07/25/2005
IWDM Study Library
Faith and the Common Good
Chicago IL

By Imam W. Deen Mohammed
IWDM:
Thank you. Thank you.
IWDM:
Praise be to G-d. Our greetings is peace be unto you.
Audience:
As-Salaam Alaikum
IWDM:
We witness that there is one G-d, the creator of everything in the heavens and the earth. And we witness that Muhammad is His servant and His messenger and the last of the prophets.
IWDM:
Muhammad the Prophet, peace be on him, he was asked by a young man. The young man said, "Tell me, that no-one else can tell me, but you." But that was one of those tricky questions, I think. Muhammad the Prophet said, "Say, I believe and thereafter, be upright." Yes, "Say, I believe and thereafter be upright."
IWDM:
Then read our holy book, the Quran. We don't... we are called Muslims. That's our common name. But when we read our holy book, G-d is not addressing us as Muslim as often... not nearly as often as He's addressing us as believers. "Oh, you who believe." That's how He addresses us. "Oh, you who believe, and Muhammad the Prophet," He said, "never will you enter paradise, until you have faith and never will you have faith, true faith, until you practice loving one another."
IWDM:
I want to stop right there, because I see our friends from the office of the Focolare Movement in Chicago here and I want them to know that my religion prepared me to embrace you. My religion prepared me to identify with you in your efforts to bring people to love one another. And I thank G-d for the blessed lady Chiara Lubich.
IWDM:
The theme is Faith and the Common Good. I want to also say, today we are very thankful to G-d to be with you, the members of the Catholic faith and especially the place here and this podium [inaudible 00:03:12] Cardinal George, the Archbishop of Chicago.
IWDM:
Of the Qibla, we call it Qibla. Another name is Kaaba. And the common name is the House. It is the House we believe, we are taught in our holy book, it is the House built by Abraham and his son. And we're told in our holy book that it is a house built for all people. Not for one people. But for all people. The arabic, the Quranic expression is [arabic 00:04:12]. House built for all people. And G-d says in the Quran addressing that House, which is also called the masjid because the Muslims go there to make prayer. And wherever we make prayer, and do prostration touching the floor or the ground with our forehead, our nose, our palms, our knees, and the toes. Wherever we do that, is called a place... the place is called masjid or mosque. Masjid or mosque. So hence G-d says to the believers, the Muslims in our holy book, that the whole earth is a mosque. The whole earth is the mosque. And that is, we worship G-d wherever we are, and any place is suitable on this earth... is suitable for our prayer to G-d, our worship.
IWDM:
Yes, so anyway, G-d says... getting back to my point. G-d says, "Wherever you are," speaking to Muslims, all Muslims on this earth, wherever we are, He says, "turn your faces, turn your face, for this masjid, for this masjid, in the sacred precinct of Mecca," He says, "turn your faces towards this masjid." And each of you have a goal, an aspiration. Something that's drawing you. Something that's pulling you or driving you. "Therefore, turn all of you, your faces towards this mosque, this House. And wherever you are, G-d will bring you together."
IWDM:
So I'm invited to address the subject of Muslim unity in this sacred place, in the sacred City of Mecca next month, early next month. And we would be addressing the subject... the subject is the Unity of Muslims. But actually, if we understand what G-d is saying about this symbol, the little House. We understand that that House is a place that represents the unity of all people. It represents the unity of all people. Our scholars in Islam, they know, that the fifth pillar of Islam, which is the pillar that says, "Visit that House if you're able to, at least once in a lifetime." That pillar, is the pillar of our unity with all human beings. Unity with the human family, in the human family.
IWDM:
And G-d has given us the... what we call the Kalima, the creed... the Muslim Islamic creed. That there is but one G-d and Muhammad is the messenger of G-d. And G-d tells us, "Believe in G-d." But He also says, "And believe in Muhammad." And He says, "And obey G-d." But He also says, "And obey Muhammad." Whatever he gives you, accept it. "And Muhammad the Prophet," he says "of good," he says [Arabic 00:08:17]. "Surely G-d is all good and He accepts nothing but good."
