Embody Faith

As I close my eyes and drift  away to a land where there is love, health, peace, and blessings. I wanted to take the time to think and reflect.

     I think that the Christmas season is a period where one can become reflective, even as we directly or indirectly celebrate Christmas. It can be a time to remember loved and lost one's. A time for love, happiness,  joy, and for some a time of great pressure. But regardless of what kinds of emotions surface during the season, we can all gather to a common point of gratefulness, for the very breath that we inhale and exhale, and the beating of the heart, that propels us for life and to live.

     The season can also be a time for spiritual awakening, a time to come closer to the faith as the birth of Jesus is commemorated. The season is a time of commemoration, celebration, closeness, and also a time when the injustices Jesus faced are ignited. There were the sufferings he faced, as he simply desired to walk the path of truth. But today we face more injustices, as the name of Jesus is desired to be erased and replaced. This could be through political moldings, to strengthen ties between allies who share similar faiths, or religious and political values. This is why I have always preferred the word spirituality, as an umbrella term for all religions, rather than the word religion. Spirituality can be compared to the word Namaste, a Hindu greeting of respect. Salaam which is the short form for As-salamu alaykum,  in the Muslim faith which means, Peace Be Upon You, or Shalom, the Hebrew which means peace, harmony, and wholeness. All the greetings are expressed differently, but possess the same equivalency in what they desire to express. 

     At the core of religion / faith / spirituality, is the desire to feed / nurture the soul, or the part of the self that is invisible, but of course manifests itself sometimes very visibly. This essential essence of religion / faith / spirituality, could also be utilized as a binding force, to sew the fractures, divisions, that have been socially and politically constructed. For instance: we can think about the Muslim faith. What makes this faith unique is that aside from the Qu'ran, there is also a belief in the People of the Book. Which refers to Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. A phrase that was necessary for the creation of diversity for faiths, and communities of believers. 

"Thus, the concept of a “People of the Book,” a notion that goes back to the Qurʾan, lies at the heart of the Muslims' successful creation of a political society that was understood in the first instance as a community of believers but also included within its expanding frontiers significant religious diversity." 
(Peters, 2017)

​     The people who follow the scriptures of the specific faiths were respected by Muslims, even if they were not a Muslim. However, today we even see that this idea among Muslims is diminishing. Or is the idea diminishing for social and political reasoning? Who is to ask how or why? Rather than deepening the fragmentations that are visible, through religious discrimination from all angles, why not re-create, for the purposes of building religious / spiritual unity? 

       Whilst there is still disagreement about the actual day of Jesus' birth, between Christians and faith groups,  I was inspired when I learned that Iraq had declared Christmas day as a national holiday. This is inspiring as it reveals a sense of unity for a country that is predominately Muslim, and hope for Christians who are living in the country.  We can also take examples from Syria, where individuals re-enact the journey of Joseph and Mary  from Nazareth to Bethlehem, the birth place of baby Jesus. These events reveal the historical closeness of the Christian and Muslim faith, who both believe in the second coming of Jesus Christ.

​     Jesus was born to Mother Mary who was a migrant. Today as we live in a world where refugees and migrants are persecuted, even denied to think about wanting to seek a better life, I wonder how the example of the birth of Jesus, the journey of Mother Mary, and Joseph be a reminder for all who celebrate Christmas, and oppose migration, or are unwelcoming to refugees. Is it possible to even celebrate this birth at the present day, and still persecute migrants at the bordering lands? 

​       As we think of this question, a point of reference would be the U.S. / Mexico border, where there is great dispute, and also a source for the Government shutdown taking place in America. We could easily say that the shutdown is just a way to reveal an abuse of power, that is used while President Trump has a temper tantrum. But it is also a reminder for those who celebrate Christmas, and the birth of Jesus. How can one celebrate the significant birth of a baby to a migrant mother, who was later identified as Christ, and still possess hostility and ignorance towards refugees and migrants? True faith and belief is to embody the faith and belief.   

My thoughts to share with love & Kindness! :)

Notes: These thoughts were originally hand written on December 27th, 2018.

​Reference:
Peters, F. (2017) People of the Book. Oxford Bibliographies. Retrieved from
http://www.oxfordbibliographies.com/view/document/obo-9780195390155/obo-9780195390155-0059.xml#firstMatch

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