All faiths can share goal of peace

Editor's note: This essay was submitted following last month's meeting of Church Women United, an ecumenical woman's group in Cape Girardeau and the surrounding area.

By Lou Flood

I was privileged to spend a beautiful morning recently with the Church Women United at Gordonville United Methodist Church. The program demonstrated how peace can be accomplished among the various faiths and cultures. It was most uplifting to me and I cannot stop thinking about how wonderful it was.

The presenters were Eileen Steinberg, a Jew and first vice president of the Women Voters of Missouri and co-president of the League of Women Voters of Southeast Missouri, Manal El-Karmi, a Muslim and pharmacist, and Marge Janssen, a Christian and business woman. Each described her faith in one God, and the customs, rituals and how they were implemented by them in their personal lives and in their families.

We were reminded that prayerful women who are the mothers and teachers of our children must be the ones to bring peace to the world as no politician can. With song and prayer we celebrated peace right there among us.

What struck me most was the many things we have in common:

1. One God to whom we prayed and who loves us. This God wants us to love others just as he loves all of us.

2. Modesty is treasured in godly people, just as we covered our heads in prayer earlier, as the Muslim and Jewish women still do.

3. Muslims washing themselves before prayer five times a day reminded me how our priests wash their hands daily before Consecration during Mass. And that we pray several times a day with the rosary and the Angelus at 6 a.m., noon and 6 p.m. in our homes and especially at Adoration at St. Francis Chapel. Observant Jews pray three times a day.

4. We bow down and genuflect before the Lord; abstain, fast and atone for our sins against that same God.

5. Facing the east to pray is an old custom, building our churches facing the east, expecting the Second Coming to be from out of the east. How the Jew awaits the Messiah's coming.

6. Confirmation and bar mitzvah and bat mitzvah are a special sign of coming into full responsibility of faith.

7. Equality of men and women exists in each of the faiths. Muslim and other women keeping their family name. Women have careers, inherit and own property just as do men.

8. We rear our children. We honor and care for our parents, especially in the wisdom of old age.

9. We pass our faith to the next generation. A person is a Jew if their mother is a Jew. They are of Koheim, Levis or Israelite determined by their fathers.

10. How at home with family responsibilities and even at work we all find time and place for prayer, sacrifice, service; bringing peace and joy into our world.

11. We view our civic duties to be a joy and real participation in our diverse society in this ever smaller world.

12. We go on pilgrimages. We all have our holy books. We all have our prophets. Many recognize Mary as the mother of Jesus, some only as a historical figure, some as a prophetess, some as a saint, but all as the model of a simplicity, modesty and humility and as a Jewish woman and mother.

13. We all have our mosque, temple, and church building problems.

14. We have our days of rest and spiritual observances. We have memorials, burial rites and prayers when our loved ones die. We all believe in a hereafter.

Of course, we have differences. We only have to look in the mirror to see that, but we have so many similarities we must love the differences and similarities. That does not mean we should give up our own faiths, cultures and customs, but only to love each other. There is a one true God! We are all descended from Abraham, just as countless as the stars in the sky and sands on the seashore (Gen. 22:17, NAB), we form different patterns in this mosaic of life, giving glory to God for the way he created us. We must depend on and love others, just as God loves us all.

I wish everyone could have been present as the Church Women United program ended with Jews, Muslims, and Christians holding hands and singing "Let There Be Peace on Earth." Then we enjoyed a lively conversation over a variety of snacks and drinks, served by the gracious women of Gordonville United Methodist Church.

Shalom.