IWDM:
When G-d tells us to turn all of our faces towards that House, He is telling us what is our center, core, life that He created for all of us. We call it Adam before he went astray and we call it the righteousness, the purity of the human soul for every human being. And I don't care who you are, what religion you belong to, or what race you belong to. You have that core. We all have that core. And that core motivates us to be better and better. And it will punish us. It will ignore us and that's its punishment. It will not whisper into our ears. It will not even suggest anything to us. If we continue to ignore it, it will become debt for all of our crying and problems. And we suffer. We suffer. But, if we respond to it, it will always be there to help us.
IWDM:
So G-d in creating the human purity, created it for all of us. And to me, that is the common good. Because it wants only good. It's in all of us. And it wants only good. It wants good conditions for itself, for the soul that has it. But it wants the same for every human person, it wants the same for every soul. That is what G-d has created. So G-d has created us in our original self. G-d has created us good and we are all good in that original self that He created. And the common good is what pleases us deep within our soul. Whenever we're experiencing situations or circumstances or conditions that are not good for human life, that core is not at peace. That core is not resting. It is not satisfied. And G-d says to the soul that believes and does good work, He says, "Enter you, oh soul, among my workers, enter you my paradise, pleasing to yourself and pleasing to your G-d."
IWDM:
Faith... faith is most important and is most important that we have faith in each other. Not just in G-d. As I said earlier, G-d says, "Believe in G-d and believe in Muhammad." Muhammad is the model for us, of the excellence that G-d wants in all of us. To be expressed by all of us. The excellence that He has created in all of us, we inherently, that excellence, and G-d wants all of us to look at Muhammad and see that he is a manifestation of the best test in ourselves. Allah says to us in our holy book, He says of Muhammad, says "Surely he has been seen to be of the most excellent foundations of human character... human character." And He says also to us that he is a mercy to all the world... to all the world.
IWDM:
G-d does not tell us anything of Muhammad, for any other reason, than that we see him and want to follow him in all of his excellence... in all of his excellence. When he himself was about to conclude his mission on this earth, he told his great following at the pilgrimage, the last pilgrimage, he said, "And follow those," of his companions he was referring to, "follow those who are close to me of my companions upon their excellence... upon their excellence, to do good." Excellence in our holy book also means goodness... goodness. And G-d says, [arabic 00:13:45] "Have faith and also good deeds... good deeds." [arabic 00:13:58] "Have faith and also good deeds."
IWDM:
The common good for us, is the common good for all human beings. That's my point. The common good for Muslims is the common good for all human beings. All of us are one, in our original life that G-d created and no-one has been separated from that life. Nothing can separate us from our original life that G-d created.
IWDM:
We speak of Adam as the first man. But Adam lives... he lives in us. All of us, have Adam living in us now. And Adam has the chance to be better with every birth of every human child. Adam has a chance to be better. And that's the drive in us. The drive in us is to be better.
IWDM:
The common good has to respect all of us with our different aspirations. That's why G-d says to all of you, each of you, pardon me, have a direction. Each of you have an aspiration, a hunger, an appetite, a goal that you want to reach. Each of you. So turn all of you, your faces towards this place. In saying that, G-d is telling us that the answer for us being reprieved, to have the opportunity to pursue our individual dream for good life, prosperity, justice, whatever. The answer is that we recognize the common life of each and every one of us and accept that that common life that G-d gave us originally when He created the first person on this earth, and that common life is our protection for our differences. Our differences will not cause problems for us as long as we are at peace and in unity with that core life, that original life that G-d created for us.
IWDM:
It's difficult for some people to answer the whisper of their better nature and close their ears to the whispers of the Satan, the Shaytaan, the Devil. Or the evil, the wicked side or the wicked nature that comes into us when man strays and takes the environment also with him. Yes. So faith and good work, that's what I see as the common good. Whenever G-d says believe and practice good work, or have good work, the good work, the common good, that is the common good.
