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“He humbled himself in obedience to God and died a criminal’s death on a cross.” (Philippians 2:8 NLT)
Dear Friends,
For us Christians, this is Holy Week. For our Jewish siblings, this week celebrated Passover. The importance of our interfaith and religious dialogues is a key to building coalitions for peace and justice across our communities, states, nation, and the world. This week’s Holy celebrations were marred by the arson fire at the PA Governor’s Residence, only hours after Gov. Shapiro, his family, and friends celebrated the Passover Seder. I was horrified to read about this act of violence and terror. I want to share with you one response which was shared with me by my Jewish sibling Bill Bergstein.
From Pennsylvania House Representative Tarik Khan, Posted April 15th on Facebook:
"I don’t often talk about my faith, but in the wake of the despicable attempt on Governor Shapiro’s family over Passover, I wanted to share a personal story about the Governor".
"Governor Shapiro graciously hosts an annual Iftar dinner at his residence. This year, after breaking bread, he shared that he carries a sense of awe because the room we pray in each year at his residence is the same room that his son had his bar-mitzvah. That celebration of our various faiths, he said, was exactly what William Penn had in mind when he envisioned the commonwealth".
"Governor Shapiro has been there for the Muslim community when we’ve reached out to him, whether it was signing my bill to increase security grants for nonprofits at risk for hate crimes like mosques or awarding the largest grant to a Muslim community center for $5 million".
"So, it’s even more painful to hear that this friend who was openly celebrating his faith at a Passover Seder dinner was the target of a man who wanted to viciously attack our Governor with a hammer and burn down his home while he and his family slept just hours later. And that room where we observed our religious events was one of the rooms where the attacker threw a Molotov cocktail and nearly burned it to the ground".
"Praying for the governor and his family in the wake of this egregious attack and inspired by the Governor’s resolve to double his efforts to make a better and more just society here in the Commonwealth. Just what William Penn had in mind".
I couldn’t say words of support any clearer. No matter what your faith background is or the interfaith relationships you have are, the need for community, justice, compassion, support, and love has never been clearer. This week we celebrate the emptying of power and the humility of Jesus – our savior who walked with us, taught us, and allowed himself to be arrested, scourged, and crucified as a criminal subject to the Roman Empire and the religious leaders of his day. This humility needs to be exemplified in our relationships with each other and in our relationships with those who view and experience God in ways different from us.
May your Holy Week celebrations nurture in you a heart for peace, a heart for compassion, a heart for love, and actions of justice which build up our communities, rather than torch them to the ground.
Blessings,
Bonnie
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