Wow! This is a special season. There are so many Holy Days being celebrated by various groups. It is very interesting to learn about the meaning of each special day.
Ramadan
September 10 – marks the end of Ramadan. It is a day of forgiveness, fellowship and unity, a time of giving and sharing. Our Muslim friends have spent a month fasting through the daylight hours to demonstrate their love for Allah. It is an amazing time of personal sacrifice and self-discipline. Their quest is to develop greater levels of patience, humility and spirituality.
During Ramadan, Muslims ask forgiveness for past sins, pray for guidance and help in refraining from everyday evils, and try to purify themselves through self-restraint and good deeds. it is observed during the ninth month to commemorate the month in which the first verses of the Qur'an were revealed to the Islamic prophet, Muhammad.
We can learn a lot from this Holy season. Ramadan is a time of reflecting, believing and worshiping God. Muslims are expected to put more effort into following the teachings of Islam and to avoid obscene and irreligious sights and sounds. Purity of both thoughts and actions is important. The act of fasting is said to redirect the heart away from worldly activities, its purpose being to cleanse the inner soul and free it from harm. I wonder how the world would be if each of us paused to remember and practice these ideas.
Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur
September 8th marked the beginning of the Jewish High Holy Days. It begins with Rosh Hashanah and ends ten days later with Yom Kippur. During these holidays, our Jewish friends look back on the past year and atone for their mistakes against one another and against God.
As part of the High Holy Days services, the Rabbi blows the shofar or ram's horn. This ancient custom serves to awaken the soul of a person to make amends for their mistakes and encourage teshuvah (repentance and rededication).
Rosh Hashanah is a day of remembrance. It is the official Jewish New Year's Day. It is a time in which Jews look back over the year just passed and forward to the year about to come.
Jews believe that, during the days between Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur, God judges each person's deeds, deciding who shall live and who shall die in the year to come. Therefore, Jews pray fervently, fasting for the entire day of Yom Kippur, the "Day of Atonement." This day is devoted to praying for forgiveness for any sins which a Jew may have committed, or which the community may have committed. As the day comes to an end, the shofar is again sounded — in one long, clear blast. Then with a feeling of having a slate wiped clean and a fresh beginning, Jews enter into the new year.
Holy Days
These are special times. The devotion and reflection our Muslim and Jewish friends are simultaneously feeling are of great value to our society. I am thankful that many of us are beginning to understand these days and to respect them.
I am thankful for those from these faiths who are honoring their spiritual roots. I hope that they feel joy in serving and honoring our God.
There is nothing to fear from these beautiful beliefs. As a Christian, I find it very easy to celebrate the beauty and to learn from the wisdom developed by these practices. I do not feel threatened. Instead I feel enlightened – by participating in some of them with some of my special friends, I have felt like a better Christian.
Have you wished your friends who celebrate Ramadan or the Jewish High Holy Days joy and peace?
What can you learn from these special times?
Are you able to see how closely our sacred beliefs match up with each other?
We are a people who search to know God. We do it in very different ways and I think that is a beautiful part about life. It provides opportunities to experience beauties that we would otherwise miss. I hope you will pause to see what else is out there. I am certain that it will be a faith building experience for you.
Live Today! Love Today!
760-559-3548
