INTERFAITH MEDITATIONS OF THE HEART
The First Meditation: Feel the inter-connectivity with our sisters and brothers who are demeaned and forgotten. Let us pray. O, Quan Yin and Mother Mary, may Women’s voices be heard and recognized. May we rise up to demand humane treatment for all citizens of the world, including ourselves. We cry out with compassion for those who are desperate. I vow to stand with our demeaned and forgotten sisters and brothers.
The Second Meditation: Listen for understanding, and as St. Benedict said: “Listen with the Ear of your Heart.” Let us pray. O, Gracious God, may we inquire with an open heart to better understand those we meet. We cry out to them: Why do you feel so strongly? How have you been hurt? Help us, please, understand. I vow to listen for understanding.
The Third Meditation: Acknowledge our inherited biases and stereotypes: Let us pray. O, Allah, may we explore when and to whom we shut our heart. We cry out for forgiveness from those we label “Other”. I vow to acknowledge my inherited biases and stereotypes.
The Fourth Meditation: Travel to the depths of our Heart and ask: “What do I truly believe?” – not what have I been told to believe: Let us pray. O, YHWH, may we seek with curiosity and fresh eyes, that which we truly believe, to live and act with integrity. We cry out for clarity so that we may bring the spark of life to the darkness. I vow to compassionately explore what I truly believe.
The Fifth Meditation: We are born with the responsibility to be instruments of peace. Let us pray. O Vishnu, may our world be peaceful and safe. We cry out for justice that ends racism and sexism and culturalism and abuse. We cry out for protection and respect of our Mother Earth. I vow to be an instrument of peace.
O You, Breath of Life:
We are so very grateful that we are the blessing that others need.
The Second Meditation: Listen for understanding, and as St. Benedict said: “Listen with the Ear of your Heart.” Let us pray. O, Gracious God, may we inquire with an open heart to better understand those we meet. We cry out to them: Why do you feel so strongly? How have you been hurt? Help us, please, understand. I vow to listen for understanding.
The Third Meditation: Acknowledge our inherited biases and stereotypes: Let us pray. O, Allah, may we explore when and to whom we shut our heart. We cry out for forgiveness from those we label “Other”. I vow to acknowledge my inherited biases and stereotypes.
The Fourth Meditation: Travel to the depths of our Heart and ask: “What do I truly believe?” – not what have I been told to believe: Let us pray. O, YHWH, may we seek with curiosity and fresh eyes, that which we truly believe, to live and act with integrity. We cry out for clarity so that we may bring the spark of life to the darkness. I vow to compassionately explore what I truly believe.
The Fifth Meditation: We are born with the responsibility to be instruments of peace. Let us pray. O Vishnu, may our world be peaceful and safe. We cry out for justice that ends racism and sexism and culturalism and abuse. We cry out for protection and respect of our Mother Earth. I vow to be an instrument of peace.
O You, Breath of Life:
We are so very grateful that we are the blessing that others need.
2018 POOR PEOPLE'S CAMPAIGN: A NATIONAL CALL FOR MORAL REVIVAL
I am proud to stand in solidarity with the Poor People's Campaign: A National Call for Moral Revival. This is not a partisan campaign. It is not about left or right. It is about right and wrong. It is about alleviating the suffering and indignities of people no matter their age, ethnicity or race, orientation along the gender spectrum, religion, spirituality, or philosophy.
In 1967, the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and many others called for a “revolution of values” in America. They invited people who had been divided to stand together against the “triplets of evil”—militarism, racism, and economic injustice—to insist that people need not die from poverty in the richest nation to ever exist. Sadly, support for his Poor People's Campaign waned after Martin was assassinated in 1968. But the call has been rising ever since.
In 2018, The Poor People’s Campaign: A National Call for Moral Revival developed out of years of organizing across the United States. It is being led by the Repairers of the Breach, and Kairos – The Center for Religions, Rights, and Social Justice. In communities across this land, people of all colors impacted by systemic racism, poverty, ecological devastation, the war economy, and our distorted moral narrative have said the same thing: “We want to be free! We need a Poor People’s Campaign! We need a Moral Revival to make this country great for so many for whom it has not yet been.” This call echoes the cries of the prophets throughout the ages to stand up for justice and the dignity of all:
Isaiah 58 – If you remove the yoke from among you, if you offer your food to the hungry and satisfy the needs of the afflicted, then your light shall rise in the darkness. You shall raise up the foundations of many generations; you shall be called the repairers of the breach.
