Understanding and Acceptance

I hope you all have enjoyed a wonderful holiday season, with celebrations and parties, time with family and friends, and perhaps presents! “’Tis the season...” as the song goes, for holly and mistletoe, and for peace on earth. I’ve long held that peace on earth might most easily come from our joint efforts at understanding one another – we’re more likely to accept another when we can understand the other’s motivations, desires, and hopes. Moreover, as we become more accepting, we’re also likely to become more tolerant of those whom we understand less, but toward whom we feel more peaceable.

You might guess that I was somewhat surprised when, during a lively family holiday discussion, one well-educated Christian asked another if the Orthodox church isn’t a part of the Catholic church. Hmm.... It’s in another column, for another time, that we might glimpse a bit of church history, but the quick answer is “no.” Christians have organized, split off, reformed, and otherwise changed their affiliations so often during the past two millennia, that it’s easy to misunderstand how one part of Christianity is related to another. Wars have been fought....

But let’s return to understanding, for example, who’s celebrating what holiday and when this month. The organization called Religions for Peace publishes a calendar (http://www.rfpusa.org/resources/jan09.html) which lists some religious holidays. A quick look informs us that Christians don’t even agree on when to celebrate one of the most important dates in their faith. Here in the west, most celebrate Jesus’ birth on December 25th. But the Armenian Orthodox Church celebrates on January 6. Other Orthodox churches and Ethiopian churches do that on January 7.

Consider these:
• While the eastern churches are awaiting Christmas, western churches, (Roman Catholic and most Protestant) will celebrate Jesus’ circumcision and naming on January 1. Born a Jew, Jesus had a briss. (http://www.partyfun411.com/party_planning/events/what-is-a-briss-13.html)
• Catholics in England and Wales will celebrate Epiphany on January 4, while many other Christians celebrate on January 6. “Meaning manifestation, this is the end of the 12 days of Christmas. It also marks the day the Three Kings visited the baby Jesus. (Only Catholics who follow the pre Vatican II calendar celebrate Epiphany on this day.)”
• The feast of Theophany, celebrated in January by Orthodox Christians, commemorates Jesus’ baptism by John the Baptist. However those who follow the Gregorian (western) calendar observe on January 6th, while those who follow the Julian calendar celebrate on the 19th.
• On January 18, Christians begin a week of prayer for unity among all Christians. Interestingly, the same day is celebrated as World Religion Day in the Baha'i faith - a celebration of the unity found in all faiths.

Here in the Bay area, several interfaith events ( http://interfaith-presidio.org/icpnewsevents.cfm) are planned to celebrate the next US President’s inauguration, some together with observances of Martin Luther King Jr. day. Our season brings us ample opportunities to increase our understanding and acceptance of others’ motivations, desires and hopes. And calendars! Now’s an excellent time to act on our prayers for unity. Happy New Year!