Berwick Thought for the Week: Praying in faith for reconciliation, healing and peace

A few weeks ago, I read a report originating from The Times newspaper that gave me hope.

The article reported that in April, Jews and Muslims came together to attend fast-breaking Ramadan meals at synagogues around the country. For example, in Birmingham, some 40 Muslims joined Jews, Christians and Sikhs at an iftar dinner. Middle Eastern pastries, salads, hummus and curry dishes were served, and Jewish Shabbat prayers and Muslim Dua prayers were said at the end of the evening.

One attendee commented that ‘it did feel very poignant’.

As a committed Christian, I often pray that I may see Christ in others I meet. To be honest, I don’t find this an easy thing to do, especially when strangers are concerned, and the more so if they look very different to me or practice a different faith.

What encourages me is that Jesus didn’t appear to be concerned about such things. Folk often complained that he spent time with ‘tax collectors and sinners’, and – though an orthodox Jew – he was not afraid to step beyond the normal conventions of Jewish religion.

A well-known example is when he broke the rules and spent time talking to a Samaritan woman at a well, an incident recorded in John’s Gospel Chapter 4.

This week, as I hear news of the unfolding events in the Middle East, I will try to remember this and these interfaith meals and pray in faith for reconciliation, healing and peace.

So much news is politically nuanced or merely a sound bite. We need to find ways to look deeper and more honestly at events and developments. I believe that active faith helps us to do this and which inspires me in what I write.