Dear WISDOM Subscribers:
Last Tuesday night the Jewish Community Center of West Bloomfield had the honor and privilege of hosting a very special priest who is doing incredible work. 600 people from throughout both the Jewish and general communities of Metro Detroit came out to hear Father Patrick Desbois speak about his unbelievable work travelling throughout Eastern Europe uncovering and documenting previously undiscovered mass graves of Jews murdered during the Holocaust. People were truly touched by this man – and his life’s mission.
Trish Harris, Sheri Schiff and myself attended the dinner for Father Desbois and his lecture on behalf of WISDOM, who was one of the sponsors. Another important sponsor in the interfaith community was the Archdiocese of Detroit. Father Desbois’ talk about his work in Belarus and the Ukraine searching for unmarked mass graves of Jews who were shot systematically - their bodies piled on top of each other in pits that were dug by children - had everyone shocked and in tears throughout his talk. Father Desbois has written a book entitled The Holocaust By Bullets: A Priest’s Journey to Uncover the Truth Behind the Murder of 1.5 Million Jews that details his work over the last several years.
Please mark April 26th on your calendars. WISDOM will be sponsoring an event called “Stewards of the Earth” which will take place between 10:30 AM and 2:00 PM at the Johnson Nature Center in Bloomfield Hills. We are inviting all WISDOM subscribers, members and their families to help us put mulch on the nature trails and to pull invasive weeds. This will be a wonderful interfaith event open to adults and youth. April 26th is part of the Global Youth Service Days, and the Interfaith Initiative for Young Adults will be partnering with WISDOM to involve middle school, high school, and college youth to come together to do community service, to make new friends and to share lunch together. We will be asking everyone to bring their own lunch and something to share with 5 other people!! Lunch will begin around 1:00 PM and we will structure some conversation topics so that the adults and the youth can get to know each other and have fun!!
I will be getting some flyers about the Global Youth Service Day events out to all of you soon, along with permission slips for any of you bringing your own families or sponsors bringing a group of students!!
Peace!!
Gail KatzWISDOM President
248-978-6664 cell phone
Saturday, February 28, 2009
Wednesday, February 25, 2009
The Baha'is in Iran
Dear WISDOM Sisters:
Please read the following article by Congressman Mark Kirk of Illinois about the situation of the Baha’is in Iran.
Gail
Congressman Mark Kirk: Then they came for the Baha’is
February 18, 2009
The following speech by Hon. Mark Steven Kirk of Illinois was delivered to the House of Representatives:
Bipartisan Resolution Condemning Persecution of Baha’is in Iran
”In Germany, they first came for the gypsies, and I didn’t speak up because I wasn’t a gypsy. Then they came for the Bolsheviks, and I didn’t speak up because I wasn’t a Bolshevik. Then they came for the Jews, and I didn’t speak up because I wasn’t a Jew. Then they came for the trade unionists and I didn’t speak up because I wasn’t a trade unionist. Then they came for the Catholics. I didn’t speak up then because I was a Protestant. Then they came for me, and there was no one left to speak up.”
–Martin Niemoller, a Lutheran pastor arrested by the Gestapo in 1937.
Mr. KIRK. Madam Speaker, then they came for the Baha’is.
The Baha’i Faith is the youngest of the world’s independent monotheistic religions. Founded in Iran in 1844, it now claims more than 5 million adherents in 236 countries and territories. Gathering worshipers from nearly every national, ethnic and religious background, the Baha’is preach tolerance, diversity and equality.
To an Islamic dictatorship that denies its people basic political and human rights, this religion founded in Iran on the tenets of religious tolerance remains an anathema to the Supreme Leader. And the world is standing by as Iran’s state-sponsored persecution of its Baha’i minority nears its final stages.
In 2006, Iran’s Armed Forces Command Headquarters ordered the Ministry of Information, the Revolutionary Guard, and the Police Force to identify members of the Baha’i Faith in Iran and monitor their activities.
In that same year, we saw the largest roundup of Baha’is since the 1980s. The Iranian Interior Ministry ordered provincial officials to ”cautiously and carefully monitor and manage” all Baha’i social activities. The Central Security Office of Iran’s Ministry of Science, Research and Technology ordered 81 Iranian universities to expel any student discovered to be a Baha’i.
