Faith Commons

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Faith Commons

L-R George A. Mason, Eboo Patel, Founder and President of Interfaith America, Nancy Kasten

Faith Commons: Mission of Interfaith Collaboration

Faith Commons: George A. Mason, Nancy Kasten and Mara Richards Bim

From a Faith Commons video currently on the Faith Commons home page featuring George A. Mason, Nancy Kasten and Mara Richards Bim dated Dec 19, 2024, which encourages viewers to support Faith Commons’ mission of interfaith collaboration.

George A. Mason: Welcome to the State of Our Faith, the Faith Commons occasional video presentation. My name is George A. Mason, and I’m joined by my partner Rabbi Nancy Kasten and my other partner Mara Richards Bim. We are coming to you at this year-end to share some of our thoughts about where we are with the holidays upon us, the election behind us, and life before us. In all of our religious traditions, the theme of light and dark is prevalent. Christmas and Hanukkah this year are actually coinciding, so we thought we’d use that theme, which Mara Richards Bim wrote about in December’s newsletter, to frame some of our thinking about where we are in our faith at this point. Mara Richards Bim, would you lead us?

Mara Richards Bim: Sure. This month’s newsletter I wrote about darkness and light, specifically referencing St. John of the Cross’s poem "Dark Night of the Soul." The thing about that poem and about our faith traditions is this idea that within darkness, God is always present. If we sit with the darkness long enough, we eventually find the light. That’s kind of where I’m at with my own faith journey right now. It’s a busy time of year, but I do enjoy the Advent season. I’ve been leaning into that with my faith community as we head toward Christmas. That’s kind of where I’m at.

George A. Mason: Wonderful. Nancy Kasten, how about you?

Nancy Kasten: Well, last night I watched an online service in memory of my teacher and friend Rabbi Dr. David Ellenson, who tragically and suddenly died one year ago. As part of that observance, a wonderful Torah scholar named Ruth Calderon from Israel, who was a member of Knesset and taught Talmud to Knesset members, gave a lecture about love. She talked about the reciprocity of our relationship with God—that we need God’s love, and God also needs our love. She shared a reading that I found so moving and inspiring. It was written by a woman named Etty Hillesum, a Holocaust victim who died in Auschwitz at the age of 29. She kept a diary, and this is an excerpt from it:

"God, these are frightening times. Last night, for the first time, I could not sleep. I lay in the dark, my eyes wide open, as images of human suffering passed before me. God, I will help you hold on within me, but I cannot guarantee anything in advance. One thing becomes clear to me: you cannot help us; we must help you, and by helping you, we help ourselves. This is the only thing we can save now, and the only thing that truly matters: your presence within us. Perhaps we can also help others uncover you in their tormented hearts. Yes, my God, it seems to me that you cannot alter the circumstances; they are simply part of this life. I ask you for no explanation. On the contrary, you may ask for an explanation from us. With each heartbeat, my conviction grows stronger: you cannot help us; we must help you and defend, to our last breath, the place where you dwell within us."

Nancy Kasten: So, that idea that God is within us, not outside of us, and our commitment to God as revealed in our feelings, our relationships, our actions—I think that’s what I’m trying to hold on to and develop in this season.

George A. Mason: Beautiful. Thinking about Christmas, we always read the Gospel of John on Christmas Eve. In most church traditions, we read from the first chapter, which draws upon the imagery of light from Genesis. The idea of God coming to us in person in Jesus is identified with this sense of the light coming into the world. As it talks about Jesus embodying that light, it goes to Nancy Kasten’s point, and something that Christians need to continue to reflect upon: it’s not that Jesus was the only light, but that he shows us how God’s light comes into the world through persons. He then says to us, we are the light of the world, and therefore we have a responsibility to be light in the darkness to others.