Qur’an 9:71 – The believers, both men and women, are in charge of and responsible for one another; they all enjoin the doing of what is right and forbid the doing of what is wrong.
Luke 4:18-19 – The Spirit of the Lord has sent me to proclaim release to the captives and recovery of sight to the blind, and to let the oppressed go free.
PRINCIPLES OF THE 2018 POOR PEOPLE'S CAMPAIGN
Below are the 12 principles with questions I designed to help you dive into the principles. I invite you to be in dialogue with yourself, your family and friends, and your faith communities about how these principles impact your life and community; about how they impact our World. If you would like to discuss your engagement with or resistance to engagement of the principles, go to the Contact Me page.
Principle 1: We are rooted in a moral analysis based on our deepest religious and constitutional values that demand justice for all. Moral revival is necessary to save the heart and soul of our democracy.
Principle 2: We are committed to lifting and deepening the leadership of those most affected by systemic racism, poverty, the war economy, and ecological devastation, and to building unity across lines of division.
In 1967, the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and many others called for a “revolution of values” in America. They invited people who had been divided to stand together against the “triplets of evil”—militarism, racism, and economic injustice—to insist that people need not die from poverty in the richest nation to ever exist. Sadly, support for his Poor People's Campaign waned after Martin was assassinated in 1968. But the call has been rising ever since.
In 2018, The Poor People’s Campaign: A National Call for Moral Revival developed out of years of organizing across the United States. It is being led by the Repairers of the Breach, and Kairos – The Center for Religions, Rights, and Social Justice. In communities across this land, people of all colors impacted by systemic racism, poverty, ecological devastation, the war economy, and our distorted moral narrative have said the same thing: “We want to be free! We need a Poor People’s Campaign! We need a Moral Revival to make this country great for so many for whom it has not yet been.” This call echoes the cries of the prophets throughout the ages to stand up for justice and the dignity of all:
Isaiah 58 – If you remove the yoke from among you, if you offer your food to the hungry and satisfy the needs of the afflicted, then your light shall rise in the darkness. You shall raise up the foundations of many generations; you shall be called the repairers of the breach.
Qur’an 9:71 – The believers, both men and women, are in charge of and responsible for one another; they all enjoin the doing of what is right and forbid the doing of what is wrong.
Luke 4:18-19 – The Spirit of the Lord has sent me to proclaim release to the captives and recovery of sight to the blind, and to let the oppressed go free.
PRINCIPLES OF THE 2018 POOR PEOPLE'S CAMPAIGN
Below are the 12 principles with questions I designed to help you dive into the principles. I invite you to be in dialogue with yourself, your family and friends, and your faith communities about how these principles impact your life and community; about how they impact our World. If you would like to discuss your engagement with or resistance to engagement of the principles, go to the Contact Me page.
Principle 1: We are rooted in a moral analysis based on our deepest religious and constitutional values that demand justice for all. Moral revival is necessary to save the heart and soul of our democracy.
Principle 2: We are committed to lifting and deepening the leadership of those most affected by systemic racism, poverty, the war economy, and ecological devastation, and to building unity across lines of division.
Questions about Principles 1 and 2:
- Am I brokenhearted for the injustices that I see in my neighborhood? What causes me to look away?
- Do I believe that Poor People are more deeply impacted by systemic racism, poverty, the war economy, and ecological devastation? What evidence supports my belief either way?
- What would it mean to recognize Poor People’s leadership and wisdom, instead of assuming that I know what is best for them and inserting myself as their leader? What does it feel like to have my authority taken away?
- How can I build unity across lines of division?
Principle 3: We believe in the dismantling of unjust criminalization systems that exploit poor communities and communities of color and the transformation of the “War Economy” into a “Peace Economy” that values all humanity.
Principle 4: We believe that equal protection under the law is non-negotiable.
Principle 4: We believe that equal protection under the law is non-negotiable.
