Some thoughts for Ash Wednesday

This comes from Russ Bennett, pastor emeritus of Fellowship Congregational Church:

Stephanie is the young scholar from Harvard whom Fellowship and the Tulsa Islamic Society brought to Tulsa about six months ago. She also spoke at St. John's and Church of the Resurrection. Stephanie is now in Syria with a Fulbright--Russ

Date: Tue, 8 Feb 2005

Subject: Declaring a Ceasefire

My Dear Friends,

It has just come over the news that Israeli and Palestinian leaders have decided to declare a ceasefire after four years of violence. When I heard the news, it was my first instinct, after years in and out of the Middle East, to not get my hopes up. But as I was walking down the streets of Damascus, I decided that there was something that we can all do, that I am tired of being cynical. And so I ran to the nearest internet cafe with my idea.

I am proposing that today we all declare a ceasefire.

I have always believed that peace is not possible within the world without peace within ourselves. And I believe that a small act of true peace and love between individuals is the single greatest thing that we can do to create peace in the world. I believe that love among friends and family, in some mysterious way, helps to create peace in the Middle East. There is a beautiful line about this in the Quran, which says that if anyone kills a person, it is as though they have killed all of mankind, and if anyone saves a person, it will be as though they have saved all of mankind. (Sura Maida, 32)

So I was hoping that we could all declare a momentary ceasefire and try to heal the rifts that have come between us in these last years, and in doing so do our part in saving the world. That we can take a moment to tell each other that we love each other, and that, too often, we have forgotten to be kind. I know that I have. I know that I haven't told any of you often enough how much I care about you. But you are all miracles in my life. You are my greatest hope.

I know that it seems naive to say that by making an extra effort to be kind to one another and to ourselves over these next weeks that we can play a role in helping this emerging Middle East peace process. But I very much believe it to be true. It is a way that we can engage in the events of the world.

So I am asking you to please help me on this, and to ask the people you know to also participate in a ceasefire. If nothing else, we might at least stop some of our own wars.

I love you all.

Stephanie