Call for Peace from the South of the World
The following Interfaith Celebration was created by Gerardo Gonzalez, with the Foro Espiritual de Santiago Para la Paz Cooperation Circle, Chile. Created at the dawn of the Third Millennium, this plea for peace resounds today.
We came together for an interfaith celebration on September 21. There were about 60 people from diverse faith backgrounds. We had “orantes” (prayers) from different religious traditions. We meditated together. After naming countries where people were currently suffering war and violence, participants were invited to call out additional countries and places where they wanted to see peace prevail. We closed our peace prayer ceremony by reading this CALL FOR PEACE together in a loud voice.
CALL FOR PEACE
“We call all people – whatever would be their nationality, race or belief; their profession, age, or social condition – to work united in the task of building peace;
A genuine and lasting peace has been recorded as desire in the heart of every human being;
A peace deeply based in the structures of a more equitable and harmonious society than the present one; a new society fully respectful of Human Rights and all manifestations of life, in which sharing will be more important than competing, and all dialogue and agreements will displace all forms of violence in the solutions of conflicts.
We want the Third Millennium to be luminous than the second one.
We want for us, our children and the future generations, a world where cultural and religious diversity will be respected and appreciated; a world where brothers and sisters are reconciled among themselves and with the Earth; a world where we can say that the peace we enjoy in our hearts, in our families, in our communities, and among nations is largely the outcome of love.
Building that peace is a common task. United we can do it.
About this series:
Each year, hundreds of URI Cooperation Circles participate in the International Day of Peace (IDP). As a global community, we put organized global spirit and energy into action! Here are some beloved ideas and inspirations for peacebuilding. You can expect two issues of this series each week until September 21. Hope you love them too and find them useful!
See more posts in this series for more ideas about how to celebrate the International Day of Peace.
May Peace Prevail,
Sally