One Earth, One Home, One Table: A World Food Day Celebration
Illustration by Brittany Sedillo
Open our hearts that all may find refuge;Open our hands that all may be fed;Open our eyes that all may seeThe oneness of Earth’s familyEconomic justice, immigration/refugees and climate change were the three central themes of our World Food Day commemoration in Albuquerque on Sunday, October 16. The three issues were reflected in the title of our celebration, “One Earth, One Home, One Table,” and in the song that David Poole, the talented director at La Mesa Presbyterian Church, wrote for the occasion. In this video, David Poole teaches the song to the more than 150 people who attended the celebration.
World Food Day 2016 happened to coincide with the beginning of the Jewish feast of Sukkot. which celebrates the harvest. Rabbi Min Kantrowitz started us outside with a Sukkot prayer and a poem.
(The outside portion of our service also included a Lakota prayer and a reflection and song from Michael Abeita from Isleta Pueblo. We will post that later, along with other videos from other faith groups who participated during the portion of the service in the sanctuary).
God bless to us our bread,
And give bread to all those who are hungry
And hunger for justice to those who are fed.
God bless to us our bread.
–A meal blessing from Latin America
Before we sat down to a delicious langar prepared by the Albuquerque Sikh Gudwara, a multigenerational choir sang God Bless to Us Our Bread, a hymn from Latin America. The langar was the culmination of an inspiring World Food Day Service on October 16. (More about the langar in a separate post).
At the start of the service, the choir also sang “Bread to Share” by Marty Haugen.
“Plenty of bread at the feast of life, plenty of bread to share…”
More videos from the World Food Day Interfaith Service to be posted in coming days.
The Langar: We are Equals as We Sit Down to Share a Meal
Langar means common kitchen in temples where food is served to all visitors without distinction of background for free. While the act of sharing nourishment is important in the langar, hospitality is more important. As opposed to a soup kitchen where one group serves another, the langar ensures participants sit down to a meal as equals, Kulwant Kaur, a local leader of the Albuquerque Sikh Budwara told me in a conversation.
As the langar served as an important unifying act for 7,000 people in Salt Lake City in 2015, the langar at the World Food Day interfaith service in 2016 helped bring the faith community in Albuquerque together.
The langar is just one of the ways in which the Sikh community enhanced our World Food Day commemoration. During the service in the sanctuary, Shawn Singh Sidhu and a group of Sikh faithful chanted a traditional hymn. Here are the words in English: Night and day, dawn and dusk, I sing to You,..All beings, all creation celebrate and meditate on Your Name…You are the Giver of bounties; we eat what You give us in the company of your devotees we wash away our sins…Your minion Nanak is a sacrifice, a sacrifice unto You.
Economic Justice and Traditional Hindu and Christian Blessings
God sleeps in stones, breathes in plants, dreams in animals, and awakens in human beings. Hindu Saying
Rev. Sylvia Miller-Mutia, Swami Omkara, Rev. Deborah Hill
We chose three themes to highlight the World Food Day commemoration in Albuquerque on Sunday afternoon, October 16, 2016. We observed the occasion with songs, a shared meal and prayers.
Two faith communities prepared prayers around each of the themes of economic justice (Hindu-Protestant), immigration and refugees (Baha’i-Buddhist), and climate change (Roman Catholic-Muslim). The actual prayers do not necessarily have a direct connection with the theme, which is presented at the beginning of each set of reflections. Here is the economic justice prayer prepared by Joan Brown, OSF, and led by Rev. Sylvia Miller-Mutia, followed by the first of the three reflections.
Reflection and Prayer upon food/hunger and economic justice
Leader: Our spiritual traditions call us to measure economy through the lens of justice for the dignity of human life and workers considering economic equity and fairness. Economic decisions have moral impacts upon all in the family of life and upon our Sacred Earth community. May we have the courage to uncover and face economic injustice and work for equity and fairness.
All Open our eyes, ears, and hands to act in love and justice as we walk in solidarity with those who are hungry and those who hunger for justice.
Hindu Food Prayer
Rev. Swami Omkara,
Independent Swami and Director of Trinity House Catholic Worker
Brahmarpanam Brahma Havir
Brahmagnau Brahmanaahutam
Brahmaiva Tena Ghantavyam
Brahmakarma Samadhina
Translation:
The act of offering is God, the oblation is God
By God it is offered into the Fire of God
God is That which is to be attained by him
who performs action pertaining to God
Om shanti, shanti, shanti–Peace, peace, peace
Christian Prayer:
Rev. Deborah Hill,
Associate Clergy, Grant Chapel AME Church
God is Great, God is Good;
Let us thank God for our food.
