Unkosher Jesus- Red Meat Commentary With a Side of Cheese: A Very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year

And so, this is Christmas.
And what have we done?
Another year over,
A new one just begun.

A very Merry Christmas,
And a Happy New Year.
Let's hope it's a good one,
Without any fear.

- John Lennon

Here comes 2008! Of course, as a part of the annual New Year's festivities we'll be inundated by retrospective analyses of the past year. Some such reporting will focus on pop culture and other superficial aspects of daily life, while other programs and commentary will be reserved for the political and cultural events that have had an impact on the daily lives of millions of people around the world.

Looking backwards, of course, is just a part of the process of looking ahead: to best know where you're going you need to be aware of where you're coming from, where you've been. By that standard, it might be fair to say that 2008 has the potential to be a rough year. Instability and division continue to plague communities and societies around the world. The United States is highly polarized around the issues of politics and religious affiliation. Sadly, this seems to be the case elsewhere around the globe.

The Iraq Surge may have brought some measure of stability to Baghdad, but the divisions between Shiite and Sunni Muslims there have pretty much ensured that the new found calm will not be put to any productive use. The Iraq war will enter its sixth year this coming March.
The Bush Administration's refusal to engage the Iranian government in constructive diplomatic negotiations appears to have led the Iranians to seek comradeship from Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin. Putin's government is now arming the Iranians, apparently as a means to reigniting Cold War animosities with the West.
Former Pakistani Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto was assassinated earlier this month, martyred for the cause of Pakistani modernity and democracy. With her death, the hope for stability and democracy in Pakistan grows dim, while Osama bin Laden and al Qaeda remain at large and the Taliban regains strength in neighboring Afghanistan. U.S. forces have been in Afghanistan since November 2002.

This is but a mere sampling of the growing threats to peace and stability in our world today. Heck, these are just a few of the examples from one part of our world! Never mind what's happening right here in the U.S. of A. with wages stagnating, millions of Americans who lack medical insurance, and a higher rate of HIV and AIDS infection in Washington, DC, than in some Third World capitals.

Of course, if you only look for stories that are sad and depressing, you will likely experience a 100% rate of success. Thankfully, the same goes for looking for those stories that provide hope. We'll need a good deal of that as we begin 2008. Hope is the motivator to continue to strive for peace and justice when times are hard and the outcome is uncertain. In this year of violence and instability, let's remember that the following things also happened:

190 nations agreed to a the terms of the framework under which international policies will be developed and implemented to combat the growing threat of global warming. These will be negotiated during an agreed-upon two-year timetable. (United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change: Bali, December 3 – 14, 2007)
North Korea and South Korea pledged to work together to forge a lasting peace between the two nations. North Korea also agreed to dismantle its nuclear weapons program by December 31, 2007.
After three decades of bloody armed conflict and vicious sectarian strife, Catholics and Protestants joined forces to inaugurate the first power-sharing government in Northern Ireland's history as a member of the British Commonwealth.

I find that in order to shed the emotional weight that bad news brings, and to soak in the hope that glad tidings bring, it is good to find a quiet place to be still, to contemplate, to listen. It probably doesn't hurt to have a good prayer or two handy to help center my thoughts, to keep me focused. So, as we prepare to leave 2007 behind and begin 2008, I offer you the following prayers to take with you to your own quiet place. Before 2008 ramps up and is off and running, take a few moments to look these over, to think about what you are doing to contribute to peace, love and happiness right where you are. If 2007 is any indication, 2008 is going to need every bit you've got to offer. And, if 2007 is any indication, your efforts can definitely pay off. Happy New Year to you and yours from Unkosher Jesus. Peace be with you.

- Doug L.

Hindu Peace Prayer
Oh God, lead us from the unreal to the Real.
Oh God, lead us from darkness to light.
Oh God, lead us from death to immortality.
Shanti, Shanti, Shanti unto all.
Oh Lord God almighty, may there be peace in celestial regions.
May there be peace on Earth.
May the waters be appeasing.
May herbs be wholesome, and may trees plants bring peace to all. May all beneficent
beings bring peace to us.
May all things be a source of peace to us.
And may thy peace itself, bestow peace on all and may that peace come to me also.

Jewish Prayer for Peace
Come let us go up to the mountain of the Lord, that we may walk the paths of the Most High. And we shall beat our swords into ploughshares, and our spears into pruning hooks. Nation shall not lift up sword against nation - neither shall they learn war any more. And none shall be afraid, for the mouth of the Lord of Hosts has spoken.

Prayer of St. Francis of Assisi
Lord, make me an instrument of Your peace;
where there is hatred, let me sow love;
where there is injury, pardon;
where there is doubt, faith;
where there is despair, hope;
where there is darkness, light;
and where there is sadness, joy.

O Divine Master,
grant that I may not so much seek to be consoled as to console;
to be understood, as to understand;
to be loved, as to love;
for it is in giving that we receive,
it is in pardoning that we are pardoned,
and it is in dying that we are born to Eternal Life. Amen.

Islamic Prayer for Peace
In the name of Allah, the beneficent, the merciful.
Praise be to the Lord of the Universe who has created us and made us into tribes and nations, that we may know each other, not that we may despise each other. If the enemy incline towards peace, do thou also incline towards peace, and trust in God, for the Lord is the one that heareth and knoweth all things. And the servants of God, Most Gracious are those who walk on the Earth in humility, and when we address them, we say "Peace."

Happy Xmas (War Is Over), by John Lennon (Karaoke Version)