Questions about Principles 3 and 4:
- What would it mean for society to dismantle unjust criminalization systems? Do I believe it is important to examine who and why people are being imprisoned? What evidence do I have that Poor People of all ethnicities and races are sent to jail more than those on the higher economic rungs?
- Give personal examples of a time when I stood up for equal protection under the law and when I was afraid to stand up? What made the difference?
- What might need to change in my Attitude of the Heart to work toward a solution to creating peace for all?
Principle 5: We believe that people should not live in or die from poverty in the richest nation ever to exist. Blaming the poor and claiming that the United States does not have an abundance of resources to overcome poverty are false narratives used to perpetuate economic exploitation, exclusion, and deep inequality.
Principle 6: We recognize that the centrality of systemic racism in maintaining economic oppression must be named, detailed and exposed empirically, morally and spiritually. Poverty and economic inequality cannot be understood apart from a society built on white supremacy.
Principle 6: We recognize that the centrality of systemic racism in maintaining economic oppression must be named, detailed and exposed empirically, morally and spiritually. Poverty and economic inequality cannot be understood apart from a society built on white supremacy.
Questions about Principles 5 and 6:
- If I were a person who blamed Poor People for their own circumstances, what would I say about them?
- Describe what makes me comfortable or uncomfortable about white supremacy or privilege.
- If someone is poor and white, do they have white privilege?
- How have I seen systemic racism in society?
Principle 7: We aim to shift the distorted moral narrative often promoted by religious extremists in the nation from issues like prayer in school, abortion, and gun rights to one that is concerned with how our society treats the poor, those on the margins, the least of these, women, LGBTQIA folks, workers, immigrants, the disabled and the sick; equality and representation under the law; and the desire for peace, love and harmony within and among nations.
Principle 8: We will build up the power of people and state-based movements to serve as a vehicle for a powerful moral movement in the country and to transform the political, economic and moral structures of our society.
Principle 8: We will build up the power of people and state-based movements to serve as a vehicle for a powerful moral movement in the country and to transform the political, economic and moral structures of our society.
Questions about Principles 7 and 8:
- How is being poor a moral issue?
- What role does my faith and spiritual beliefs have when I see or think about Poor People?
- Which of these do I want to learn more about? Inequality for women. Attacks on LGBTQIA folks. Workers’ rights. The place of immigrants in our society. The disabled and the sick. Racism. If you want help exploring these issues, contact me.
Principle 9: We recognize the need to organize at the state and local level – many of the most regressive policies are being passed at the state level, and these policies will have long and lasting effect, past even executive orders. This movement is not from above but below.
Principle 10: We will do our work in a non-partisan way – no elected officials or candidates get the stage or serve on the State Organizing Committee of the Campaign. This is not about left or right, Democrat or Republican, but about right and wrong.
Principle 10: We will do our work in a non-partisan way – no elected officials or candidates get the stage or serve on the State Organizing Committee of the Campaign. This is not about left or right, Democrat or Republican, but about right and wrong.
Questions about Principles 9 and 10:
- Who were the Poor People when I was growing up? Who are they now?
- How did I grow up thinking about Poor People?
- What is my exposure to Poor People now?
- Do I need to rethink the reasons why people of all races and ethnicities are Poor?
Principle 11: We uphold the need to do a season of sustained moral direct action as a way to break through the tweets and shift the moral narrative. We are demonstrating the power of people coming together across issues and geography and putting our bodies on the line to the issues that are affecting us all.
Principle 12: The Campaign and all its Participants and Endorsers embrace nonviolence. Violent tactics or actions will not be tolerated.
Principle 12: The Campaign and all its Participants and Endorsers embrace nonviolence. Violent tactics or actions will not be tolerated.
Questions about Principles 11 and 12:
- How would I define violent communication through self-talk and with others?
- What are the various ways I might participate in the Poor People’s Campaign, both personally and publicly as a way of life and an article of faith?
PRAYER AT THE OPENING OF THE CALIFORNIA STATE SENATE - 2015
As Guest Chaplain of the California State Senate, I offered this prayer on behalf of those assembled.
O You, who are known by many names and by no name. O You, who reside in our Hearts.
