Religious leaders & members of different denominations gathered to join HWPL of Chicago in a virtual Interfaith Prayer Meeting to end COVID-19
Saturday Oct. 3, 12PM CST, HWPL (Heavenly Culture World Peace and Restoration of Light) of Chicago held their virtual Interfaith Prayer Meeting bringing together Buddhist, Hindu, Jewish, Christians and Muslims to pray for the end of COVID-19.
The pandemic has inflicted suffering around the world, and one organization is uniting believers of all faiths to pray for its expedient end. HWPL held its Interfaith Prayer Meeting Saturday and over 180 online attendees prayed in their native languages to their deity to help a cure be discovered sooner. They also fervently prayed in unison for leaders in religion, political, medical and science fields to unite and lead with wisdom and compassion.
“In the current situation where the world is suffering from COVID-19, the purpose of this prayer meeting is for religious people to pray as one to overcome this disaster by breaking down the barriers between denominations,” the Moderator said. “Today, through our prayers, petitions, cries, tears, and smiles and through peace, the world that is suffering because of the virus will change.”
Though religions may separate people by languages and customs, faith in a higher power is what united all of them at the Interfaith Prayer Meeting. Attendees wore masks in solidarity with health workers on the front lines. HWPL Chicago hopes this meeting will inspire other religious organizations to hold interfaith meetings that unite people to pray for COVID-19’s end.
The event opened with meditation, where a soothing voice urged listeners to quiet themselves and focus deeply as a Hindu mantra was spoken.A quote from the Bhagavad Gita was read that translated as ‘whenever wherever there is a decline in religious practice, oh Arjun whenever there is a predominant rise of irreligion, at that time I descend myself. To deliver the pious, to annihilate the evil & to establish the (re-establish) the principle of religion.’ (Bhagavad Gita, Chapter 4, Verse 7-8)
A beautiful opening of the virtual event set the tone for a peaceful unification where believers could worship freely, and some could be cleansed by the many prayers lifted. Likewise, the montage of beautiful landscapes and religious monuments around the world set to the soundtrack of Buddhist, Christian and Hindu hymns created a surprising sense of connectedness. Though attendees were alone in their homes, across the country they were united in faith by the sincerity of the Moderator and by the shared impact of the deadly coronavirus plague.
The Moderator led prayer and silent meditation for seven distinctive prayers requested from religious leaders, quoting the Quran, the Bible, Gandhi and Buddha. With humility he said, “We are united first as human beings.” Then attendees prayed each out loud in their native languages. Recounting the Biblical story of Apostle Paul, the Moderator stated, “When one of us suffer we all suffer.”
HWPL is inspiring believers to come together and transcend religion and denomination to work with one heart and help heal the world.
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Quinn William
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