By God’s hands we all are fed,
Give us Lord Our Daily Bread. Amen
Shed the light of a boundless love on every human being whom you meet, whether of your country, your race, your political party, or of any other nation, color or shade of political opinion. Heaven will support you while you work in this ingathering of the scattered peoples of the world beneath the shadow of the almighty tent of unity. ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, Paris Talks
We chose three themes to highlight the World Food Day commemoration in Albuquerque on Sunday afternoon, October 16, 2016. We observed the occasion with songs, a shared meal and prayers.
Two faith communities prepared prayers around each of the themes of economic justice (Hindu-Protestant), immigration and refugees (Baha’i-Buddhist), and climate change (Roman Catholic-Muslim). The actual prayers do not necessarily have a direct connection with the theme, which is presented at the beginning of each set of reflections. Here is the economic justice prayer prepared by Joan Brown, OSF, and led by Rev. Sylvia Miller-Mutia, followed by the second of the three reflections.
Reflection and Prayer upon food/hunger and Immigration/refugees
Leader: Our journey through life is long and hard. We cannot make this trip alone; we must walk together on the journey. May we have outstretched arms to welcome those who are refugees and immigrants in our communities and land. May we work to address the deep structural issues of violence, environment, and poverty that cause people to leave their beloved homelands for new and unknown lands where they are strangers.
All : Open our eyes, ears, and hands to act in love and justice as we walk in solidarity with those who are hungry and those who hunger for justice.
Sohana Akhand, Sally Moore, Kalillany Hall
Baha’i Prayer
(Kailany Hall, Costa Rica, Albuquerque Baha’i Community)
O Thou kind Lord! Thou hast created all humanity from the same stock. Thou hast decreed that all shall belong to the same household. In Thy Holy Presence they are all Thy servants, and all mankind are sheltered beneath Thy Tabernacle; all have gathered together at Thy Table of Bounty; all are illumined through the light of Thy Providence. O God! Thou art kind to all, Thou hast provided for all, dost shelter all, conferrest life upon all. Thou hast endowed each and all with talents and faculties, and all are submerged in the Ocean of Thy Mercy. O Thou kind Lord! Unite all. Let the religions agree and make the nations one, so that they may see each other as one family and the whole earth as one home. May they all live together in perfect harmony. O God! Raise aloft the banner of the oneness of mankind. O God! Establish the Most Great Peace. Cement Thou, O God, the hearts together. O Thou kind Father, God! Gladden our hearts through the fragrance of Thy love. Brighten our eyes through the Light of Thy Guidance. Delight our ears with the melody of Thy Word, and shelter us all in the Stronghold of Thy Providence. Thou art the Mighty and Powerful, Thou art the Forgiving and Thou art the One Who overlooketh the shortcomings of all mankind. — ‘Abdu’l-Bahá
Buddhist Prayer
(Sally Moore, Tibetan Budhhist Temple, Copper Mountain Institute)
This food is a gift of the whole universe, the earth, the sky, many living beings, and much hard work,. May we eat it in mindfulness and gratitude to worthy to receive it. May we transform our unskillful states of mind, and learn to eat in moderation. May we take only foods that noursih us, and keep our planet healthy. We accept this food to help us realize our path of understanding and love.
“O Ye Rich Ones on Earth”:
Sohana Akhand, Bangladesh, Albuquerque Baha’i Community
The poor in your midst are My trust; guard ye My trust, and be not intent only on your own ease.” –Bahá’u’lláh Let all be united in this Divine power of love! Let all strive to grow in the light of the Sun of Truth, and reflecting this luminous love on all men, may their hearts become so united that they may dwell evermore in the radiance of the limitless love…When you love a member of your family or a compatriot, let it be with a ray of the Infinite Love! Let it be in God, and for God! Wherever you find the attributes of God love that person, whether he be of your family or of another. Shed the light of a boundless love on every human being whom you meet, whether of your country, your race, your political party, or of any other nation, color or shade of political opinion. Heaven will support you while you work in this ingathering of the scattered peoples of the world beneath the shadow of the almighty tent of unity. ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, Paris Talks
A Responsibility to Establish Good
We recognize that we are but a miniscule part of the divine order, yet within that order, we are exceptionally powerful beings, and have the responsibility to establish good and avert evil in every way we can. We also recognize that –We are but one of the multitude of living beings with whom we share the Earth;We have no right to oppress the rest of creation or cause it harm; Intelligence and conscience behoove us, as our faith commands, to treat all things with care and awe (taqwa) of their Creator, compassion (rahmah) and utmost good (ihsan). –Islamic Declaration on Climate Change
We chose three themes to highlight the World Food Day commemoration in Albuquerque on Sunday afternoon, October 16, 2016. We observed the occasion with songs, a shared meal and prayers.
Two faith communities prepared prayers around each of the themes of economic justice (Hindu-Protestant), immigration and refugees (Baha’i-Buddhist), and climate change (Roman Catholic-Muslim). The actual prayers do not necessarily have a direct connection with the theme, which is presented at the beginning of each set of reflections. Here is the climate change prayer prepared by Joan Brown, OSF, and led by Rev. Sylvia Miller-Mutia, followed by the second of the three reflections.
