an opportunity for learning and growth occurs, O God who crossed every divide, I pray for both curiosity and courage in taking a step toward understanding, friendship, healing, and peace. Amen.