Tag Archives: celebrating peace

Dec 25 – Merry Inclusive Christmas

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With all the different holidays being celebrated this time of year, I wanted to find something to share that might appeal to the beautiful and diverse group of people who read this blog. Below is something I read earlier this week written by Rabbi Rami Shapiro that appealed to me. I sincerely hope it offers something to you as well.

Spirituality & Christmas from the most recent issue of Spirituality & Health (https://www.spiritualityhealth.com/blogs/roadside-musings/2020/12/21/spirituality-and-christmas)

“I love Christmas. My neighbors love Christ. This is not the same thing.

To me Christmas heralds the Very Good News that if a first century rabbi could realize the Truth at the mystic heart of his and every religion—“I and the Divine are one” (John 10:30)—then so can we. This is the same Very Good News taught by sages before and after Jesus:

  • I am you and you are I; wherever you are, there I am … And in whatever place you wish, you may gather Me, but when you gather Me, you gather yourself. (Gospel of Eve)
  • My Me is God, nor do I recognize any other Me except God. (St. Catherine of Genoa)
  • Beyond the senses is the brain. Beyond the brain is the intellect. Beyond the intellect is the Great Atman. Beyond the Great Atman is the Unmanifest Brahman. Beyond the Unmanifest Brahman is the I, all–pervading Subject impossible to objectify. (Katha Upanishad 2.3 7–8)
  • The awakened one is no longer separated from God, and behold you are God, and God is you. So, know that I, even I, am God. God is I and I am God. (Rabbi Abraham Abulafia)
  • I am Truth. There is nothing wrapped in my turban but God. There is nothing in my cloak but God. (Mansur al–Hallaj)

To me Christmas is hopeful: a time to celebrate the potential for God-Realization in all of us. To my neighbors Christmas seems fearful: a time to circle the wagons and bemoan how besieged Christians are—not in countries where they are actually persecuted such as the People’s Republic of China, North Korea, Pakistan, and Saudi Arabia but in the most Christian friendly country on earth: the United States of America.

As I walk through my neighborhood and exchange friendly shouts of “Merry Christmas” with my neighbors, I take pleasure in seeing houses draped with Christmas lights and lawns taken over by manger scenes. So, you might forgive my confusion when my neighbors tell me that their right to openly affirm their religion is being denied them, and that they are shunned for saying “Merry Christmas,” and that this War on Christmas gets stronger every year.

To me the War on Christmas is an odd but understandable response to the success of Christianity in the United States. Christians aren’t meant to be successful: Blessed are the poor, the meek, the hungry, the thirsty “who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake, for theirs is the Kingdom of Heaven” (Matthew 5:10). The problem for my neighbors is that they aren’t poor, meek, hungry, thirsty, or persecuted. Indeed, they are often seen as the persecutors. And because they aren’t persecuted, they fear their place in the Kingdom of Heaven is iffy at best.

The obvious solution—obvious to me at any rate—is for them to take up the causes for which Jesus died: the cessation of othering, injustice, and oppression, and doing right by “the least” among us (Matthew 25). As Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. showed us, it doesn’t take long before this Christian message threatens the Powers That Be in America and one becomes “persecuted for righteousness’ sake.” Sadly, it is easier to imagine a War on Christmas instead.

I refuse to engage with the War on Christmas. I choose instead to celebrate the Very Good News that You are God (Tat Tvam Asi and Alles iz Gott as we say in Sanskrit and Yiddish). And when I wish you “Merry Christmas” know that what I am wishing you is this: May your celebration of the birth of Jesus birth your own awakening to the joyous fact that you and God are one.

Merry Christmas.”

Rabbi Rami Shapiro is an award-winning author, essayist, poet, and teacher. In the print version of our magazine, he has an advice column, “Roadside Assistance for the Spiritual Traveler,” addressing reader questions https://www.spiritualityhealth.com/authors/rabbi-rami-shapiro

May peace be with all of us this holiday season _/\_

Celebrating the major holidays of May

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The month of May offers a wide array of holidays, over a 140 if you’re counting. See May Holidays 2021 – National Today or The Month of May 2021: Holidays, Fun Facts, History, and More | The Old Farmer’s Almanac Talk about an emotional roller coaster; and yet, there are at least four notable days to remember:

  • First comes May Day, the first of the month, observed in many countries to celebrate the arrival of the season of Spring but also the Russian revolution of 1917 or a day honoring labor and the shorter workday and work week fought four in the late 1800s. Whether celebrated by pagans, communists or union members it is generally a day of celebration and can sometimes involve dancing, drinking, fire-setting and other general mayhem.  Speaking of mayhem which starts with the word “may”, there are a couple of “may” words worth noting this month:
    • Mayday, the international general distress call used for water and air transportation; derived from the French phrase “venez m’aider” meaning “come help me”.  It’s intention is to signal for assistance in life threatening situations. 
    • Mayhem, means violent or damaging disorder as well as the crime of maliciously injuring or maiming someone.  Not a pleasant word for most to hear or experience.
    • Maybe, a word often used by parents or other authorities to suggest that perhaps, there’s a possibility or a mere probability that what is sought might actually be found, that what is desired might actually come about, that what is needed might actually be delivered.
  • Then comes Cinco de Mayo, the fifth of May, that celebrates the Mexican army’s victory over the French forces in 1862.  Considered a minor holiday in Mexico, it has become a celebration of Mexican culture and heritage in the United States primarily for Mexican-American people.  This day is often filled listening to Latin music, visiting Mexican food booths and learning more about Mexican history.
  • Don’t forget Mother’s Day, celebrated on the second Sunday of the month. Check out the history of Mother’s Day which officially began in 1907 at History of Mother’s Day: How Mother’s Day Came to Be | The Old Farmer’s Almanac and remember this is supposed to be a “day off” for mothers and a day of peace for all.
  • Finally, there is Memorial Day, celebrated on May 31 this year, that often involves flag raising in honor of family members who have died while serving in the military and visiting cemeteries to honor family ancestors who have transitioned beyond this life in general.

Between the celebrations and remembrances, this is a month that covers the full spectrum of emotions and the hope of better things to come like Summer and the transition to whatever the next month or next life might bring. 

But let’s not skip to the end of this month or overlook other valuable things worth remembering this time of year. Many of us have important people in our lives celebrating birthdays, anniversaries, and other days worth commemorating.

Sincerely, may we all be peaceful, joyful and grateful each and every day of May 2021.