IWDM:
Our religion, the picture of our religion has been given to us by Mohammad the Prophet, peace be on him. When he was asked, what is Islam? He said, "Islam is to believe in G-d or to say that 'I witness that there is one G-d,' and it is to pray to that G-d, to worship that G-d. It is to give in charity, that's the third. It is to restrain your wild passions and to be conscious of the poor and the suffering. Fast in the month of Ramadaan. Fasting in the month of Ramadaan is the fourth. And the last," he says, "visit that House," that I've been talking about. [arabic 00:18:13] "And the pilgrimage to the House." He didn't give a long drawn out message or statement. He gave us five simple essentials and he said that is our religion, Islam.
IWDM:
And when we study the first one, that we witness that there is one G-d. If we studied it in the context of our holy book, the full context of our holy book, we will find that the statement to believe in G-d, is not standing without relevance and a relationship to other important matters. The belief in the one G-d is a logic as we understand it, as students of our religion. It is a logic that goes from that premises... that premises, to the second premises. And that is, if we witness that there is one G-d, we should also witness that there is one creation. One creation also for human beings. And all human beings are to be accepted as equals in that creation of G-d. Equal in the creation of G-d.
IWDM:
Further, to say that the whole of matter is one system... is one system. So we believe in one G-d, the unity of matter and the unity of mankind. That is called Tawheed, the idea of unity and oneness in Islam... in Islam.
IWDM:
And second to that, is our behavior... our behavior. So, when Muhammad the Prophet told the young man, who wanted to hear something that no-one could tell him but Muhammad the Prophet, "Say I believe and thereafter be upright," he was addressing behavior. You just can't have faith. That faith has to manifest in good behavior and we should understand that people of faith, Christians, Muslims, Jews and other people of faith, we have our own behavior. We are not to follow the behavior of the streets or the behavior on television when it's not good. We follow only the good.
IWDM:
The behavior is most important for us. And that the evils and temptations, the bad temptations, in the environment and the culture and in the environment, will test us and most likely defeat us and take us out of our good behavior and out of our good life and give us to misery... misery, and make the family miserable. Because when a member of the family becomes miserable, a victim of drugs or whatever, the whole family is affected. All of us suffer. And sometimes those that didn't go astray, they suffer, a burden on their heart, more than those that went astray. So the parent, the father or the mother. Father, sister or her brother or relative will be suffering more than the person that's lost to the streets or lost to the drugs, or lost to violence. We are one in our original nature that G-d gave us. And we should work together whether we are Christians or Jews or Muslims or other, Catholics or Muslims, we should work together for the common good.
IWDM:
I don't have the great following that Cardinal George has, so I shouldn't take up so much time.
IWDM:
I ought to conclude, by saying that this is the time of the conclusion, I believe strongly, very strongly with all my heart and life. This is the time of the conclusion of prophecy. We have finally reached the time of the conclusion of prophecy. When the world was separated, partners separated from each other, people separated from each other, not even knowing that the others existed on the other side of the ocean, prophecy could not be fulfilled. Prophecy can only be fulfilled when man knows man everywhere on this earth and we experience life with one another, problems with one another and come to an understanding that we have to have one global community of human beings respecting one another. At that time, when that time comes, and it has come, we then can read prophecy and see it in our lives everyday.
IWDM:
Thank you, peace. As-Salaam Alaikum
Speaker 2:
Thank you very much Imam and Cardinal George.
Speaker 2:
This is the time for a short break. I think if you could just... it'll give people time to write questions because you may want to get in the conversation, so we'll have a short break, just a stand up break. But if you write out your questions and pass them to the end of the aisle, so after just a five or 10 minutes, we'll begin getting some conversations going between yourself and our two speakers and they can continue on in their many points that I think we would like to hear develop.
Speaker 2:
So if you will write your questions and give them to the ushers who will be walking up and down the aisle.
Speaker 2:
Attention please. We'd like to begin with our question and answer period.
Speaker 2:
We're happy that so many questions were given to us. We won't be able to answer them all. I can hear the Cardinal and the Imam asking each other questions up here too.
