Five Minutes with Wilma Viswanathan
Have you attended any interesting interfaith events lately? Do you have any interesting interfaith work happening at the moment?
I attended the Universal Day of Peace service held in St David’s Church in Lindfield – on the 21st September.
The Revd Manas Ghosh and his parishioners should be congratulated for organizing this great service which was well attended by people of different faiths. This was the 6th consecutive year that it has been held in this church.
Prayers for peace were offered by people representing the Aboriginal and Islander, Baha’i, Buddhist, Christian, Hindu, Islamic, Jain, Jewish, Sikh, Sufi and Zoroastrian communities.
School children from the area also took part with their beautiful singing and orchestral offerings.
Rabbi Richard Lampert, the Rabbi Emeritus of North Shore Temple Emmanuel, Chatswood conveyed in his message that was read out (as he was too sick to attend) the necessity of commitment of people from all religious persuasions to make peace a reality – the need for shalom. He related this short anecdote to make the point clear. An eight-year old child was helping his parents to clear up the backyard of their home and was battling unsuccessfully to move a heavy rock. Frustrated, he turned to his parents and said, “It’s no good. I just can’t move this rock!” His father said, “But you haven’t used all your strength.” ”Oh, yes, I have! Look I am perspiring. I’ve been struggling to move it, but it just won’t budge.” “No,” said his mother, “You haven’t used all your strength.” “What do you mean?” he asked. “Well,” she replied, “You haven’t asked US to help you!”
I encourage you to read the order of service which can be found under the 'Religious Gatherings' tab, then click 'Resources'. A wealth of other useful items can be found there too.
Another event to which I have been invited and look forward to attending is the service at St Mary’s Catholic Cathedral in Sydney in honour of the canonisation of Australia’s first Saint – Sister Mary Mckillop.
The Women’s Interfaith Network (WIN) has been discussing our mentors and it has been interesting to note that many of the people who shaped our lives were humble people like Mary McKillop.
Are there any particular interfaith related issues you are watching at the moment, for example in the news?
Yes, I think interfaith ‘togetherness’ is generally working well in Australia. We have hiccups sometimes, as is only to be expected, when the countries that a number of us come from have problems that are difficult to solve. Sometimes, in our haste to help we get caught up in the politics of other countries and find ourselves in complicated situations. It is good, at times like this, to use our best resources – that is, the people who have the natural talent to be peace keepers. All our faiths teach us to have charity towards our neighbours and it is at times like this that we need to practise that charity – with diplomacy and dignity and the grace to know when to ‘give in’ and decide to agree to disagree.
What direction would you like the work of the Relations with Other Faiths Working Group to take during 2010?
I think the ROF should get to know the older religions, such as Hinduism and Buddhism. There is much we can learn from their scriptures. Great advice that has come down through the ages.