In 2007, the situation worsened. More than two-thirds of the Baha’is enrolled in universities were expelled once identified as Baha’is. Police entered Baha’i homes and businesses to collect details on family members.
Twenty-live industries were ordered to deny licenses to Baha’is. Employers were pressured to fire Baha’i employees and banks were instructed to refuse loans to Baha’i-owned businesses. Baha’i cemeteries were destroyed.
In November 2007, three Baha’i youths were detained for educating underprivileged children.
The following month, the Iranian Parliament published a draft Islamic penal code, requiring the death penalty for all ”apostates”–a term applied to Baha’is and any convert away from Islam.
On May 14. 2008, seven members of Iran’s national Baha’i coordinating group were arrested. This is reminiscent of the mass disappearance and assumed murder of all the members of the National Spiritual Assembly of the Baha’is of Iran in August, 1980.
On August 1, 2008, the U.S. House of Representatives passed H. Res. 1008, condemning the persecution of Baha’is in Iran and calling for the immediate release of all Baha’is imprisoned solely on the basis of their religion.
Our bipartisan voice bought the Baha’i leadership some time–but it appears only 6 months.
This week, the Government of Iran charged the seven Baha’i leaders with ”espionage for Israel, insulting religious sanctities and propaganda against the Islamic republic.” Deputy Tehran Prosecutor Hassan Haddad declared, ”The charges against seven defendants in the case of the illegal Baha’i group were examined . . . and the case will be sent to the revolutionary court next week.”
It is time for the international community to act.
Today, along with my colleagues Jim McGovern and Brad Sherman, I am introducing a bipartisan resolution calling on the Government of Iran to immediately release the seven Baha’i leaders and all others imprisoned solely the basis of their religion.
I urge President Obama and Secretary Clinton, in concert with the international community, to publicly condemn Iran’s persecution of its religious minorities and demand the release of these seven community leaders.
Please read the following article by Congressman Mark Kirk of Illinois about the situation of the Baha’is in Iran.
Gail
Congressman Mark Kirk: Then they came for the Baha’is
February 18, 2009
The following speech by Hon. Mark Steven Kirk of Illinois was delivered to the House of Representatives:
Bipartisan Resolution Condemning Persecution of Baha’is in Iran
”In Germany, they first came for the gypsies, and I didn’t speak up because I wasn’t a gypsy. Then they came for the Bolsheviks, and I didn’t speak up because I wasn’t a Bolshevik. Then they came for the Jews, and I didn’t speak up because I wasn’t a Jew. Then they came for the trade unionists and I didn’t speak up because I wasn’t a trade unionist. Then they came for the Catholics. I didn’t speak up then because I was a Protestant. Then they came for me, and there was no one left to speak up.”
–Martin Niemoller, a Lutheran pastor arrested by the Gestapo in 1937.
Mr. KIRK. Madam Speaker, then they came for the Baha’is.
The Baha’i Faith is the youngest of the world’s independent monotheistic religions. Founded in Iran in 1844, it now claims more than 5 million adherents in 236 countries and territories. Gathering worshipers from nearly every national, ethnic and religious background, the Baha’is preach tolerance, diversity and equality.
To an Islamic dictatorship that denies its people basic political and human rights, this religion founded in Iran on the tenets of religious tolerance remains an anathema to the Supreme Leader. And the world is standing by as Iran’s state-sponsored persecution of its Baha’i minority nears its final stages.
In 2006, Iran’s Armed Forces Command Headquarters ordered the Ministry of Information, the Revolutionary Guard, and the Police Force to identify members of the Baha’i Faith in Iran and monitor their activities.
In that same year, we saw the largest roundup of Baha’is since the 1980s. The Iranian Interior Ministry ordered provincial officials to ”cautiously and carefully monitor and manage” all Baha’i social activities. The Central Security Office of Iran’s Ministry of Science, Research and Technology ordered 81 Iranian universities to expel any student discovered to be a Baha’i.
In 2007, the situation worsened. More than two-thirds of the Baha’is enrolled in universities were expelled once identified as Baha’is. Police entered Baha’i homes and businesses to collect details on family members.