Cardinal George:
[inaudible 00:26:25] from somebody down there [inaudible 00:26:28]
Speaker 2:
Uh huh.
Cardinal George:
I might have some questions.
Speaker 2:
All right, I suppose this one gets first choice [inaudible 00:26:32]
Cardinal George:
Absolutely.
Speaker 2:
All right, a late one came in. But are you ready then to answer some questions or ask some questions?
Speaker 2:
Or we'll put this one in with the pot.
Speaker 2:
[inaudible 00:26:47]
Questioner:
It says, does a common Messianic figure, seem possible? And if so, is it imminent? And this is for both of you.
Questioner:
You couldn't hear me? I'm sorry. Okay.
Questioner:
Does a common Messianic figure, seem possible? And if so, is it imminent? This is for both.
Speaker 6:
[inaudible 00:27:29]
Questioner:
Yes sir, please.
Speaker 6:
[inaudible 00:27:30]
Questioner:
Its for both Cardinal and...
IWDM:
For me, it is possible. Not only possible. We should have a common Messianic figure. And that figure should be the Word of G-d.
Cardinal George:
Oh, I would agree, but except that from a Christian perspective, the Word of G-d is made flesh in Jesus of Nazareth and there won't be another Messiah, so... he'll come again in glory to judge the living and the dead.
Questioner:
I would like to first of all introduce my partner and myself. This is Latifah Wangara who is co-chair of the Muslim Catholic Dialogue and she and myself, my name is Jason [inaudible 00:28:37] and I'm of the Archdiocese of Chicago and [inaudible 00:28:41] with the mosques here, specifically the Muslim Journal of the newspaper of [inaudible 00:28:41]. And we are the co-chairs of this Muslim Catholic Dialogue and we will be addressing questions for the next 15 to 20 minutes before we adjourn.
Questioner:
Next question and this is addressed to both the Cardinal and the Imam. The Cardinal and the Imam differed in their interpretation of the common good. I wonder if each could address the others interpretation.
Cardinal George:
Well I'm not sure we differed that much. I was very moved listening to the Imam's understanding of how there is something divine because G-d created us good. Christians speak about G-d's gift of the end dwelling of the Spirit and then of a natural goodness that is directed by conscience to observe the natural law which is, as I understood the Imam speaking, the way to create the common good... that is if we're best... if we're faithful to the best in our nature as confirmed by the Word of G-d, and as directed by the prophetic tradition, then the common good will be assured. And I was just asking that, what does the state have to do with the common good? And there too I think, there was some agreement, but I'll let him talk to that.
IWDM:
I've done a lot of self study and I was studying the history of criminology in the United States. And at the one time in history, they came to a position that if the criminal could be sterilized, that would help save society from so many of the multiplying of criminals. The pre stroke of criminals in the society. But that didn't hold that position long. Science, correct science changed their position and they took the position that, no, crime or tendency to be a criminal or that desire, is not born in us. So it would do no good to sterilize and it would be cruelty to sterilize persons to try to prevent criminals from being born.
IWDM:
So, when we look at our newborn baby from their mothers, when they come here, they have one soul in nature. They haven't developed a mind yet. They have one human life in common with each other. They respond the same way to us, to our affection. They respond in the same way. They cry in the same language. They smile and laugh in the same language. They have one and the same soul in nature. It is all good. If we can keep it like that and grow the mind and grow the skills, the abilities as a skill and we keep that innocence that we're born with, to me, that's the common good and I believe it's the same for good Christians. That's the common good. And once we have that common good in us, then we can live in peace with one another, we could trust one another, and we can support the common good in this society, in the nation. We could support the... the making available of the common good to all citizens.
IWDM:
And I told our Cardinal George... I told him that, yes, I believe that... because he was asking me the question, that the Government has a role. The Government definitely has a role. It owes the citizens a strong role in this, in promoting the common good, and it does. It promotes the common good, but also the uncommon good. That requires that way, once we understand each other and then embrace each other, respecting our faith, our differences, our different faiths and respecting the common good, we have to embrace each other, and Muslims have to co-operate more with our Christians who outnumber us by many, many, many, many times in the City of Chicago and around. We have to co-operate with them to see that our Government gets better and not worst.
