“Spring represents an awakening. Its many images and symbols speak of our rejuvenation, our coming out of winter’s hibernation with energy and enthusiasm for what comes next. The song of the birds in the park, the grass already in need of mowing, and the first shoots of color bursting forth from the dormant winter soil in our gardens. One of the images of spring that stays with me every year comes as we await the first pitch of opening day: everyone with a fresh record, every team an equal, and no errors to blemish the season’s outcome.
Life, with all its challenges, is seldom easy…among the many strengths and attractions of every religious tradition is the language and invitation of hope, growth and new beginnings.
As the writer Virgil Kraft once put it, ‘Spring shows what God can do with a drab and dirty world.'”
– The Rev. Kent Winters-Hazelton, Pastor, First Presbyterian Church, Lawrence, KS
Spring not only represents rebirth and renewal out of the chilly darkness of winter, but is also in many ways, the holiest season of the year, with the close proximity of Easter, Passover, and Ramadan. The result is a period of great feasts and sacrificial fasting to demonstrate deeply-held faith in a world where faith is needed more than ever.
This holy season provides timeless guidance for living a life of wholeness that encompasses body, mind, and spirit in the service of God and in solidarity with our fellow man, as we are lead to any “thin place” where heaven and earth, temporality and eternity, can meet.
In this issue, we explore the what these holy days represent to our contributors, in the spirit of interfaith dialogue and fellowship.
Avellina Balestri, Editor-in-Chief & Wesley Hutchins, Managing Editor
[dflip source=https://fellowshipandfairydust.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/05/Spring22_Fasting-Feasting-1.pdf]
Can’t see the issue? Read it on issuu.com or as a PDF!
Table of Contents
04. A Week of Emptiness – Avellina Balestri
06. Ramadan Reflections – Arusha Afsar
12. The Refreshing Song at Easter – Daniel Oscar Rutillio
15. 3 am-ses: A Hobbit’s Ramadan – Noor Yusuf
30. Easter Hymn – Sophia Helmkamp
31. Why Ramadan is Considered the Blessed Month – Hussain Usman Datti
33. He Descended into the Darkness and Freed the Captives – G. Connor Salter
35. The Splendor of Ramadan – Abraham Al-Janabi
38. What A Waste! – Leah Fisher
45. Ramaḍān: A Month of Spiritual Recharging – Syed Ali Asdaq Naqvi
64. The Sacredness of Fasting and Feasting – The Traveling Troubadour
68. Ramazan: The Intimate Season of Love – Touseef Mohamad Khan
75. The April Fool – Fr. Jacob Boddicker, SJ
76. Unlock the Sealed Heart – Zainab Mamaluba
79. Pursuing Jesus – Hannah Skipper
81. Mahtab in the Month of Sha’ban – Kawther Rahmani
95. Resurrection Reality – Luis Dizon
106. Mother of Her Father – Adeel Ahmed
117. Lilies on the Altar – Amanda Pizzolatto
119-121. Artwork & Photography – David Glenn, G. Connor Salter, The Traveling Troubadour, and David Hamburger