Muhammad Ali Center
Tuesday, June 5, 2007
By Terry Taylor
I’m working on a book right now about world religions and as part of my research I have been exploring what I call the core mythologies of the world’s religions.
In exploring those mythologies, I started asking the everyday people who practice the various religions what they thought the core mythology of their religion might be.
And as a Christian, I figured I better ask myself the same question…and I’m still not sure how to describe the core myth of Christianity….but after having attended well over a thousand church potluck suppers, I’m sure that it ends with the words, “Let’s go eat!”
And after much reflection about the work I have done with other religions over the years, I figure that ‘let’s go eat” is probably a part of every religion’s core mythology. Why? Because the act of eating together is a vitally important part of both our spirituality and our social life. So the sharing of meals may in fact the one practice that people of all religions have in common.
But something else about food connects us, too.
That is a shared concern for those who do not have enough to eat, whether they are here in our own city or halfway around the world. All religions share a commitment to making sure that everyone can come to the table. That everyone can “break bread” with us.
This evening men and women representing a number of different religious traditions will share with you a few words about the meaning of hunger from their perspectives, and perhaps a bit about what they think can be done about it.
Each speaker will bring a piece of bread from somewhere on the planet and place it in this basket as a symbol of their commitment to providing food to those in need.
At the conclusion of their remarks, they will all come forward and we will ask you to stand and join us in offering a blessing to those who distribute food and to those who receive it, and we will together make a commitment to ending hunger in our city, our nation and the world.
A Blessing
In the name of all that is sacred,
Holy and revered in our world,
Those of us gathered here tonight
Offer our blessing to those
In our community, our nation and our world
Who provide food
To those most in need of it.
And we bless, too, those who receive that food,
In recognition that their plight
Is a challenge to each and every one of us,
To work diligently
So that the day will soon arrive
When hunger is no longer a problem
In Louisville,
In America,
Or anywhere on our beloved planet.
Amen.
Tuesday, June 5, 2007
By Terry Taylor
I’m working on a book right now about world religions and as part of my research I have been exploring what I call the core mythologies of the world’s religions.
In exploring those mythologies, I started asking the everyday people who practice the various religions what they thought the core mythology of their religion might be.
And as a Christian, I figured I better ask myself the same question…and I’m still not sure how to describe the core myth of Christianity….but after having attended well over a thousand church potluck suppers, I’m sure that it ends with the words, “Let’s go eat!”
And after much reflection about the work I have done with other religions over the years, I figure that ‘let’s go eat” is probably a part of every religion’s core mythology. Why? Because the act of eating together is a vitally important part of both our spirituality and our social life. So the sharing of meals may in fact the one practice that people of all religions have in common.
But something else about food connects us, too.
That is a shared concern for those who do not have enough to eat, whether they are here in our own city or halfway around the world. All religions share a commitment to making sure that everyone can come to the table. That everyone can “break bread” with us.
This evening men and women representing a number of different religious traditions will share with you a few words about the meaning of hunger from their perspectives, and perhaps a bit about what they think can be done about it.
Each speaker will bring a piece of bread from somewhere on the planet and place it in this basket as a symbol of their commitment to providing food to those in need.
At the conclusion of their remarks, they will all come forward and we will ask you to stand and join us in offering a blessing to those who distribute food and to those who receive it, and we will together make a commitment to ending hunger in our city, our nation and the world.
A Blessing
In the name of all that is sacred,
Holy and revered in our world,
Those of us gathered here tonight
Offer our blessing to those
In our community, our nation and our world
Who provide food
To those most in need of it.
And we bless, too, those who receive that food,
In recognition that their plight
Is a challenge to each and every one of us,
To work diligently
So that the day will soon arrive
When hunger is no longer a problem
In Louisville,
In America,
Or anywhere on our beloved planet.
Amen.
posted by Interfaith Paths to Peace at 2:29 PM
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