The message that Yogananda brought to the world was one of unity: the unity of all religions; the unity of science and religion; the unity of East and West; and the unity of all people: “world brotherhood.”

His message is especially relevant today, as we see divisiveness—the spirit of “us against them”—dominating global politics and economics. Yet the light of Yogananda and this line of masters is not dimmed by human ignorance. In fact, it can shine even more brightly for those who try to live by it.

Last Sunday morning we had an inspiring online satsang with Ananda centers and members from Eastern Europe. It was organized by two devoted disciples who lead the work in Belgrade, Serbia. Nearly eighty people attended from ten different countries: Serbia, Croatia, Slovenia, Bulgaria, Latvia, Lithuania, Ukraine, Russia, Belarus, and the Czech Republic. Not everyone from the Ukrainian group was able to join due to power blackouts—some were planned to conserve energy—but a few were still able to participate.

They asked us to speak on the topic of living in joy, a quality that is understandably difficult for many of them to attain right now. We shared that in today’s world it is not enough to seek joy only for ourselves. We need to strive to be channels of joy for everyone we meet: for our families, our countries, and the world. Mukti, one of the Serbian center leaders, wrote us afterwards: “I think the vibration of joy was palpable, and there was a change in people’s faces as the satsang progressed. What a blessing!”

Then, in God’s wonderful orchestration of events, later that same day we celebrated our annual World Brotherhood Day at Ananda Village. This event, held each year in early December, highlights how Ananda’s outreach is helping people around the world. We then invite everyone to come forward to receive a blessing and to make their first gift of the Christmas season, helping to spread Master’s ray. During the ceremony last Sunday, we read the letter we had received just hours earlier from Mukti in Belgrade. Many present had tears in their eyes, and everyone was deeply touched.

Some years ago, Jyotish and I were blessed to visit the Italian town of San Giovanni Rotondo, where the great saint Padre Pio had lived. While there, we met a beautiful soul—an elderly widow—who had been one of Padre Pio’s “children,” or, in our terms, his disciples. She told us that once Padre Pio, who regularly received thousands of prayer requests, gathered his children together and said, “I’m carrying as much of a load as I can right now. Would any of you be willing to volunteer to share some of this burden? It may mean that you catch a cold or the flu, but you can join me in helping others.” A great wave of hands immediately went up.

Now is the time for all of us to raise our hands—to help spread Yogananda’s message of world unity and brotherhood. This can be done inwardly, in the solitude of prayer, or outwardly, as we offer love and support to everyone we meet. But we should act consciously, as Master’s “children,” carrying forward his mission of unity.

Some of you may know that in 2017 Jyotish and I received, on behalf of Ananda, the Global Ambassador Peace Award in the chapel at the United Nations. During the ceremony, we read Master’s “Prayer for a United World.” As you can imagine, it was one of the most memorable moments of our lives.

I’ll end by quoting a portion of that prayer:

“Let us pray in our hearts for a League of Souls and a United World. Though we may seem divided by race, creed, color, class, and political prejudices, still, as children of the one God, we are able in our souls to feel brotherhood and world unity. May we work for the creation of a United World in which every nation will be a useful part, guided by God through man’s enlightened conscience.

“In our hearts we can all learn to be free from hate and selfishness. Let us pray for harmony among nations, that they march hand in hand through the gate of a fair new civilization.”

Joined with you in Spirit,

Nayaswami Devi

Listen to Devi as she first reads the blog, then expands on its meaning and messages for readers with behind-the-blog commentary. Subscribe to the podcast or download the audio recording by right-clicking here. Or listen to it here (9:59):

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