Quakers: Why We Gather

by Kathy Czekaj
Manasquan Meeting

When Quakers gather, whether in person or virtually, a new attender is invited—the Spirit of the assembly. The whole becomes so much more than the sum of its individual parts. Spirit may imbue itself into the context of the gathering, and when that happens it is instantly recognizable and thrilling to be in its presence. If you’ve ever experienced what Quakers term “a gathered meeting” you’ll know exactly to what I refer, when messages so generously bestowed flow one to another with meaning for all.

A dear friend of mine, Jerry Leary, has recently published a book of poetry called “Friday Philosophers,” available on Amazon. Without any knowledge of Quaker practice, he expresses a felt sense of this concept so beautifully in his poem entitled “Sabbath.”

Sabbath

by Jerry Leary

I linger in luxury of Sabbath time,

let one day go deep, 

release a spirit word

to seek the Other,

so what breathes again between us

thrives, 

forms recognition of a forgotten truth, 

heals wounds of business,

revives our common body

recognized once more

in rest, discovering the obvious