We boldly ask that we, the women and the men of this California State Senate, present and absent, together with our dedicated staff and our visitors here today, may we all be blessed with peace in this moment, in this moment of breath. And as we move throughout this day, may we be responsible stewards to the children, the women and the men we represent. May our encounters with one another arise out of dignity and respect.
O Blessed One, reveal to us solutions for the many ails of the peoples and environment of our most beautiful State. Share Your wisdom and stand with us in our collaborative negotiations, when there is impasse, when harsh words erupt, and when our hearts break.
In this moment and throughout this day, may we remember the peace and joy for which we, and for which all humanity was born. We look to Your abundant blessings to renew us and restore us.
May it be so. May it be so. May it be so.
O You, who are known by many names and by no name. O You, who reside in our Hearts.
We boldly ask that we, the women and the men of this California State Senate, present and absent, together with our dedicated staff and our visitors here today, may we all be blessed with peace in this moment, in this moment of breath. And as we move throughout this day, may we be responsible stewards to the children, the women and the men we represent. May our encounters with one another arise out of dignity and respect.
O Blessed One, reveal to us solutions for the many ails of the peoples and environment of our most beautiful State. Share Your wisdom and stand with us in our collaborative negotiations, when there is impasse, when harsh words erupt, and when our hearts break.
In this moment and throughout this day, may we remember the peace and joy for which we, and for which all humanity was born. We look to Your abundant blessings to renew us and restore us.
May it be so. May it be so. May it be so.
Remembrance: The Women of Terezin
Remembrance is a crucial aspect of Judaism. In the Torah, YHVH, the Unnameable, asks to be remembered more than 150 times. Since the time of the Torah, Jews repeat the story of the Exodus and liberation each Pesach. Actions of the previous year are remembered at Yom Kippur. Each week is remembered at Shabbat. Kaddish Yatom is recited in memory of loved ones who have died.
And all humanity is called to remember the Holocaust. Hashoah, Holocaust Remembrance Day is the special day to remember. It is said that Rabbi Nachman of Breslev, the grandson of the Baal Shem Tov who founded mystical Judaism, said, "If you want to find the Shekinah, the Divine Feminine, then you should go to the place where the women tell stories."
I find Shekinah in the stories told In Memory’s Kitchen, A Legacy from the Women of Terezin. In fact, among my many sacred texts of faith traditions from around the world, In Memory’s Kitchen is one of my most sacred.
Terezin was a Czechoslovakian concentration camp just north of Prague where 'prominent Jews' were sent. Children and elderly, scientists, musicians, artists, and those who had given distinguished service to Germany during World War I were crowded into Terezin. Although the Third Reich beautified Terezin and advertised it as a place to send the elderly and the infirm for safety during World War II, it was an anteroom to Auschwitz, and the death toll at Terezin was staggering.
Mina Pachter was sent to Terezin because she was Jewish, because she was an artist, because she was 70 years old, and because she chose not to relocate to Palestine with her daughter and grandson. Mina had told her daughter, "You can’t move an old tree."
Amidst the horrible conditions of fear, starvation, cramped conditions, manual labor and torture, a remarkable remembrance was born amidst the women at Terezin. Somehow, they found scraps of paper to write their favorite recipes, and a manuscript was hand-sewn.
The level of detail in the recipes reveals each woman’s love and care for her family. I imagine that Mina and the other women shared stories with one another of how the recipe came to them, who they made them for and on which occasions. There was probably laughter along with tears in the telling, in the remembering. Mothers, grandmothers, sisters and aunts were remembered; husbands, children, fathers, brothers. The women's souls were nourished by the telling and the remembering.
Perhaps when their hunger was most extreme, they imagined Viennese Dumplings or a milk-cream strudel instead of the brown muck they were given. I believe that in the logos of those moments, they were in communion with Shekhina.
Mina, who was a primary author of the recipe collection, died of starvation on Yom Kippur 1944 in Terezin. Miraculously, the manuscript eventually found its way to Mina’s daughter, Anny Stern, who was living on Manhattan’s East Side a quarter of a century after her mother's death. People today still make some of these recipes and are touched by carrying on the traditions within their own families, as a way of keeping the Women of Terezin alive in their hearts.
I include Mina Packter’s recipe for cold stuffed eggs as part of the Kaddish Yatom in memory of the Women of Terezin, because the recipe is Sacred Scripture.