IWDM:
Yes, I think we're looking at the common good from the very same way. That's what I think.
Questioner:
[inaudible 00:35:00] How can we form religion alliance among leadership and have the same working [inaudible 00:35:18].
Cardinal George:
I think if we're going to work together, there has to be alliances at all levels. But I think also that it is important that the leaders be visibly together, that's why I'm very grateful to Imam Mohammed for coming to this evening. And I think that that's been the model that the visible head of the Catholic Church, the invisible head is Jesus, but the visible head is the Bishop of Rome, has prayed in the last 40 years, trying to reach out in ways that respect differences, that bring people visibly together. The prayer services for peace at [inaudible 00:36:14] that the Imam was invited to was an example of that.
Cardinal George:
So I think, just look for occasions to multiply visibly our [audio cuts 00:36:23]... be together in friendship perhaps in dialogue [audio cuts 00:36:28] every time, in common action. But far more important, in many ways than the leadership is the dialogue of life that takes place at every level, and I think that the initiative is therefore up to everyone and not just up to leaders.
Questioner:
Yeah Imam Mohammed, I have the same question for you. How can we form religious alliances among the leadership?
IWDM:
Yes, we have to first of all, as our scripture says to us, form ties or alliances and that we have been made different not that we should stand back or be hostile towards one another or despise one another so be it we have made different so that we would be [imperious 00:37:38] to get to know one another... to get to know one another. [Arabic 00:37:43] "That we work, co-operate with one another to have better knowledge of each other."
IWDM:
So the leaders, they're the ones who should know what G-d has revealed and they're the ones who should be leading. They should be leading the effort to form alliances with other religions. There's this organization that I support, the Religious Alliance, the Alliance of Religion in the United States. I support it and I would encourage all of our Imams to support the coming together of religious leaders. You can't bring all the people together. The leaders have to come together and they have to get to know one another so they can appreciate one another more.
IWDM:
When we see the beauty in the other's religion and the other person's religion and the richness of their religion, we then come to... want to embrace the people who accept that religion, or who follow that religion. We have to know Christians. Most of the Muslim leaders of the world, they don't like that Muslim students or scholar read the Bible. Not all of them, I said most. Muslim preachers in America, United States of America, if you don't read the Bible, how you're going to be able to know your neighbors, your Christian neighbors. Because we've moved their life more than anything else. Here's how it should be, their Holy Scripture.
IWDM:
I read the Bible from Genesis to Revelation. The first time I read it, I made myself, I said I'm going to promise that I will not nitpick, I will not question what I'm reading. I would just read it from Genesis, cover to cover for the first time. Because I knew my mind. So I said, to be fair, I have to just read it through. That's what I did. Reading it through for the first time, convinced me of the unbroken thread of purity, from Genesis to Revelation... the end of Revelation. And I came to appreciate the Bible, Christian people, Christian world, a community of the world and I came to appreciate my Christian neighbors much more. I appreciate you all so much that I'm often trying to save a Christian for the Church. And that's true. That's just my nature. And I think I'm doing a pretty good job.
IWDM:
Would you much rather see a Christian rather than thought, "Well you'll not Muslim." Would you must rather see a Christian remain good and a good person on the block, than to disturb them? But you don't know what would've happened to them if they changed their mind. They might turn out real or they might not.
IWDM:
I hope I answered the question.
Questioner:
The next question has a common theme, then that's fine, not to remain individual. And it's this. Please discuss how the Muslim community and the Catholic community can address religiously motivated violence and terrorism. Answer is up to both the Cardinal and the Imam.
