1/01/2008

New Year's Prayers

New Year's Mass, St. Joseph's Church, Tehran, January 1, 2008. Photo by Mohsen Sajjadi; see Mehr News for more pictures.
I went looking for a picture appropriate to the occasion of New Year's Day for my post. Among the many many pictures I saw today, I found this image of a New Year's Mass held by Armenian Christians in Tehran most touching. There is something about group prayers that is very appealing to me. Even when people don't believe in God or religions and engage in group meditation instead, something about all those people concentrating together is interesting to me. Anyhow, I'd like to think that those people in the picture were praying for world peace at that moment. We need it now more than any other time. Whatever the occasion, whoever the congregation, and whatever the religion and medium, everyone should be thinking about and hoping for peace and doing something about it, too.

13 comments:

Anonymous said...

Happy new year though late!
What you say about peace is so true. I totally agree

Anonymous said...

سلام نازی جونم
من این کلیسایی که عکسی ازش انداختی رفتم ...
این کلیسا برعکس کلیسای مریم مقدس که خیلی پر زرق و برق و شیک ه ، خیلی ساده ولی بسیار محیطش صمیمانه است ...
راستی نازی جونم شما برای سال نوی میلادی کجا رفتین و چه کردین ؟؟

Anonymous said...

در سیاهی ِ شبی آمده بر دشتِ فراخ

ناگه آن رهرو ِ دل‌خسته پریش

ز گذر می‌ماند.

شاید از جنبش ِ یک جسم غریب

یا ز سنگینی بار ِ نظر ِ ناظر خویش

چهره می‌گرداند
--------------------------------
شعر از سروده های ا.ش. از وبلاگ
www.dialogos.blogfa.com

abc said...

any of us surely have something like an inner power and when come together can do anything.I can feel this in such gatherings.
please check your email dear Nazy
Halat

Nazy said...

Salam Shahrzad Jan. You are never late. Happy New Year to you, and Peace on Earth.

Nazy said...

Salam Uni-Far Jan:

Yes, the mass did seem very intimate and sincere through the pictures. I'm afraid my New Year's Eve was not glamorous or exciting at all! I went to see my good friend in Berkeley earlier in the evening on New Year's Eve for a light supper. Then I came home and spent the evening with my younger son and his friend, Iden, as my older son went to San Francisco with his friends. Surprisingly, just after midnight, after I finished praying, I felt very tired and went to bed. That was it!

I love that new poem Alef Shin wrote. It's so full of meaning and tenderness for me. A scientist, a spiritual man, a linguist, and a poet, Alef Shin is truly a remarkable man. It was so intimidating for me to go and visit his blog, Universal (or Cosmic) Dimension in the beginning. The really fun thing about the "dialogues" that happen in his blog is that anyone can say his or her take on the subject, there never be a "right" or "wrong" thing to say. Even so, though I read all the posts, sometimes I leave quietly, as the discussions are so intense and at times very specialized in spirituality, philosophy, and poetry and I don't feel qualified to participate. When I do say something, however, I am always received with generosity and kindness. It is an amazing space, Alef Shin's blogs.

Be happy and healthy Farshad Jan. Happy New Year to you and to all my Universal friends.

Nazy said...

Thank you Halat Jan. I think group prayers are very effective on many levels. One of my deepest wishes is to be able to one day participate in Hajj pilgrimage, where over a million people pray together. I want to be a part of that. Someday. Thank you for the picture and the video clips. I shared them with everyone. You are the best.

Anonymous said...

I think cosmic is much better !
سلام نازی جان
راستش من با این جمله که گفتی من خودم رو اونقدر کوالیفاید احساس نمی کنم که در مباحث شرکت کنم مخالفم ، نازی جونم در وبلاگ بعد کیهانی هم کوالیفاید هستند به همین دلیل ه که هیچ درست و غلطی وجود نداره و این اساس دیالوگ ه برمبنای گفته ی بوهم در کتاب در باب دیالوگ یا
on dialog
( که البته می دونم نخوندی !!!)
به همین خاطر خواهش می کنم کاملا راحت باش در بیان هر چه فکر می کنی و احساس می کنی ...
ما ( گروه دیالوگ ) خیلی خوشحال می شیم از حضور تو و خوندن نظرات زیبات
...

Anonymous said...

"تراگویی" (دیالوگ) کنشی است که به واسطه ی آن جریان معنا تحقق می‌یابد؛ گفتگویی فراتر از گفتمان متداول که در آن رَوایی، پویایی، یکپارچگی و همبستگی در همه‌ی ارکان شناخت در یک بستر واحد شکل می‌گیرد. پس مفهومی است متن‌گرا و فراگیر که ما را با هستی (با خود و بیرون از خود) در چرخه ای پیوسته پیوند می دهد.
ما در این جا بر آن هستیم تا در زمینه هویت انسان و نحوه ی تعامل او با جهان با رویکردی معناگرا و معنوی، نظرات خود را به اشتراک بگذاریم. باشد که مسیری برای همسازی و درک حقیقت پدید آورد ....

Anonymous said...

نازی جونم
راستی ایمیلاتم چک کن من برات چند تا چیز نوشتم
راستی چند روز دیگه بسته ای از من به دستت می رسه !!!
LOL

Nazy said...

Thank you very much Uni-Far Jan. I was delighted to receive your kind emails and photographs. Thank you for being such a good and attentive reader. I hope you have managed to stay warm today, though you looked really happy playing in the snow!

مسعود said...

سلام نازی خانم
من با ارامنه زندگی کرده ام.مردم خوب و پر کار و درستکاری هستند
یادش بخیر :آلفرد،هامو،سوسو،واهاک و بویژه آقای درماردروسیان اولین معلم زبان انگلیسی ام
هرکجا هستند شاد و تندرست باشند
و تو هم

Nazy said...

Thank you Masoud Jan. I, too, have had wonderful friends among Armenians, and agree with you about their general characteristics. The thing about my Armenian friends which I most respected was that when asked about their nationality, they always said Iranian first and Armenian next. I learned a lot from them. Be good and happy Masoud Jan.