May the greatness of YHVH be blessed from eternity to eternity. Let us bless and let us extol, let us tell aloud and let us raise aloft, let us set on high and let us honor, let us exalt and let us praise YHVH - though YHVH is far beyond any blessing or song, any honor or any consolation that can be spoken of in this world.
And all humanity is called to remember the Holocaust. Hashoah, Holocaust Remembrance Day is the special day to remember. It is said that Rabbi Nachman of Breslev, the grandson of the Baal Shem Tov who founded mystical Judaism, said, "If you want to find the Shekinah, the Divine Feminine, then you should go to the place where the women tell stories."
I find Shekinah in the stories told In Memory’s Kitchen, A Legacy from the Women of Terezin. In fact, among my many sacred texts of faith traditions from around the world, In Memory’s Kitchen is one of my most sacred.
Terezin was a Czechoslovakian concentration camp just north of Prague where 'prominent Jews' were sent. Children and elderly, scientists, musicians, artists, and those who had given distinguished service to Germany during World War I were crowded into Terezin. Although the Third Reich beautified Terezin and advertised it as a place to send the elderly and the infirm for safety during World War II, it was an anteroom to Auschwitz, and the death toll at Terezin was staggering.
Mina Pachter was sent to Terezin because she was Jewish, because she was an artist, because she was 70 years old, and because she chose not to relocate to Palestine with her daughter and grandson. Mina had told her daughter, "You can’t move an old tree."
Amidst the horrible conditions of fear, starvation, cramped conditions, manual labor and torture, a remarkable remembrance was born amidst the women at Terezin. Somehow, they found scraps of paper to write their favorite recipes, and a manuscript was hand-sewn.
The level of detail in the recipes reveals each woman’s love and care for her family. I imagine that Mina and the other women shared stories with one another of how the recipe came to them, who they made them for and on which occasions. There was probably laughter along with tears in the telling, in the remembering. Mothers, grandmothers, sisters and aunts were remembered; husbands, children, fathers, brothers. The women's souls were nourished by the telling and the remembering.
Perhaps when their hunger was most extreme, they imagined Viennese Dumplings or a milk-cream strudel instead of the brown muck they were given. I believe that in the logos of those moments, they were in communion with Shekhina.
Mina, who was a primary author of the recipe collection, died of starvation on Yom Kippur 1944 in Terezin. Miraculously, the manuscript eventually found its way to Mina’s daughter, Anny Stern, who was living on Manhattan’s East Side a quarter of a century after her mother's death. People today still make some of these recipes and are touched by carrying on the traditions within their own families, as a way of keeping the Women of Terezin alive in their hearts.
I include Mina Packter’s recipe for cold stuffed eggs as part of the Kaddish Yatom in memory of the Women of Terezin, because the recipe is Sacred Scripture.
May the greatness of YHVH be blessed from eternity to eternity. Let us bless and let us extol, let us tell aloud and let us raise aloft, let us set on high and let us honor, let us exalt and let us praise YHVH - though YHVH is far beyond any blessing or song, any honor or any consolation that can be spoken of in this world.
Cold Stuffed Eggs
Hard boil 10 eggs, cut them in half. Remove yolks and press them through a sieve. Add 5 decagrams butter, 2 anchovies pressed through a sieve, a little mustard, 34 drops Maggi, 1/8 liter whipped heavy cream, parsley, lemon juice. Now put eggs on a platter. Pour aspic over. Before let fantasy run free and the eggs are garnished with salmon, caviar, capers. One can put the eggs into paper cuffs and serve them with hot sliced rolls.
Hard boil 10 eggs, cut them in half. Remove yolks and press them through a sieve. Add 5 decagrams butter, 2 anchovies pressed through a sieve, a little mustard, 34 drops Maggi, 1/8 liter whipped heavy cream, parsley, lemon juice. Now put eggs on a platter. Pour aspic over. Before let fantasy run free and the eggs are garnished with salmon, caviar, capers. One can put the eggs into paper cuffs and serve them with hot sliced rolls.
May the Memory of the Women of Terezin be a blessing to us.
Let us say Amen, Amen and Amen.
Let us say Amen, Amen and Amen.