Twenty-live industries were ordered to deny licenses to Baha’is. Employers were pressured to fire Baha’i employees and banks were instructed to refuse loans to Baha’i-owned businesses. Baha’i cemeteries were destroyed.
In November 2007, three Baha’i youths were detained for educating underprivileged children.
The following month, the Iranian Parliament published a draft Islamic penal code, requiring the death penalty for all ”apostates”–a term applied to Baha’is and any convert away from Islam.
On May 14. 2008, seven members of Iran’s national Baha’i coordinating group were arrested. This is reminiscent of the mass disappearance and assumed murder of all the members of the National Spiritual Assembly of the Baha’is of Iran in August, 1980.
On August 1, 2008, the U.S. House of Representatives passed H. Res. 1008, condemning the persecution of Baha’is in Iran and calling for the immediate release of all Baha’is imprisoned solely on the basis of their religion.
Our bipartisan voice bought the Baha’i leadership some time–but it appears only 6 months.
This week, the Government of Iran charged the seven Baha’i leaders with ”espionage for Israel, insulting religious sanctities and propaganda against the Islamic republic.” Deputy Tehran Prosecutor Hassan Haddad declared, ”The charges against seven defendants in the case of the illegal Baha’i group were examined . . . and the case will be sent to the revolutionary court next week.”
It is time for the international community to act.
Today, along with my colleagues Jim McGovern and Brad Sherman, I am introducing a bipartisan resolution calling on the Government of Iran to immediately release the seven Baha’i leaders and all others imprisoned solely the basis of their religion.
I urge President Obama and Secretary Clinton, in concert with the international community, to publicly condemn Iran’s persecution of its religious minorities and demand the release of these seven community leaders.
The Lenten Season
Dear WISDOM Sisters:
I would like to share with you some thoughts about the upcoming Christian Lenten season by Rev. Kenneth W. Collins. Following Rev. Collins discussion about Lent, please read David Crumm’s www.Readthespirit.com happenings that will be taking place online during Lent.
I wish all our Christian friends a peaceful and meaningful Lenten Season.
Gail
The Season of Lent
Theme:
Retreating Into the Wilderness with Jesus
Dates:
Lent is a forty-day period before Easter. It begins on Ash Wednesday
and ends on the day before Easter Day. We skip Sundays when we
count the forty days, because Sundays commemorate the
Resurrection.
In the Roman Catholic Church, Lent officially ends at sundown on
Holy Thursday, with the beginning of the mass of the Lord’s Supper.
Colors:
In most churches, the decorations are purple or blue, royal colors to
prepare for the King.
The East:
In Orthodox churches, this season is called the Great Lent. It begins
on Clean Monday.
Special Days:
Ash Wednesday
The Annunciation, 25 March
Lent is a season of soul-searching and repentance. It is a season for
reflection and taking stock. Lent originated in the very earliest days of
the Church as a preparatory time for Easter, when the faithful rededicated
themselves and when converts were instructed in the faith and prepared
for baptism. By observing the forty days of Lent, the individual Christian
imitates Jesus’ withdrawal into the wilderness for forty days. All
churches that have a continuous history extending before AD 1500
observe Lent. The ancient church that wrote, collected, canonized, and
propagated the New Testament also observed Lent, believing it to be a
commandment from the apostles. (See The Apostolic Constitutions, Book
V, Section III.)
Fasting is a spiritual discipline that does not involve starvation or
dehydration. Quite often, our bodily appetites control our actions. The
purpose of fasting is to make your bodily appetites your servant rather
than your master.
The Western Church
Because Sunday is the day of the Resurrection, we skip over Sundays
when we calculate the length of Lent. Therefore, in the Western Church,
Lent always begins on Ash Wednesday, the seventh Wednesday before
Easter.
In many countries, the last day before Lent (called Mardi Gras, Shrove
Tuesday, Carnival, or Fasching) has become a last fling before the
solemnity of Lent. For centuries, it was customary to fast by abstaining
from meat during Lent, which is why some people call the festival
Carnival, which is Latin for farewell to meat.
The Eastern Church
The Eastern Church does not skip over Sundays when calculating the
length of the Great Lent. Therefore, the Great Lent always begins on
Clean Monday, the seventh Monday before Easter, and ends on the
Friday before Palm Sunday—using of course the eastern date for Easter.
