Rumi, the Sufi poet wrote: “Remember, the entrance door to the sanctuary is inside you.”
When I meet people and have an opportunity to get to know them from their take on religion or spirituality, I share my willingness to embrace God, known by many names and diverse experiences. At the core of who I am, I know that when God needs my attention and I’m not listening, the language or circumstance will change to keep me engaged in a dialog with God. I believe this essence is readily available to me…and to you…when we open our hearts to the mystery of the Divine as seen through those we meet each and every day.
God for me is the source of all. I believe that God is ever present in, around and through me as well as others that I meet. My growing experience of a more intimate relationship with God is enriched through opening myself to the diversity of all cultures and traditions and their daily practices.
My first spiritual mentor was Jesus, the Christ. Introduced to this great teacher by my parents and the Catholic Church, I learned what it meant to become a follower of Christ through many years of study. But I soon learned that many people do not follow the teachings of Jesus, and it is with these people that I am learning more about myself now than ever before.
In communicating with God in prayer all the joys, as well as sorrows that have touched my heart and soul, I have become aware that many traditions provide a beautiful pallet to come closer to God. The interfaith life celebrates our interconnectedness and allows us to see just how deeply we are connected through the one universal truth that all earth’s inhabitants need—and that is LOVE.
If we can strive to love more deeply, feel more compassionately, empathize with those around us whose hearts are breaking and serve more by deep listening, then I believe we will notice that the strangers in our midst are only strangers longing to be loved.
It is my heart’s desire that we reach out to one another—embracing our diversity in love with an inquisitive mind and a longing to learn the many names for the Divine through many traditions and cultures, and to grow more each day into our full potential.
“Remember, the entrance door to the sanctuary is inside you.” Are you ready to welcome others into your heart?