It's been a hard and painful week; a week of grieving the deaths of 49 people who were gunned down in the Pulse nightclub; a bar and dance club in Orlando that has been a popular gathering place for the LGBTQ community. It was Latin Night on Sunday June 12th and most of the crowd was of Hispanic heritage. By now many of you have heard of the grief of their families and loved ones and you've probably also heard some of hateful rhetoric that has only served to stoke the fires of fear and violence.
In face of the hatred that motivated this tragedy and some of the polarizing responses that have circulated in the aftermath, I'd like to lift up some meaningful actions of compassion and solidarity that have taken place this past week.
Last Sunday evening at EMUC, we hosted a special vesper service of Hope and Healing; a worship service that had been planned long before the Orlando tragedy. As people gathered that night, they were invited to write the names of loved ones they wished to remember in prayer on strips of paper. During the worship, as we read aloud the names of family members and friends, many of those slips of paper also included those who had died or been wounded in Orlando.
In NYC more than 200 Muslims came together last Sunday to pray for the victims of the Orlando massacre. They had gathered for the annual 'Iftar in the Park' celebration, in which they broke their fasting for the month of Ramadan, and also used the opportunity to show their support for the victims.
"We're praying for those who were lost," said one of the attendees. "That God grants them peace and tranquility. As Muslims, we are united in our outrage over this senseless act of violence. We want the rest of the country to know that we are thinking about what happened in Orlando and that we're standing with those people."
On Sunday night here in Canada, on the steps of the Vancouver Art Gallery, former moderator of the United Church of Canada, Rev. Gary Patterson spoke at a vigil where hundreds had gathered to grieve and to show their solidarity with the LGBTQ community. Paterson addressed the crowd saying "No to the killing, offering our tears and our determination that we will keep moving forward in love."
In Washington DC, an orthodox Jewish congregation heard about the massacre at the same time as they were celebrating the festival of Shavuot, which celebrates God's giving of the Torah. As Orthodox Jews, they do not travel on the Sabbath or holidays such as Shavuot, so their Rabbi, Shmuel Herzfeld announced from the pulpit on Sunday night that as soon as the holiday ended at 9:17 p.m. Monday, they would travel from their synagogue to a gay bar as an act of solidarity. About a dozen of them, wearing their kippot, or yarmulkes, went to the bar, where most of the patrons happened to be African American. Here is the rabbi's account of their visit.
We didn't know what to expect, but it turned out that we had so much in common. We met everyone in the bar. One of the patrons told me that his stepchildren were actually bar-mitzvahed in our congregation. Another one asked for my card so that his church could come and visit. The bartender shut off all of the music in the room, and the crowd became silent as we offered words of prayer and healing. My co-clergy Maharat Ruth Friedman shared a blessing related to the holiday of Shavuot, and she lit memorial candles on the bar ledge. Then everyone in the bar put their hands around each other's shoulders, and we sang soulful tunes. After that, one of our congregants bought a round of beer for the whole bar.
Everyone in the bar embraced each other. It was powerful and moving and real and raw. After that we moved to the outdoor makeshift memorial service at Dupont Circle. There, too, we did not know what to expect. But as we gathered around the circle, people kept coming up to us and embracing us... As we were singing, I looked over at some gay members of our congregation and saw tears flowing down their faces. I felt the reality that we are living in a time of enormous pain. But I also felt that the night was a tremendous learning experience for me.
I learned that when a rabbi and members of an Orthodox synagogue walk into a gay African American bar, it is not the opening line of a joke but an opportunity to connect; it is an opportunity to break down barriers and come together as one; it is an opportunity to learn that if we are going to survive, we all need each other.
This Sunday instead of their usual morning worship, St. Paul's United in Milton is hosting a community-wide prayer service. Tyler Powell, minister of St. Paul's, along with one of the local Imams and the Halton LGBTQ+ Organizer will be speaking to the increased need for solidarity, compassion and acceptance in our communities and the world.
Today at the concluding session of a reflection/study group at EMUC we focused on what it means to be a good neighbour; how we can live with greater compassion; how we might cross the lines that often divide us as enemies. We watched a powerful video clip featuring John Lederach who has been engaged in peace work for over three decades. (Some of you may recall that I mentioned Lederach two weeks ago in a Friday Message) I urge you to watch the clip - it's only 8 minutes of your time. I know that his message will both challenge and inspire you.
And if you are looking for more guidance on how to live a compassionate life, I highly recommend Karen Armstrong's book Twelve Steps to a Compassionate Life and the global initiative she helped to create through the 'Charter for Compassion'.
http://www.charterforcompassion.org/
"You've never locked eyes with anyone who doesn't matter deeply to God."
(unknown)
Peace, Kathy Toivanen
