"The Voice of the Stranger" | by Pat Cody
The news, television, and movie industry sometimes focus on the chaos in the world, and they often point toward religious differences as a primary reason for the world's troubles. At times, I too found myself wondering, "maybe a world without religion is the solution." But Thomas Merton once said, "God speaks, and God is to be heard, not only on Sinai, not only in my own heart but in the voice of the stranger." So what I've chosen to do instead, is to stop listening to the media and start listening to my neighbors. Encouraged by Merton and others, I began to seek opportunities to listen to the voices of those who thus far have been strangers to me. After all, the world is not as big as it once was, but my neighborhood is bigger now than it ever was. While seeking these opportunities, I was soon led to Interfaith Philadelphia and their "Gateways to Religious Communities" series. Since 2009, this program has given many an opportunity t...