My Calendar

Week of Dec 14th

Hanukkah - the Jewish Festival of Lights

10/12/2020 – 18/12/2020

Hanukkah is a festival of 8 nights and days marking the re-dedication of the Second Temple in Jerusalem at the time of the Maccabean Revolt against the Empire of Seleucid way back in 165 BCE.

Here's a brief summary:

And this is a contemporary re-interpretation of the Festival!

A PRAYER FOR TODAY

Loving God,

we give thanks for the many victories

won by light over darkness

expressed by faiths around the world.

We pray that we might all be part of the ultimate victory

when the darkness of injustice and hate

will be forever dispelled

by the desire for justice and capacity for love

which reside in the hearts of all humanity.

AMEN

Hanukkah - the Jewish Festival of Lights

10/12/2020 – 18/12/2020

Hanukkah is a festival of 8 nights and days marking the re-dedication of the Second Temple in Jerusalem at the time of the Maccabean Revolt against the Empire of Seleucid way back in 165 BCE.

Here's a brief summary:

And this is a contemporary re-interpretation of the Festival!

A PRAYER FOR TODAY

Loving God,

we give thanks for the many victories

won by light over darkness

expressed by faiths around the world.

We pray that we might all be part of the ultimate victory

when the darkness of injustice and hate

will be forever dispelled

by the desire for justice and capacity for love

which reside in the hearts of all humanity.

AMEN

Hanukkah - the Jewish Festival of Lights

10/12/2020 – 18/12/2020

Hanukkah is a festival of 8 nights and days marking the re-dedication of the Second Temple in Jerusalem at the time of the Maccabean Revolt against the Empire of Seleucid way back in 165 BCE.

Here's a brief summary:

And this is a contemporary re-interpretation of the Festival!

A PRAYER FOR TODAY

Loving God,

we give thanks for the many victories

won by light over darkness

expressed by faiths around the world.

We pray that we might all be part of the ultimate victory

when the darkness of injustice and hate

will be forever dispelled

by the desire for justice and capacity for love

which reside in the hearts of all humanity.

AMEN

Hanukkah - the Jewish Festival of Lights

10/12/2020 – 18/12/2020

Hanukkah is a festival of 8 nights and days marking the re-dedication of the Second Temple in Jerusalem at the time of the Maccabean Revolt against the Empire of Seleucid way back in 165 BCE.

Here's a brief summary:

And this is a contemporary re-interpretation of the Festival!

A PRAYER FOR TODAY

Loving God,

we give thanks for the many victories

won by light over darkness

expressed by faiths around the world.

We pray that we might all be part of the ultimate victory

when the darkness of injustice and hate

will be forever dispelled

by the desire for justice and capacity for love

which reside in the hearts of all humanity.

AMEN

Hanukkah - the Jewish Festival of Lights

10/12/2020 – 18/12/2020

Hanukkah is a festival of 8 nights and days marking the re-dedication of the Second Temple in Jerusalem at the time of the Maccabean Revolt against the Empire of Seleucid way back in 165 BCE.

Here's a brief summary:

And this is a contemporary re-interpretation of the Festival!

A PRAYER FOR TODAY

Loving God,

we give thanks for the many victories

won by light over darkness

expressed by faiths around the world.

We pray that we might all be part of the ultimate victory

when the darkness of injustice and hate

will be forever dispelled

by the desire for justice and capacity for love

which reside in the hearts of all humanity.

AMEN

Arabic Language Day

18/12/2020

It's World Arabic Language Day when the international community takes a moment to appreciate Arabic and its contributions to humanity. It is one of the most widely spoken languages in the world, used daily by more than 290 million people.

World Arabic Language Day is celebrated every year on 18 December since 2012. The date coincides with the day in 1973 that the General Assembly of the United Nations adopted Arabic as the sixth official language of the Organization. Maybe you could work out the other 5! (Answers below)

The Arabic language has given rise to developments in architecture, poetry, philosophy and song. It gives access to an incredible variety of identities and beliefs and its history reveals the richness of its links with other languages. Arabic has played an important role in passing on the knowledge of Greek and Roman sciences and philosophies to Renaissance Europe. Arabic numerals form the basis of mathematics

Classical Arabic is the liturgical (prayer) language of 1.8 BILLION followers of Islam!

Here are some English words which have come to us from Arabic:

in the abode of animals and birds: albatross (al-qadus), camel (jamal), gazelle (ghazal), giraffe (zarafah), jerboa (yarbu), monkey (maymum), nacre (naqqarah), popinjay (babbagha’), and tuna (tun);
in the area of food and drink: alcohol (al-kuhl), apricot (al-barquq), banana (banan), caramel (qanah), cafe (qahwah), jasmine (yasmin), lemon, lemonade and lime (laymun), mocha (mukha – port city in Yemen), orange (naranj) sugar (sukkar – borrowed by nearly every language in Europe) and tuna (tun);
In the sphere of geography and navigation: admiral (amir al-bahr), canal (qanah), monsoon (mawsim), safari (safarah)
in home and daily life: cable (habl), genius (jinn), hazard (al-zahr), jar (jarrah) and sofa (suffah);
in music and song: guitar (qitar) and troubadour (tarab al-dar);
in crime (magbarah): assassin (hashashin), mafia (mu’afi) and massacre (maslakh);
in personal adornment: amber (‘anbar), cameo (chumahan), henna (hinna’), mask and mascara (maskharah) and sequin (sikkah);
in science and mathematics: almanac (al-manakh), alchemy (al-kimiya’), algebra (al-jabr), average (‘awar), calibre (qalib), carat (qirat), chemistry (al-kimiya’) and both cipher and zero (sifr);
in the arena of sports: racket (rah) and tennis (tinnis);
in trade and commerce: cafe (qahwah), cheque (sakk), magazine (makhzan), ream (rizmah), traffic (tafriq) and tariff (ta’rifah).

A PRAYER FOR TODAY

Loving God,

we give thanks for Arabic language and culture.

Help us to use their richness to inspire us

to communicate ideas and develop understanding,

building bridges between people.

AMEN

So, the other official languages of the UN are: French, English, Russian Chinese and Spanish

Arabic Language Day

International Migrants Day

18/12/2020

A PRAYER FOR TODAY

Jesus, born into a migrant family, help us:
to embrace each of your children as our own brother and sister,
to welcome migrants and refugees with joy and openness,
to respond to their needs with generosity,
to give witness to your love for all people as we celebrate the many gifts they bring.
AMEN

International Migrants Day

International Human Solidarity Day

20/12/2020

Solidarity is one of the fundamental values of international relations in the 21st Century, whereby those who either suffer or benefit least - deserve help from those who benefit most.

Therefore, the UN General Assembly, convinced that the promotion of the culture of solidarity and the spirit of sharing is important for combating poverty, proclaimed 20 of December as International Human Solidarity Day. It is:

A day to celebrate our unity in diversity;
A day to remind governments to respect their commitments to international agreements;
A day to raise public awareness of the importance of solidarity;
A day to encourage debate on the ways to promote solidarity for the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals including poverty eradication;
A day of action to encourage new initiatives for poverty eradication.

A PRAYER FOR TODAY

Loving God,

give us, your one human family,

the willingness to join hands not raise fists;

and a spirit of adventure as we journey together

on the earth we all share.

Send us your spirit of hope and determination

so that we will work to alleviate human suffering

and foster kindness and justice for all.

AMEN

International Human Solidarity Day