Interfaith Day of Prayer – Prayer from Karin Ryan

Since I was a child, you assured me, through the words and deeds of the Prophets, that all humanity is ONE your eyes; that whatever affects one, affects all. I have witnessed the power of unity where true ONENESS has been embraced among people believing that racism, sexism, war, religious bigotry and oppression are conditions that can be overcome once we embrace this spiritual truth.

You said to us, this:

“Know ye not why We created you all from the same dust? That no one should exalt himself over the other. Ponder at all times in your hearts how ye were created. Since We have created you all from one same substance it is incumbent on you to be even as one soul, to walk with the same feet, eat with the same mouth and dwell in the same land, that from your inmost being, by your deeds and actions, the signs of oneness and the essence of detachment may be made manifest.”^[1]

I cling to these words now more than ever; believing and praying that what humanity is now experiencing is startling proof of our oneness. This moment, if we are diligent, can awaken all the world’s peoples to the truth of human interdependence—that the very breath in our bodies links a single person from one side of the world to every other person on Earth. This recognition can lead to either fear and violence, or it could lead us to embrace radical love.

If radical love fills our consciousness now, in the midst of dramatic social and economic disruption, we truly can value every human life with loving attitudes, interactions, and in the way our institutions treat the most vulnerable.

Please, God. Let it be so.

Karin Ryan 

Senior policy advisor for Human Rights at The Carter Center. 

^[1] Hidden Words of Bahá’u’llah, #68.