The Lenten fast is relaxed on the weekends in honor of the Sabbath
(Saturday) and the Resurrection (Sunday). The Great Lent is followed by
Lazarus Saturday and Palm Sunday, which are feast days, then the
Lenten fast resumes on Monday of Holy Week. Technically, in the
Eastern Church, Holy Week is a separate season from the Great Lent.
Special Days
The purpose of the liturgical calendar is to relive the major events in
Jesus’ life in real time, which is why Lent is forty days long. If Jesus
were born on 25 December, then His conception would have been nine
months earlier, on about 25 March. That is when the angel Gabriel would
have announced Jesus’ birth to Mary. Thus 25 March is known in the
historic church as The Annunciation.
Roughly speaking, the Western Church consists of Protestants, Catholics, and
Anglicans. The Eastern Church consists of the Eastern Orthodox churches, the
Oriental Orthodox churches, and the eastern-rite churches affiliated with the
Roman Catholic Church
Copyright ©1995-2004 by the Rev. Kenneth W. Collins. All rights reserved.
And from our very special friend, David Crumm on www.ReadtheSpirit.com. If you are interested, go to this website to follow David’s Lenten discussion!!
Welcome to a Spiritual Journey with Friends: Our Lent / Things We Carry
WELCOME!
Lent begins on Ash Wednesday (February 25) for Western Christians and on Clean Monday (March 2) for Orthodox Christians. We invite you to bookmark this page, think about buying a copy of our companion book (click the Amazon link at right) — and plan to enjoy an exciting, challenging and spiritually rewarding journey with friends!
"Our Lent: Things We Carry" is a 40-chapter journey written by ReadTheSpirit Editor David Crumm. But — there's so much more to this online Lenten pilgrimage.
You'll find readers adding their comments throughout Lent along the right side of this page. Please, take a moment right now and add a quick Comment — we really do appreciate hearing from you.
Plus — we've got some exciting "Partners" this year who will share a wide range of spiritual reflections. Please, click on that "Meet Our Partners" link (at left) to read a pre-Lenten story about preparing for this season!
Popular writer Phyllis Tickle is providing special introductions to ancient Christian practices, such as Fasting and Fixed-Hour Prayer.
Peter Wallace — another inspirational author beloved for his collections of day-by-day inspirational reflections (and also the man behind the Day 1 Web site and radio network) — will share his thoughts throughout the season.
In addition each day, you can listen to the Scottish brogue and deep wisdom of Norman Pritchard, pastor of a landmark Presbyterian church in the Midwest.
We've also invited urban pastor Tonya Arnesen to share her thoughts as senior pastor of an ethnically and culturally diverse congregation in the heart of one of America's great cities.
Right now, you're joining nearly 2 billion people around the world in reflecting on Lent!
WHY make this Lent a special season in your life?
Lent is the perfect Christian season for our spiritual revival in this new Third Millennium. Uncluttered by the commercial avalanche that has all but buried the Christmas season over the past century, Lent retains much of its ancient religious potential. Dr. Wayne Baker, the University of Michigan scholar who produces the OurValues.org discussion site, has shown in his own research over the years why we're drawn toward experiences like this. Compared with other global cultures, Americans are overwhelmingly religious. But, when it comes to values concerning self expression — all of those individual choices that lie at the heart of spiritual reflection — Americans surpass Scandinavians in our zeal to honestly express ourselves.
In such an era, Lent is the perfect, untarnished blend of religious tradition and spiritual adventure — ancient roots blossoming into self reflection and self expression.
Or, to put it another way, Lent is the "Lord of the Rings" of scriptural stories — a loyal fellowship of men and women fearlessly summoning all of their traditional knowledge as they make their way toward a dangerous encounter in a city where the fate of the world hangs in the balance.
Yet, unlike the J.R.R. Tolkien trilogy, each of us is invited to make our own Lenten pilgrimage each year. That's how millions of Christians experience the season — preparing our hearts, minds and daily lives in fresh ways for this epic quest. Thousands of churches distribute coat-pocket devotionals, guidebooks to help shape the Lenten journey.