George A. Mason: I was reading an article in the New York Times today about a Palestinian winemaker in Bethlehem. When I was in Bethlehem just before October 7th, I visited a winery in the West Bank. It was a neighboring vineyard to this particular story, but this winemaker was talking about the challenge of continuing to make wine in the old-fashioned way in the context of the war and the occupation. The wall runs right next to his vineyard, and there was a photograph of that. They kept asking him questions about the context in which he was doing this, and he kept trying to say, over and over in different ways, “Wine is above politics.” When you focus on beauty and things that are universal and enduring, it creates a kind of reprieve from the oppression of the darkness around you.

George A. Mason: That’s something in my faith right now I’m trying to focus on—not to allow the darkness of fear, anxiety, and worry over what could be and what is to overcome my responsibility, my duty to be light in the world. There are so many things—art, food, hospitality, generosity—that we can do to humanize the world. In doing so, I hear that phrase from John: “The light came into the world, and the darkness has never overcome it.”

Mara Richards Bim: That’s beautiful. Yes, I’ve been spending a lot of time with family and embedding myself in different places. My daughter Harper started Cub Scouts, so we’re doing the community thing, teaching her about public service through Cub Scouts. In this moment of uncertainty, finding concrete ways to be in community with people—hospitality, faith communities, friends, and just gathering together—is proving to be a moment of light.

Nancy Kasten: This is all so true, and we know it from our experience. At the same time, it’s not always easy to do. The other thing we have to keep in mind is self-compassion and compassion for others. We talked when we came in today about how our moods have fluctuated, feeling able to be generous and light-reflecting at certain points and not so much at others. We need to let ourselves feel those feelings too. That’s what we learn: God created light and darkness, not one or the other. We have to accept those things as the yin and yang of life. In all cultures, in the times of winter, in the dark and cold, it’s an opportunity to rest and build up for the spring ahead and for the newness. I took a nap yesterday—it felt like rest as resistance.

Mara Richards Bim: Yes, yes, yes. And for those who have been so engaged in political work this past fall, it’s okay to take a rest.

George A. Mason: Well, we’re heading into a holiday season where Christians celebrate Christmas. You see lights going up on houses all across the city and in neighborhoods everywhere. Sometimes you’ll see menorahs in windows too, though not as much now. We have those blue and white lights, which are usually an indication, right? Hanukkah is the Festival of Lights, and so again, these themes are helpful for us to ask not just whether we put out these lights as a community gesture, but whether they actually reflect our faith. If so, how? What are we really saying? Are we saying we’re being good neighbors? Are we saying we’re wealthy enough to have these lights and decorate in this way? Is it self-referential, or is it a gift, a way of talking about our confidence that the light is never overcome by the darkness, but that we actually have to switch it on? We have to plan to do something about it.

George A. Mason: I think this is what we want to encourage you to be thinking about. Faith isn’t just a noun; it’s a verb. Faith is something that we do. Here at Faith Commons, we are active. Yes, we have times of pause and rest because of the rhythm of life, but we want to encourage you to be active in your faith in this coming year, not to lose faith but to find common cause with people of faith, whether it’s your own or other faiths. This is what Faith Commons is all about. We have lots to do in the new year, and we hope you’ll join us. As we wish you happy holidays, we hope at year-end you’ll consider going to faithcommons.org and maybe making a donation to support our work. We want to support you in your efforts to be light in the world. Thanks for joining us.

Leadership

From the Faith Commons website:,

• George A. Mason - Founder and President
• Nancy Kasten - Chief Relationship Officer
• Mara Richards Bim - Program Director
• David Ellenson - Rabbi and Teacher (deceased)
• Ruth Calderon - Torah Scholar and Former Member of Knesset
• Etty Hillesum - Holocaust Victim and Diarist (deceased)
• Christen Kinard - Communications
• Kenton Keller - Chair
• Molly Shepard - Senior Vice President
• Emanuel Salinas - Treasurer
• Jeff Smith - Secretary
• Kymberlaine Banks - Board Member
• Steve Brookshire - Board Member
• Risa Gross - Board Member
• Maria Reis Habito - Board Member
• Mona Kafeel - Board Member
• Erica Matsil - Board Member
• Elizabeth Souder - Board Member
• Barbara Utay - Board Member