IWDM:
First, we have to not be quick to condemn, even the person that's committing the unacceptable act of a crime. We can't be too hasty, too quick to condemn. But be as the great service of G-d, Jesus Christ, Muhammad and the others, be as they were, before condemning, they wanted to see what the cause was. So we should see what is the cause behind religious violence, whether it's Taliban or Muslim terrorists or KKK or whatever it is. We should want to know what is the cause behind it. And the Palestinians and many Muslims of the world, are suffering great pain that warps the psyche, they're suffering a lot of pain. And their behavior is now outside of Islam, outside of the teachings of our Prophet and the example of our Prophet. So, our first we should try to understand what has happened to the lives of these people to drive them to this insanity.
Cardinal George:
The usual way of approaching question about religiously motivated violence and terrorism, is to make a distinction between religion at its best which works for peace and religion that goes astray that leads to violence. That's what I think Mr Blair did in Britain. That's what President Bush did in our country after 9/11. And that's true. But the situation is in fact much more complicated because there is a history of violence that attaches itself to religion, whether Christianity or Islam or Judaism or any other religion, Buddhism. It's there in the history books and it's one thing to say, well these are sinful followers of religion that itself argues for peace. Yes and no.
Cardinal George:
I think we have to be honest about the history. And being honest about our own history, however, we have to also, I think, point out that the second we're still wrong in saying that a religion that claims to teach the truth, with authority, is necessarily going to be socially disruptive. That moral absolute instead of being the cause of violence can prevent violence. I'd rather live in country where it is very clear because religion teaches it with absolute certainty that it's immoral always under any circumstance, to rape someone. Where it's always immoral, under any circumstance to gas Jews. Moral absolute safeguard the peace. They don't just, themselves foster violence and I think that that argument that any religion that teaches moral trues with absolute certainty is therefore going to cause social violence is wrong on its face and we have to be very careful to say that that is a false claim.
Cardinal George:
But it is true also that religion has been used for different purposes and for each time that happens, a behavior that would involve the killing of innocent people at random, has to be absolutely condemned because morally it's wrong under any circumstances and if motivation, even if it claims to be religious motivation, has to be understood, but never in any sense countenanced or proved. I must say that the terrorism of 9/11 here, I don't know about the motivation, what happened in Spain or in Britain well enough but I found it disturbing that even unfairly and not correctly, some killing of that nature would be done in the name of the G-d of Abraham or whom I adore. So, we have to look at the communities ourselves and be willing to be very clear about the condemnation of behaviors such as that, at the same time, very understanding as the Imam said.
Cardinal George:
And to some extent, the Book of Revelation where we see pictured, where we professed in the creed that Christ will come again in glory to judge living and the dead. Recently as you know I was in Rome, last April, for the election of the Pope after the death of Pope John Paul II and that election takes place in Sistine Chapel in the Apostolic Palace which is decorated by Michelangelo, the young Michelangelo depicts the creation according to the Book of Genesis on the ceiling and then many years later as an old man, he came and he created a Fresco of the second coming of Christ, the Last Judgment on the wall. So I spent some many hours because the conclave take a long time and they're very quiet. There'll be talks in the conclave and not getting up and saying vote for so and so or anything like that. You pray as you vote. And then if somebody isn't elected, well you pray some more and you vote again.
Cardinal George:
So, I had a long time to look at that fresco of The Last Judgment, The Coming of Christ. When you're in Rome, if you ever get to Rome, or if you go back again, take a look at it. It's not an encouraging scene. Nobody looks very happy in there. Even the people going to heaven don't look too happy for whatever reason. Anyway, but the return of Christ to judge the living and the dead because all authority has been given to him, as the bosom Christ, will be the moment when the dead will rise and death will be conquered definitively and the Kingdom of G-d will be very visible, it's visible now in various starts and forms and all the rest but it will be completely visible at that time, their point to Providence of G-d and the way in which he has been working through human history over the millennia will become very clear.
IWDM:
And at that time, therefore, the final judgment will be made. Those who are not worthy of paradise with G-d for all of eternity will, in fact, be separated from Him by their own desires. In a sense, the [inaudible 00:00:16] teaches that [inaudible 00:00:18] condemn someone [inaudible 00:00:19] gratified, our own desire to be isolated from G-d. Sin is an isolation from G-d and if we die desiring to be isolated, well He'll respect that desire.