That is the core of this season — a personal encounter with the sacred.
WHAT'S the main plot of this 40-day story?
The big picture behind "Our Lent: Things We Carry" is this: Jesus' journey 2,000 years ago was a public pilgrimage of such profound importance that we mark it each year, day by day, even in the Third Millennium since he walked the Earth. Rather than leaving such a powerful religious narrative locked inside individual churches and individual lives — we are moving the Lenten adventure back into the biggest public roadway of our time: the Internet.
While some of the "things" along this journey are scenes and lessons, most of the things in our 40-chapter journey are quite tangible things: coins, basins, bowls, bread, cups, swords and tables, to name a few. This was the stuff of Jesus' world. It's still the stuff of our lives, 2,000 years after Jesus' world-shaking walk to Jerusalem.
This year, come along.
Walk with us. Bring friends.
You're already carrying things.
Help us to lighten the load!
I would like to share with you some thoughts about the upcoming Christian Lenten season by Rev. Kenneth W. Collins. Following Rev. Collins discussion about Lent, please read David Crumm’s www.Readthespirit.com happenings that will be taking place online during Lent.
I wish all our Christian friends a peaceful and meaningful Lenten Season.
Gail
The Season of Lent
Theme:
Retreating Into the Wilderness with Jesus
Dates:
Lent is a forty-day period before Easter. It begins on Ash Wednesday
and ends on the day before Easter Day. We skip Sundays when we
count the forty days, because Sundays commemorate the
Resurrection.
In the Roman Catholic Church, Lent officially ends at sundown on
Holy Thursday, with the beginning of the mass of the Lord’s Supper.
Colors:
In most churches, the decorations are purple or blue, royal colors to
prepare for the King.
The East:
In Orthodox churches, this season is called the Great Lent. It begins
on Clean Monday.
Special Days:
Ash Wednesday
The Annunciation, 25 March
Lent is a season of soul-searching and repentance. It is a season for
reflection and taking stock. Lent originated in the very earliest days of
the Church as a preparatory time for Easter, when the faithful rededicated
themselves and when converts were instructed in the faith and prepared
for baptism. By observing the forty days of Lent, the individual Christian
imitates Jesus’ withdrawal into the wilderness for forty days. All
churches that have a continuous history extending before AD 1500
observe Lent. The ancient church that wrote, collected, canonized, and
propagated the New Testament also observed Lent, believing it to be a
commandment from the apostles. (See The Apostolic Constitutions, Book
V, Section III.)
Fasting is a spiritual discipline that does not involve starvation or
dehydration. Quite often, our bodily appetites control our actions. The
purpose of fasting is to make your bodily appetites your servant rather
than your master.
The Western Church
Because Sunday is the day of the Resurrection, we skip over Sundays
when we calculate the length of Lent. Therefore, in the Western Church,
Lent always begins on Ash Wednesday, the seventh Wednesday before
Easter.
In many countries, the last day before Lent (called Mardi Gras, Shrove
Tuesday, Carnival, or Fasching) has become a last fling before the
solemnity of Lent. For centuries, it was customary to fast by abstaining
from meat during Lent, which is why some people call the festival
Carnival, which is Latin for farewell to meat.
The Eastern Church
The Eastern Church does not skip over Sundays when calculating the
length of the Great Lent. Therefore, the Great Lent always begins on
Clean Monday, the seventh Monday before Easter, and ends on the
Friday before Palm Sunday—using of course the eastern date for Easter.
The Lenten fast is relaxed on the weekends in honor of the Sabbath
(Saturday) and the Resurrection (Sunday). The Great Lent is followed by
Lazarus Saturday and Palm Sunday, which are feast days, then the
Lenten fast resumes on Monday of Holy Week. Technically, in the
Eastern Church, Holy Week is a separate season from the Great Lent.
Special Days
The purpose of the liturgical calendar is to relive the major events in
Jesus’ life in real time, which is why Lent is forty days long. If Jesus
were born on 25 December, then His conception would have been nine
months earlier, on about 25 March. That is when the angel Gabriel would
have announced Jesus’ birth to Mary. Thus 25 March is known in the
historic church as The Annunciation.
