Now and then it is my joy to share with you one of the poems of a dear friend and colleague in my philosophical study group who made his transition to spirit a few years ago.  His poems are a source of inspiration to me.  Hope you enjoy this one too.  I would love to see your own poems about peace!

Peace, Brother

Solitary Sunday.

Mist on muddy canal

Dances ever so slightly.

Crow caws,

A fish rises.

The splash widens in circularity,

Defining a serenity

To be absorbed and cherished.

Jonas Mather

When I first encountered the Peace Pilgrim book many years ago I became inspired to share her teachings in Spanish and translated her book to my first-language — that became the beginning of my work for peace.  This day I would like to invite you to visit the Friends of Peace Pilgrim website, and explore at your own pace her teachings and expanded contribution to society.

From 1953 to 1981 Peace Pilgrim walked more than 25,000 miles on a personal pilgrimage for peace.  She vowed to “remain a wanderer until mankind has learned the way of peace, walking until given shelter and fasting until given food.”  In the course of her 28-year pilgrimage she touched the hearts, minds, and lives of thousands of individuals all across North America.  Her message continues to inspire people all over the world: www.peacepilgrim.org

May you have an opportunity to do so, come to the home town where Peace Pilgrim was born, Egg Harbor City, New Jersey on the weekend of July 16-18 for our  annual Peace Pilgrim birthday celebration.  For more details please see: http://www.peacepilgrim100.org/index.htm

From Peace Pilgrim:

The power of thought. “Do you know that every moment of your life you’re creating through thought?”

Bringing our lives into harmony with the laws that govern the universe. As Peace said, to attain inner peace we need to align the way we live with our beliefs.

Finding our place in the life pattern. We are all cells in the body of humanity — all of us, all over the world.  Each one has a special contribution to make, and the guidance to find our mission in life comes from within.

I feel constantly grateful for the abundance in living, discovered with each step on the way and rejoice at every kind of human endeavor.

These are my commitments to embrace abundance in living. This day I offer a prayer of thankfulness to God for life, for love, for all people in the world and for the ever-growing abundance manifested each moment. Choosing to perceive us all as one, I serve my fellow human beings while fulfilling my unique purpose through the expression of my personality and talents. Today, a complete rebirth from new realization in situations, circumstances and events brightens my path. I rejoice in deeper inner communion with God. In the presence of divine bounty, I communicate to everyone my appreciation for the abundant gifts in our hands.

Would you like to share your own commitments with me?

My friend Janine Fafard, who lives in Costa Rica, has shared with me a lovely thought known to come from the Buddha as a prayer of loving kindness, and I wish to share it with you today as we continue exploring inner peace.

“May I be in peace.

May my heart remain open.

May I awaken to the light which is my true nature.

May I be healed.

May I be a source of healing for all beings.”

Charito Calvachi-Mateyko, as we join our efforts in exploring inner peace, asked me in a radio interview transmitted on ‘Radio Centro’; WLCH, 91.3 FM in Lancaster, Pennsylvania, United States, why is it important to give love to the world?

I would love to share with you some of my comments and would love to hear yours.

Peace Pilgrim, who walked more than 25,000 miles for peace, sharing her core values for an expansion of consciousness, said, “Love is the greatest force on earth. Love conquers all.” She was referring to the great potential each of us has to manage conflictive situations with love. Using the transformative power that love offers. (more…)

Elizabeth McAlister, professor of religion at Wesleyan University, recently wrote an article for CNN talking about the pain people are experiencing in Haiti. She pointed out that how we make meaning of this suffering will be crucial to how we respond, in the long term, as a global community.

To see her blog, Why does Haiti suffer so much please click here.

I could feel her pain and compassion as she expressed her ideas and appreciated her efforts to express a wide variety of potential explanations as to what truly is a very complex situation. The suffering Haitians are enduring is in my heart and soul as well. In light of such devastation I would like to offer some thoughts about the meaning of pain and suffering in managing life challenges. From my perspective, the goal that is sought and achieved through pain is a transcendence of baffling difficulties by the free and somewhat paradoxical choice or acceptance of greater difficulties. How does this work? (1) Pain gives way to the finer intensity of faith and aspiration; (2) Human dissatisfaction may result in restlessness that transforms into creativity and constructive acts for the well-being of our fellows, one of the areas where we see this now is in the creative ways around the world that are being developed to speed up the adoption of orphans; (3) Suffering of soul brings the opportunity for sacrificial dedication in ameliorating the lot of humankind, so clearly seen in the efforts to rescue survivors and to provide medical care even with very scarce resources.

In Haiti we are now witnessing the manifestation of all three scenarios with the participation of people from all over the world which offers us all the opportunity to experience the functioning of the global community in co-operation for the good of all. My prayers and love are with all Haitians.

In a message of hope and inner peace, it is a privilege to post my friend’s Jonas Mather’s Poem as he shares his inner light with the readers of my blog this day, also published on his book, “Shards”. Oneness is eternal.

Rebirth

In the instant always

Sunrise, sunset.

Eternal cycle bound to continue

Until sun’s end

And anew

When the universe resumes its course

In continuing rebirth.

To end is to begin.

During a trip to Glastonbury, England, I had the privilege to meet author Anthea Mitchell, from the Heart Centre, and through time we have had most inspiring conversations. I am joyful to share with you this day what her friend John O’Donohue wrote:

“Behind each face and voice lies the silence of the heart. This silence is as old as the universe. It holds within it a time before vegetation clothed the earth, or animals walked, or sound echoed. This silence waits quietly under thoughts, beneath actions, relationships, behind days, nights and names. … it is in this sanctuary that experience is sifted and transfigured. It is where our vanished day secretly gathers. This silence is the home of memory and identity. It houses the spirit which coheres, articulates and shapes each human life.”

Experiencing a sense of community contributes to a feeling of wholeness in living.  I love this website which invites us to Light a Candle for Peace!

More than eight million people have lit candles in our global virtual community.  In this embrace of a common ideal we are all One.

Blessings and Love to You in the joy of inner peace.

Joseph Bernard wrote on his ‘Come Explore’ blog about his passion about inner peace and the spread of consciousness.

Here are some extracts of what Joseph says:

“We need a major paradigm shift or at least really new models of thinking and feeling. Does it seem to you the world in run by an ever-increasing sense of fear? What is all this fear about? . . . These times are about stepping past the past, seeking solutions for the now, and long term planning for the good of all of humanity. This planning has to include educating people… toward being a conscious human being in touch with our own inner peace and higher knowing.

“Inner Peace, hope, compassion, kindness and gratitude are all more powerful human states than fear, blame and distrust. Yes lately fear, blame and distrust are dominating the news headlines as if they are the only voices. How often are the voices of hope, compassion and positive solutions even given a chance to be heard?”

I wish to share with you my recent response to Joseph:

I enjoyed your blog and wish to make a couple of comments: There is always HOPE! : ) And speaking about compassion, this beautiful feeling allows us to enter into the pain of others, their happiness, their own frames of reference, their own values and ideals. To feel it, requires a willingness to open our hearts to life and to all that is and to listen attentively – profound listening – being receptive and letting go of expectations, to the call of all hearts.

In the joy of inner peace I greet you this day.