Featuring:
- Deacon Jiries Mansour, Greek Melkite Church
- Lana Shukha Nseir, Greek Ortodox Council
- Professor Avraham Elqayam, Bar-Ilan U.
- Hanan Halabi, Druze Young Peacebuilders
- Dr. Khaled Abu Ras, Al-IMAN Mosque
- & Hosted by Sheikh Ghassan Manasra
“The earth is full of the lovingkindness of the Lord.” (Psalm 33:5)
“And truly the Lord your Guardian will give toyou so that you will be content.” (Surah 93:5)
” ‘It is more blessed to give than to receive.’ ” (Acts 20:35)
Join the Abrahamic Reunion for an hour of connection with courageous peacebuilders and spiritual luminaries from Palestine and Israel, who will share prayers, inspiration, and reflections on the theme of giving and generosity.
Some of the Prayers Shared:
1 John 3 16-18
16 This is how we know what love is: Jesus Christ laid down his life for us. And we ought to lay down our lives for our brothers.
17 If anyone has material possessions and sees his brother in need but has no pity on him, how can the love of God be in him?
18 Dear children, let us not love with words or tongue but with actions and in truth.
When Giving Is All We Have
Alberto Ríos – 1952-
One river gives
Its journey to the next.
We give because someone gave to us.
We give because nobody gave to us.
We give because giving has changed us.
We give because giving could have changed us.
We have been better for it,
We have been wounded by it—
Giving has many faces: It is loud and quiet,
Big, though small, diamond in wood-nails.
Its story is old, the plot worn and the pages too,
But we read this book, anyway, over and again:
Giving is, first and every time, hand to hand,
Mine to yours, yours to mine.
You gave me blue and I gave you yellow.
Together we are simple green. You gave me
What you did not have, and I gave you
What I had to give—together, we made
Something greater from the difference.
The prayer of Rabbi Nachman
“Oh my Lord, help me be of Generous nature
Help me help me give
Make me all the richer for giving
We were called by you to be generous
Light our paths
Light our paths
Let me give with a pure heart
Let me give with a pure heart
A wide open heart
A heart full of joy
Lead me to those worthy of receiving
As giving is sublime”
Psalms Ch 33: Verses 1-6
“Rejoice in the Lord oh you Righteous.
Praise is commonly for the upright,
give thanks unto the Lord
Sing prasises to him who is sultry of 10
Sing unto him a new song
Play skillfully and shouts of joy
For the world of the lord is upright
And all is down In
He loveth righteousness and justice
The earth is full of the lovingkindness of the lord
HANAN HALABI
“Merhaba, Shalom.
First of all, it’s such an honor for me to be part of this special meeting.
Blessing and success is all I wish for you.
May God give us health, happiness, and strength to change the world to a better place.
May God give us peace of mind to bring the peace all over the world because I believe that peace should have to start with ourselves and then it will spread all over the world.
Share all of your smiles with people because it is a symbol of friendship and peace.
Thank you God for sending to the world such a special people like you because you believe in the power of love.
Maybe we are different, but the connections between us is more powerful.
The most important connection is that we believe in the same God.
So fill your heart with love, always with love, because we have to respect each other and then we will be in a better place to live in.”
The Parable of the Good Samaritan
Luke 10:25-37
The Parable of the Good Samaritan
25 On one occasion an expert in the law stood up to test Jesus. “Teacher,” he asked, “what must I do to inherit eternal life?”
26 “What is written in the Law?” he replied. “How do you read it?”
27 He answered, “ ‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind’ ; and, ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ ”
28 “You have answered correctly,” Jesus replied. “Do this and you will live.”
29 But he wanted to justify himself, so he asked Jesus, “And who is my neighbor?”
30 In reply Jesus said: “A man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho, when he was attacked by robbers. They stripped him of his clothes, beat him and went away, leaving him half dead.
31 A priest happened to be going down the same road, and when he saw the man, he passed by on the other side.
32 So too, a Levite, when he came to the place and saw him, passed by on the other side.
33 But a Samaritan, as he traveled, came where the man was; and when he saw him, he took pity on him.
34 He went to him and bandaged his wounds, pouring on oil and wine. Then he put the man on his own donkey, brought him to an inn and took care of him.
35 The next day he took out two denarii and gave them to the innkeeper. ‘Look after him,’ he said, ‘and when I return, I will reimburse you for any extra expense you may have.’
36 “Which of these three do you think was a neighbor to the man who fell into the hands of robbers?”
37 The expert in the law replied, “The one who had mercy on him.” Jesus told him, “Go and do likewise.”
