MASSACHUSETTS
, USA
(2004
World Peace Prayer Society Report)
On Sunday, September 19th, I celebrated the UN International
Day of Peace 2004 at the Peace Abbey in Sherborn, MA in a collaborative
effort including the Coalition for a Strong UN, Citizens for Global
Solutions New England, and the UN Association of Greater Boston. We
meditated on the Peace Seeds in the Chapel, then did a brief walk in
the neighborhood with the STONEWALK memorial, then gathered at the Gandhi
Statue on the grounds of the Peace Abbey. Concluding our ceremony, we
shared “solidarity” bread. Graced by a “MAY PEACE PREVAIL ON EARTH”
banner, this is the prayer I offered:
UN INTERNATIONAL DAY
OF PEACE, 2004
Dear
God,
We
give You this moment.
As
we gather in community at The Peace Abbey, to celebrate the gifts
and blessings of
The
United Nations International Day of Peace, 2004,
We
give You this moment.
Pausing
in spiritual reflection,
We
join with humanity all over the world affirming a commitment in service
to Peace.
As
we honor this sacred opportunity to dedicate this moment to You,
So
too, do honor this sacred opportunity to dedicate ourselves to You,
and
we offer our prayers for both personal and planetary Peace.
We
pray that You will illumine our minds,
Renew
our souls,
Free
our spirits,
And
open our hearts,
So
that our lives may become clear reflections of
Your
Love and Your Light.
May
we all heed Your Call, God,
So
that inspired into blessed Partnership with You,
Each
of us may become an expression of Your Divine Will for Peace.
May
we learn Peace,
May
we know Peace,
May
we teach Peace,
May
we be Peace.
Paraphrasing
Gandhi, may You lead each of us towards becoming
an
embodiment of the change we all yearn to see in the world.
CIRCLE
CHANT BY LINDA HIRSCHHORN
Circle
round for freedom, circle round for peace,
For
all of us imprisoned, circle for release.
Circle
for the planet, circle for each soul,
For
the children of our children, keep the circle whole.
O
Eternal Source of Peace, Grant us Peace.
MAY
PEACE PREVAIL ON EARTH!
Amen.
On Tuesday, September 21st, the UN International
Day of Peace 2004, it was my supreme blessing to offer the opening
prayer (a variation on what I offered at the Peace Abbey) at a celebration
hosted by the Brahma Kumaris Learning Center for Peace in the Boston
area. The Brahma Kumaris World Spiritual Organization is, like the
World Peace Prayer Society, an NGO-affiliate of the UN committed to
Peace.
Penny Joy Snider-Light, Boston
WPPS Peace Representative
2004
World Peace Prayer Society Compilation
PICTORAL
ARCHIVE OF PREVIOUS PEACE DAY EVENTS
May
Peace Prevail
On Earth
