A format for Inter-Faith Small Human Communities

 

Calling Attention:

Commentator: Your attention please. We are about to begin our Flag-Hoisting Ceremony. You are requested, to maintain silence and focus your thoughts on this patriotic action as a mark of respect to the nation.

 

Our Heritage:

C.     My dear fellow citizens, if we as a free people have assembled here to celebrate Independence Day/Republic Day, hoist the National flag and sing the national anthem with heads held high, it is due to the sacrifices of many brave men and women who have gone before us, and many among us are still striving to live up to their glorious example of commit­ment and service to the nation.

We rejoice in recalling their patriotic deeds. And as a mark of respect and loyalty to the nation, you are requested to enthusiastically join in the response:

 

MERA BHARAT MAHAN HAI

 

• Remembering Mahatma Gandhi, the father of the Nation, for his message of peace and non violence and his selfless commitment to at­taining Swaraj. (R)
• Remembering all those brave men and women who actively took part in the freedom struggle and spared themselves no sacrifice. (R)
• Remembering all those brave jawans who gave their lives to defend the Motherland. (R)
• Remembering all those unnamed men and women across the country selflessly working for the poor and the downtrodden, unmindful of the sacrifices involved in building a New India based on the principles of equality and justice for all. (R)
• Remembering all those great sons and daugh­ters of the Motherland who have brought honour to the nation by their service to humanity. (R)
• Remembering with pride our rich cultural heritage, the great diversity of peoples, reli­gions, languages and lifestyles. Truly diverse, yet one people. (R)

 

Our Prayer:

 

C.         Recalling the greatness of the land and our people, there is no doubt that HAMARA -BHARAT MAHAN HAI. But we have a long way to go In realizing peace, harmony and justice for all.

As the poet Rabindranath Tagore prayed: 'Into the Heaven of Freedom, my Father, let my country awake,' we shall pray that we may be delivered from the forces of evil that stand in the way of progress and unity.

 

Your response will be : HUME BACHAO

 

·        From ignorance, illiteracy, poverty and ex­ploitation (R)

·        From superstitious practices and beliefs (R)

·        From hatred and violence (R)

·        From selfishness and greed (R)

·        From corruption in all walks of life (R)

·        From envy, jealousy and prejudice (R) From those who exploit the weak (R)

·        From those who sow seeds of hatred and distrust between communities (R)

·        From injustices in all forms (R)

 

Sacred Scriptures:

C.     While there are differences in language, culture and religion, there is much that unites us. We have reason to celebrate our Unity in Diversity. Let us listen to our Sacred Scriptures:

 

(A Hindu reads the following text)

HINDUISM:                 Words taken from the Rig Veda: "Meet together, speak together, let your minds be of one accord..... Let your aims be common, and your hearts of one accord, and all of you be of one mind, so you may live together."

-  Rig Veda

(A Muslim reads the following)

ISLAM:  Words taken from the Quran :

Hold fast, all together, to God's rope, and not divided among yourselves. Remember with gratitude God's favour on you. for you were enemies and He joined your hearts in love, so that by his grace you become brethren.

-  Quran: 3-103.3

(Christian reads the following)

CHRISTIANITY:           Words taken from the Bible:  "We love because He first loved us.  If anyone says, 'I love God,' yet hates his  brother, he is a liar.  For anyone who does not love his brother,  whom he has seen, cannot love God,  whom he has not seen."

-  1 John 4:19-20

(A Sikh reads the following)

SIKHISM:                   Words taken from the Adi Granth: "Where egoism exists, Thou art not experienced. Where Thou art there is no egoism. You who are learned, expound this inexpressible proposition."

-  Adi Granth

(A Buddhist reads the following)

BUDDHISM:                Words  taken  from  the Dammapada: "Conquer anger by love. Conquer evil  by good.  Conquer the stingy by giving. Conquer the liar by truth."

- Dhammapada

(A Zoroastrian reads the following)

ZOROASTRIANISM:    Sayings of Zarathustra: "We are brothers and sisters, all belong­ing to one great human family, and are children of one Father, that are Thou, O Ahura Mazda. "

-  Zarathustra

 

C.         Let us pause for a minute to reflect on the message communicated to us by the Scriptures of the different religions. (Pause)

Truly, the love of God, our Creator, unites us as brothers and sisters, mem­bers of One Family. Let us together solemnly pledge to promote, preserve and protect the unity and integrity of India:

 

All :      We believe that the world is One Family, and that we are all children of God.

All of us are citizens of immortal Bharat and we solemnly pledge ourselves to sincerely promote, protect and preserve the Unity and Integrity of India, and to tirelessly work for peace, goodwill and brotherhood among all fellow beings, and harmony of all faiths.

 

FLAG-HOISTING:

C.         We shall now call upon one of the members of our community to hoist the national flag.

(After the hoisting of the flag, the National Anthem is sung.)

 

(After the singing of the National Anthem the commentator says Bharat Mata Ki Jai three times and all join in,)

 

C.         Bharat Mata Ki Jai (3 times)

 

- Fr. Cedric Rebello, S.J.