A special day- addendum by Carol Wolman

Dear Friends,

 

In my previous post, I noted that today is Rosh Hashanah and also the first day of Ramadan, and stated that it is not a special Christian holiday. 

 

I quickly received the following email:

 

Carol, How could you forget that today is the feast day of that very special saint and peacemaker, Francis of Assisi??  This makes the convergence of holy days complete, n’est-ce pas?

Sylvia Melrose

 

Here is the St. Francis prayer:

 

Lord, make me an instrument of your peace.
Where there is hatred . . . let me sow love
Where there is injury . . . pardon
Where there is doubt . . . faith
Where there is despair . . .hope
Where there is darkness . . . light
Where there is sadness . . .joy
Divine Master,
grant that i may not so much seek
To be consoled . . .as to console
To be understood . . .as to understand,
To be loved . . . as to love
For it is in giving . . .that we receive,
It is in pardoning, that we are pardoned,
It is in dying . . .that we are born to eternal life.

 

 

A special day by Carol Wolman

A special day by Carol Wolman

 

Today we celebrate both Jewish New Year, Rosh Hashanah, and the start of Ramadan.  It is highly unusual for both of these holidays to fall on the same day, and gives us a unique opportunity to pray for unification of the Abrahamic faiths.

 

Rosh Hashanah is the beginning of the High Holy Days, eight days of repentance and prayer, culminating in Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement, a fast day.  During this period, Jews are supposed to reflect on the past year, repent of sins they have committed, and ask forgiveness of those whom they have hurt.

 

Psalm 130: 3-4 If you, O LORD, mark iniquities,
LORD, who can stand?
But with you is forgiveness,
that you may be revered.

 

Ramadan is likewise the holiest time of year for Muslims.  "Muslim" means "servant of God"- no special induction ceremony is necessary, so anyone can join the ummah- body of Islamic believers- and observe the Ramadan fast.  This lasts for a month, and consists of fasting during daylight hours. 

 

According to the Wikipedia, Eating, smoking, drinking and intercourse during the day are prohibited. During Ramadan, Muslims are also expected to put more effort into following the teachings of Islam by refraining from violence, anger, envy, greed, lust, backbiting, and are meant to try and get along with each other better than normal. All obscene and irreligious sights and sounds are to be avoided. Purity of both thought and action is important. The fast is an exacting act of deeply personal worship in which Muslims seek a raised level of closeness to God. The act of fasting redirects the hearts away from worldly activities.

 

Both of these periods of worship, Jewish and Muslim, involve self-sacrifice and prayer.  I invite all peacemakers to participate in one or both as much as possible.  Although Jews make a clear distinction between themselves and Gentiles, everyone can relate to the idea of a week of making amends to those we have harmed.  Muslims welcome all, and we can experience solidarity with the Iraqi and Palestinian people by observing the Ramadan fast, within our Western limitations- we are not used to austerity.

 

There is no special Christian holiday at this time, but surely the Prince of Peace would encourage all peacemakers to use this conjunction of holy days to draw closer to God, and to rededicate ourselves to establishing His peaceful kingdom here on earth. 

 

In His name,  Carol Wolman

 

 

 

 

 

 

Fw: Demand Plame Leak Investigation

 

----- Original Message -----

From: Democrats.com

To: cwolman@mcn.org

Sent: Monday, October 03, 2005 10:41 AM

Subject: Demand Plame Leak Investigation

 

  

 

Support Holt's Plame Investigation Bill
The BackBone Campaign and the After Downing Street Coalition are asking their members, allies, and all U.S. citizens to urge your Congress Member to Co-Sponsor Congressman Rush Holt's bill (H. Res. 363), calling for a Congressional investigation into the dangerous outing of Valerie Plame. Tell them that you want a discharge petition to overcome the stonewalling of the Republican leadership. (A discharge petition, if signed by a majority of House members, forces a resolution to the floor of the full House.)

Republican-controlled committees in the House defeated four separate Resolutions of Inquiry in September that were targeted at Bush as well as Secretaries Rumsfeld and Rice, along with AG Gonzalez. The next step is to get enough support for H. Res. 363 to generate a discharge petition and thus a vote on the full House floor. 

In recent months, our coalition lobbied hard for a Resolution of Inquiry into the Bush Administration's lies that launched the war, H. Res. 375. While the Resolution lost by one vote in the International Relations Committee, we created debate, united the Democrats, persuaded a few Republicans to break ranks, and built an organization of grassroots lobbyists that took us from 39 co-sponsors to 83 in six weeks.

Unlike H. Res. 375, H. Res. 363 can be kept alive with a discharge petition. We need all 202 Democrats and 16 Republicans to not merely cosponsor, but to sign a discharge petition to force a vote on the floor. There is no excuse for any Democrat not to sign onto this petition, and though Republicans will be pressured by the administration, it would be unethical for them to refuse as well. 

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Polling on Impeachment

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Andy Rooney Blurts Out the Truth on CBS
In a moment of true clarity on CBS's 60 Minutes, Andy Rooney says what many Americans are thinking about the Iraq war and the threat of the military-industrial complex.
http://www.afterdowningstreet.org/?q=node/3342

You Made History: The UFPJ Lobby Day
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Rogue Soldiers or Rogue President?

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In Support of Weakness on National Security
By David Swanson

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Bush Directly Involved In Leak Scandal
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Video: What Does 2,000 Look Like?
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Last One to Leave, Please Turn On the Lights
By Tom Engelhardt

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History of the War Machine: From NSC68 to 2005
Brian Bogart
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Walter Cronkite and Dennis Kucinich Discuss Department of Peace

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Rep. Conyers on Department of Peace
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Judith Miller's Strange Voluntary 85-Day Lock-Up
By Dave Lindorff
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