IWDM:
So mush as an expected judgment that an intrinsic, making visible of the state of mind and the soul of someone who wanted to be separated from G-d for all eternity. That's Hell and unity with G-d for all eternity is heaven. That will be definitively clear at the last judgment.
IWDM:
If you pick up that chapter of St. Matthews [inaudible 00:00:42], you'll see that that criteria for judgment by what you do to your neighbor, so that's a universal criteria.
IWDM:
Through the eyes, I don't see why I have to say something I will disagree to what he says [inaudible 00:01:27] beautiful. Now you know and our religion, judgment understands first of all, that Mohammed was a prophet [inaudible 00:01:42] for the sky like G-d to read scripture and he didn't bring together all the new material but he responded to material that all ready been revealed, continuation.
IWDM:
Or explanation or commentary on what was the deal before and the completion because he had just... a concept of the Muslim community, but except for him to introduce the Muslim community light is a problem. It is a commentary on what was the deal before and Moses, Moses and Jesus, they're prophets and there you will find they have the same problems in common, the two books. The Quran and the Bible. Now I will get back to the question now, the judgment day, as it's called. The day that standing [inaudible 00:02:41] the day of standing and it means and that it is good because often... on that day every one will be rock solid, there naked and alone.
IWDM:
Naked and alone and look like most of our people on earth today, are naked and lonely. So and they are standing up for what ever you believe in. Everybody is standing up for something, thank you very much.
Speaker 2:
Sister Jones. One, two. [inaudible 00:03:35] by hands. I've got an prediction right. Before we get to that part, I just want to take this opportunity to thank G-d for the late Pope John [inaudible 00:03:48], his a righteous person and he had something to do with this meeting taking place and without him we would [inaudible 00:03:59]. So, I never had a chance to meet him but [inaudible 00:04:11] adopted values at home. I would like to say a couple of prayers that would be great. You can pray for [inaudible 00:04:21] it right if you will and they don't accept the funeral, so. The righteous and he did a lot of good work then. I've helped them him bring this about. He touched America even with him here. So, thank G-d right now.
Speaker 3:
Thank you very much [inaudible 00:04:41] for your answering the questions and continuing our conversation. We invite everyone to the cafeteria for refreshments and reception. But there are quite a few of us here tonight, wonderful crowd and want to thank everyone for coming.
Speaker 3:
So, if you get your refreshment in the cafeteria, there's no air conditioning there, so you might want to go out to the court yard if it's not raining and if it is raining, thank G-d, we need that. Or go down to the club room. You can get your refreshments and go to the clubroom, because we have to keep crowd moving in the cafeteria and the [inaudible 00:05:20] filled with a benediction for father Ethos.
Speaker 4:
Laozi, a Chinese philosopher, 6th century BC once said, "For there to be peace in the world, there must be peace in the nations. For there to be peace in the nations, there must be peace in the cities. For there to be peace in the cities, there must be peace between neighbors. For there to be peace between neighbors, there must be peace in the home. And there could be peace in the home, there must be peace in the heart."
Speaker 4:
We pray. Oh G-d, You are the source of life and peace, we know it is Your power work with in us. When we are able to gather together to celebrate both our similarities and our diversity. When we join hands in friendship and seek the way to teach together. Bless us with Your enabling love. As you send us children of your servant Abraham out from this place, these are constant companion. Guide us in our efforts to serve you through one another by what we say and do.
Speaker 4:
You have given to each and every one of us an eternal law by which we must live. Doing Your will, is bringing our task to fulfillment. Following Your way is to know Your peace. Oh, G-d. Father of justice and peace. Grant us true joy and genuine love as well as an enduring bond of unity among all peoples. Fill us with Your gifts forever and power all people who life Your long of love.
Speaker 4:
May G-d bless us and keep us. May the divine countenance shine upon us. May the beauty of creation be lifted towards us and may we be filled with peace. Amen.


