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From Mindanao...VII. FROM MINDANAO TO THE WORLD HARMONY CHAIN INITIATIVE – This is a special interfaith initiative of meditation and prayer for dialogue and peace from Mindanao to the world. It is a spiritual chain of peoples of different cultures and religions responding to God’s dialogue with humanity to sustain our cry for peace. When the Philippine Government through then President Joseph Estrada declared "total war" in Mindanao in the year 2000 as a solution to the Moro problem, the Movement’s quiet response was expressed in the slogan: "Cry Peace with Your Life-in-Dialogue." Thus this initiative was started. The Harmony Chain Initiative is: > An Inter-Faith Initiative of Meditation and Prayer for dialogue and Peace.
> A Spiritual Chain of people of different cultures and religions.
> A response to God’s Dialogue with humanity to sustain our cry for peace.
Individuals, groups and communities from different religions within and outside the country can become part of this "chain" by committing to specific time of the day to meditate or pray for peace. The goal is that every moment of the 24 hours of the day, some persons, groups or communities all over the world are united in prayer for peace. The much needed impetus came when a director and a coordinator volunteered to give full time on this activity. At present, the membership has grown from local to international level and regular communication and links are maintained through its monthly newsletter "IN-TOUCH" and "Legame di Pace" ( in Italian). Guidelines and the Harmony Prayer in different languages are accessible in the website www.silsilahforum.org. Participants - Anyone who believes in the aim of the Harmony chain may become a participant by communicating with us. (No registration/membership fee). Obligations - Participants commit to a regular time to meditate and pray for peace, individually or with a group in any form familiar to them. The Harmony Prayer is recommended as a common prayer.WHAT IS THE HARMONY PRAYER? We believe in peace through a spiritual approach. Peace starts from God because peace is a gift of God. The work for peace is a work entrusted by God to all humankind, whatever race, culture, religion, level of education. Solidarity and development are also essential to build peace. We want to start from the spiritual values of each people and religion for a more sustainable peace. Where there is lack of faith in God, an absence of a spiritual dimension, there is also lack of comprehension and harmony. Tension, division, violence, conflict in the families, in the community, among friends, among societies and nations will surely Prayer for peace is good, but not enough! "The goal of peace on earth will come not without some personal pain. But the effort to make peace in our homes, in our personal relationships and at work, puts flesh and bones on our prayers for peace". To pray for peace is demanding and at the same time transforming our lives. The Harmony Prayer is an answer or a prevention to a conflict. Reconciliation is necessary after a conflict to build peace. To live in dialogue and harmony with God, self, the others and creation is the way to avoid conflicts! Therefore, let us not wait for war to think about peace! Accumulating offenses, hurts, unforgiveness will only escalate conflicts and accompanying terrible damages. Accumulating seeds of understanding, patience, attention to the needs of the others, sharing, solidarity, etc… will preserve peace in families, working places and communities. Let us work for peace through dialogue if we don’t want war! Harmony Chain (HC) Initiative is not only in the context of Christian-Muslim dialogue. HC is not only in the context of Christian-Muslim dialogue; it is also in the context of every intercultural and inter-religious dialogue. We need dialogue in the life of couples, among families, among communities (whether civil or religious), among groups and movements, in a pluralistic society with many nationalities living together in our global village. << back to home |
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