It happened in the "Place of Heavenly Peace:"
Many people had gathered there,
from different races, nations, religions and ages.
Suddenly the beautiful name of that place began to flow and to change,
from a noun into a verb, expressing action:
The Heavenly Peace invaded the hearts of the people.
They all started moving towards one another,
as if being led by an invisible hand,
they looked into each other’s eyes, began to talk to one another -
and understood one another.
And they marvelled:
How is it possible that we all understand each other?
Yet each one is speaking his or her mother tongue!
Among us are Chinese and Americans,
Hottentots and people from islands in the Pacific,
Japanese and wily men from Wall Street
and from the drug scene;
There are people from Albania and from Soweto,
Followers of Khoumeni and Lefèbre,
Buddhists, Hindu and New-Age-Fans.
And Christians of all colours:
Orthodox and Reformed,
Old Catholics and Pentecostals,
Presbyterians and New-Apostles.
Roman Catholics are also there,
and the Pope with a few men from the Vatican,
Members of Basic Christian Communities in Nicaragua
and people from Leipzig.
Christians who until now have been fighting each other
or who have scarcely known of each other.
Those, for whom up to now money
was more important than the spirit,
and who were more directed by the law
than to be motivated by love.
There we meet Rosa Luxemburg and Mirjam from Nazareth,
Che Guevara and Elijah, Jeanne d’Arc and the "Women for Peace",
Moses and Gorbatschow, Nelson Mandela with Botha at his side.
There are many with tortured bodies, -
their chains are just falling to the ground,
And others with whips in their hands - they just drop them…
Suddenly they all understood one other.
Astonished and confused they asked one another
what this could mean…
Then they heard a voice,
not one that sounded powerfully across the wide Place -
A voice deep within their own hearts,
A gentle voice, scarcely audible,
"Within your innermost being I am Peace,