It’s a match made in heaven!
The world’s three Abrahamic faiths are bridging their great divide in a pretty wonderful way this Saturday.
Yom Kippur, Eid Al-Adha, and St. Francis of Assisi’s Feast Day all fall on the same date this year -- October 4.
In fact, this is the first time the important Jewish and Muslim holidays have overlapped in more than three decades. The last time it happened was in 1981, according to the Times of Israel.
Yom Kippur, which starts at sundown on Friday, is a “Day of Atonement” for Jews. Much of the holiday is spent in the synagogues, where people seek to mend their relationship with God and ask for forgiveness from sins.
Muslims will use the day to remember the prophet Ibrahim’s willingness to sacrifice his most treasured possession, his son, in order to obey Allah’s commands.
And Christians are celebrating the Feast Day of St. Francis of Assisi, the patron saint of animals, by bringing their four-legged friends to church for a special blessing.
It's a time of prayer for all three faiths, according to the Religion News Service. The beautiful Kol Nidre prayer is sung in synagogues on Yom Kippur. Muslims come together to pray in mosques, saying a "takbir," or "God is great" prayer. For the Feast of St. Francis, faithful Christians may meditate on the saint's famous "Canticle of All Creatures."
The best way to respond to this incredibly holy coincidence is by recognizing it for what it really is -- a trifecta of awesome.
Think about it: This is an incredible opportunity for Muslims, Jews, and Christians to take a step back and really appreciate the wonderful way that religion makes meaning in people’s lives and to live together in peace.
So Tzom Kal, Eid Mubarak, and blessed Feast of St. Francis!
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