Reflection and Prayer upon food/hunger and Climate Change
Leader: Creative and holy Love brought forth this awesome garden of life that we share, and yet, our eyes are blinded to the gifts. Our lifestyles of unconscious overconsumption lead us to be separated from the beauty and wonder around us. Climate Change is changing our world and causing many to suffer. May we come to know the challenging invitation of this moment that calls each of us to have a climate change of heart and soul to inspire profound action for life.
All: Open our eyes, ears, and hands to act in love and justice as we walk in solidarity with those who are hungry and those who hunger for justice.
The part of the service opened with The Cry of the Poor, a song composed by John Foley, a Jesuit. Meg Aschroft, a Norbetine oblate at Santa Maria de la Vid Norbertine Abbey, composed verses appropriate to our theme on World Food Day. Sarah Muhammad from the Islamic Center of New Mexico followed with two readings. Nada Abdel Hack, also from the Islamic Center of New Mexico, followed with a reflection. Finally, Patrick O’Meara from Immaculate Conception Catholic Church read two excerpts from Laudato Si, the encyclical letter on the environment that Pope Francis published in May 2015.
(Note: This video becomes vertical when you click play)
The Cry of the Poor: (led by Meg Ashcroft, O.Praem.Obl.)
Music and refrain copyright 1978, 1991, John B. Foley, S.J., and OCP. All rights reserved.
Refrain: The Lord hears the cry of the poor, Blessed be the Lord.
Verses: Will we see the face of God in the plight of the hungry and the poor, threatened by drought and rising tides, hoping to live in peace on Earth.
When we respect creation as blessed, and see all God made as good, we’ll receive grace to help restore Nature’s beauty and vitality.
As disciples of God’s loving care, and stewards of desert, sea and air, we are called to safeguard God’s gift that all may have enough to live.
Sarah Muhammad
Readings from the Q’uran: Sarah Muhammad, Islamic Center
Surah 9:12-16
And what can make you know what is [breaking through] the difficult pass?
It is the freeing of a slave
Or feeding on a day of severe hunger
An orphan of near relationship
Or a needy person in misery
Surah 6:99
And it is He who sends down rain from the sky, and We produce thereby the growth of all things. We produce from it greenery from which We produce grains arranged in layers. And from the palm trees – of its emerging fruit are clusters hanging low. And [We produce] gardens of grapevines and olives and pomegranates, similar yet varied. Look at [each of] its fruit when it yields and [at] its ripening. Indeed in that are signs for a people who believe.
Metropolitan Museum of Art
Reflection on the words of the Prophet
Nada Abdel Hack Islamic Center
One day A Bedouin came to the Prophet (Pbuh) and said to him, “O, Messenger of Allah! I’ve come to ask you a few questions about the affairs of this life and the Hereafter.” The Prophet responded “Ask what you wish!”
The Bedouin said, “I’d like to be the most learned of men.”…The Prophet Muhammad answered, “Fear Allah, and you will be the most learned of men.”…The Bedouin said, “I wish to be the richest man in the world.”…The Prophet Muhammad answered, “Be contented, and you will be the richest man in the world.”…The Bedouin said, “I’d like to be the most just man.”…The Prophet Muhammad answered, “Desire for others what you desire for yourself, and you will be the most just of men.”…The Bedouin said, “I want to be the best of men.”…The Prophet Muhammad answered, “Do good to others and you will be the best of men.” Here is a link to the full text
Quotes from Pope Francis from Laudato Si
Patrick O’Meara, Immaculate Conception Catholic Church
Climate change disproportionately affects the poor. Climate change’s worst impact, Pope Francis says, “will probably be felt by developing countries in coming decades. Many of the poor live in areas particularly affected by phenomena related to (global) warming, and their means of subsistence are largely dependent on natural reserves and ecosystemic services such as agriculture, fishing and forestry.” This environmental inequality creates a strange economic phenomenon: Poor countries are often financially indebted to rich countries. The world has what Pope Francis calls a “social debt towards the poor … because they are denied the right to a life consistent with their inalienable dignity.”
Living our vocation to be protectors of God’s handiwork is essential to a life of virtue; it is not an optional or a secondary aspect of our Christian experience. (Laudato Si, Chapter 6, paragraph 217) Chant sung by all: Open our hearts that all may be fed….
A Lakota Prayer for the Well-Being of Humanity
Our Interfaith World Food Day service in Albuquerque started with a Lakota prayer led by Matthew Shoulders. He later joined with Michael Abeita of Isleta Pueblo in the singing of a traditional blessing. The Native American prayers preceded a blessing by Rabbi Min Kantrowitz on the first day of Sukkot, the Jewish feast celebrating the harvest. Participants processed to the santuary to experience prayers, reflections and songs from the Sikh, Buddhist-Bahai, Hindu-Protestant, and Catholic-Muslim traditions.