Roughly speaking, the Western Church consists of Protestants, Catholics, and
Anglicans. The Eastern Church consists of the Eastern Orthodox churches, the
Oriental Orthodox churches, and the eastern-rite churches affiliated with the
Roman Catholic Church
Copyright ©1995-2004 by the Rev. Kenneth W. Collins. All rights reserved.
And from our very special friend, David Crumm on www.ReadtheSpirit.com. If you are interested, go to this website to follow David’s Lenten discussion!!
Welcome to a Spiritual Journey with Friends: Our Lent / Things We Carry
WELCOME!
Lent begins on Ash Wednesday (February 25) for Western Christians and on Clean Monday (March 2) for Orthodox Christians. We invite you to bookmark this page, think about buying a copy of our companion book (click the Amazon link at right) — and plan to enjoy an exciting, challenging and spiritually rewarding journey with friends!
"Our Lent: Things We Carry" is a 40-chapter journey written by ReadTheSpirit Editor David Crumm. But — there's so much more to this online Lenten pilgrimage.
You'll find readers adding their comments throughout Lent along the right side of this page. Please, take a moment right now and add a quick Comment — we really do appreciate hearing from you.
Plus — we've got some exciting "Partners" this year who will share a wide range of spiritual reflections. Please, click on that "Meet Our Partners" link (at left) to read a pre-Lenten story about preparing for this season!
Popular writer Phyllis Tickle is providing special introductions to ancient Christian practices, such as Fasting and Fixed-Hour Prayer.
Peter Wallace — another inspirational author beloved for his collections of day-by-day inspirational reflections (and also the man behind the Day 1 Web site and radio network) — will share his thoughts throughout the season.
In addition each day, you can listen to the Scottish brogue and deep wisdom of Norman Pritchard, pastor of a landmark Presbyterian church in the Midwest.
We've also invited urban pastor Tonya Arnesen to share her thoughts as senior pastor of an ethnically and culturally diverse congregation in the heart of one of America's great cities.
Right now, you're joining nearly 2 billion people around the world in reflecting on Lent!
WHY make this Lent a special season in your life?
Lent is the perfect Christian season for our spiritual revival in this new Third Millennium. Uncluttered by the commercial avalanche that has all but buried the Christmas season over the past century, Lent retains much of its ancient religious potential. Dr. Wayne Baker, the University of Michigan scholar who produces the OurValues.org discussion site, has shown in his own research over the years why we're drawn toward experiences like this. Compared with other global cultures, Americans are overwhelmingly religious. But, when it comes to values concerning self expression — all of those individual choices that lie at the heart of spiritual reflection — Americans surpass Scandinavians in our zeal to honestly express ourselves.
In such an era, Lent is the perfect, untarnished blend of religious tradition and spiritual adventure — ancient roots blossoming into self reflection and self expression.
Or, to put it another way, Lent is the "Lord of the Rings" of scriptural stories — a loyal fellowship of men and women fearlessly summoning all of their traditional knowledge as they make their way toward a dangerous encounter in a city where the fate of the world hangs in the balance.
Yet, unlike the J.R.R. Tolkien trilogy, each of us is invited to make our own Lenten pilgrimage each year. That's how millions of Christians experience the season — preparing our hearts, minds and daily lives in fresh ways for this epic quest. Thousands of churches distribute coat-pocket devotionals, guidebooks to help shape the Lenten journey.
That is the core of this season — a personal encounter with the sacred.
WHAT'S the main plot of this 40-day story?
The big picture behind "Our Lent: Things We Carry" is this: Jesus' journey 2,000 years ago was a public pilgrimage of such profound importance that we mark it each year, day by day, even in the Third Millennium since he walked the Earth. Rather than leaving such a powerful religious narrative locked inside individual churches and individual lives — we are moving the Lenten adventure back into the biggest public roadway of our time: the Internet.
While some of the "things" along this journey are scenes and lessons, most of the things in our 40-chapter journey are quite tangible things: coins, basins, bowls, bread, cups, swords and tables, to name a few. This was the stuff of Jesus' world. It's still the stuff of our lives, 2,000 years after Jesus' world-shaking walk to Jerusalem.
This year, come along.
Walk with us. Bring friends.
You're already carrying things.
Help us to lighten the load!
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