This is, as we know, the third annual Calgary Interfaith Breakfast, and it has been a wonderful experience for the Calgary Interfaith communities to come together and reflect on our theme this year “The Courage to Connect.” We have listened, shared, and reflected on the need for faith communities to truly reach out to one another across the gaps that might otherwise separate us, to show this courage to connect.
This courage will come comes from each one of you us in the room this morning – – all the faiths presenthere that make up the great city of Calgary: – Indigenous peoples, Buddhists, Bahais, Hindus, Jews Muslims, Christians, Sikhs, Unitarians and others.
Each religion adds to the richness of faith that vibrantly makes our city and our country into the beautiful tapestry that it is. When different faiths connect out of this diversity, there emerge we grow stronger, andwe develop a new strength and a profound sense of unity that are is hard to break. This unity is crucially important given the broken state of ourworld. The presence of every one of us here is exceptionally vital, as it strengthens all faiths in our city, and as it ultimately strengthens Calgaryand our world.
Geographically, Calgary sits in the majestic foothills and at the confluence of the Bow and Elbow rivers. What we experience this morning is a confluence of faiths that can give us the courage to connect. Each faith represents a beautiful bead on the chain strung together by faith in the Divine Creator that threads through each of us and connects each and every one of us. When we embrace this courage to connect, we can embrace faith diversity and faith pluralism. Although each faith walks its own path towards God. Today those paths connect and converge in a unified pluralistic trail. We don’t walk separately today, we walk together.
Today, it is not me or you – it is us. Standing together as brothers and sisters is more than just being nice or kind or even just striving for peace and tolerance. Diversity and plurality are an inherent component ofGod’s creation. As we stand together with all faiths before God, we inherently become a single sacred community – Children of the Divine Creator God. As said in the Sikh Scriptures, The Siri Guru Granth Sahib ji, we reach the state where “There is no stranger nor any enemy, as I am in harmony with all – Na ko vari nahi begana sugal sang hum ko bun ayi.”
This is a great goal for which we strive, for which we Calgarians reach, as we celebrate our interfaith connectedness.
