THE MISSION OF CHRISTIANS
AMONG OTHER BELIEVERS
WITNESS IN DIALOGUE
By Chidi Denis ISIZOH
AMONG OTHER BELIEVERS
WITNESS IN DIALOGUE
By Chidi Denis ISIZOH
INTRODUCTION
Christianity was founded in the midst of other existing religions. And right from the beginning the followers of Christ had the challenge of establishing their presence in the world and of winning converts. Church history is full of accounts of how different generations of Christians have handled their relationship with Believers of other Religions.
Since the Second Vatican Council, the Catholic Church has been encouraging Christians to approach these other Believers in an atmosphere of friendship and dialogue. For about three decades, interreligious dialogue was promoted with vigour, even when some Christians had theological difficulties with it. But this climate of harmonious coexistence is being threatened in recent times by the incessant violent attacks on Christians, especially in their places of worship. Such attacks have been recorded in Egypt, India, Kenya, Nigeria, etc. Many Christians in the Middle East live in insecurity and some have been forced to migrate to “safer”areas of the world.
These sad experiences have made many people to begin to ask: what is the point of interreligious dialogue with people who are bent on eliminating others? Why should Christians not pick up their weapons and start retaliating? Is there any need for reaching agreements with perpetrators of violence? What should Christians be doing in the face of what has become regular attacks on them in their places of worship? Should they keep quiet? When his master was assaulted in the Garden of Gethsemane, did Peter not make use of his sword? (John 18,10). Did Jesus Christ not advise his disciples to buy swords and get ready for possible attacks? (Luke 22, 35-38). What should Christians be doing among those who belong to other religions?
THE MISSION OF CHRISTIANS
The Great Commission
The mission of Christians in the world has its foundation in the Incarnation, the life and the teaching of Jesus Christ, his gathering together of the disciples, his sending out the Twelve, the Cross and the Resurrection and his permanent presence among his own. To the followers, Christ announced: “I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.”(John 10,10). He outlined his mission: “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim liberty to the captives and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty those who are oppressed, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favour” (Luke 4,18-19). Before ascending to heaven, he sent his disciples on a mission: “As the Father has sent me, so I send you” (John 20,21). He gave them the gift of the Holy Spirit. They received a great Commission: “Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptising them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything that I have commanded you.”(Matt. 28, 19-20). Elaborated in a different way by Luke, this “larger-than-life assignment” is stated thus: “But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.” (Acts 1,8). The first disciplines had the staggering mission of teaching, converting, baptising and making the whole world followers of Christ. Though considered “uneducated” and “simple” (cf. Acts 4,13), these messengers of Christ, guided by the Holy Spirit, took the message far beyond their immediate confines. The book of the Acts of the Apostles records a display of faith, spirit of sacrifice, resilience, sense of duty, etc. by the early disciples.
Expanding the mission. Challenges
Two thousand years have passed since the great Commission. The first Disciples of Christ and their successors have spectacularly extended the mission, not without difficulties. There have been stories of successes, challenges and even failures on the part of these “missionaries”. The promise of Christ to stand by his disciples and their successors has remained as solid as ever (Matt. 28,20). But the task of bearing witness to “the end of the earth” is yet to be fully accomplished. There are still those who have not heard the Gospel and there are others who do not accept it. Even among the Christians themselves, there have been misinterpretations, misunderstandings, disagreements, etc. Attempts to resolve these differences have led to formation of structures, splitting into groups, reformations, etc. In Councils and Synods, efforts have been made to define and redefine the mission and the contents of the faith. With time, some Christians separated themselves from the main body of the Church and formed ecclesial communities, denominations and sects. Using different methods, each group has, however, continued to “bear witness” in spreading the message of the Gospel.
New emphasis in approach
The Second Vatican Council has emphasized that the Church is on a pilgrimage and that striving to reach out to every human being to make God’s love known and felt is her basic and fundamental approach to the world. “The pilgrim Church is missionary by her very nature, since it is from the mission of the Son and the mission of the Holy Spirit that she draws her origin, in accordance with the decree of God the Father.”[1] . This mission is first of all directed to those who do not belong to the “household”. The Church strives to share with them the riches of Christ so that they become disciples of Christ and make contact with the means of salvation which are available in abundance in the Church.
In one of the shortest but ground breaking documents of the Second Vatican Council, entitled Nostra aetate, there is a call to all Christians to establish a relationship of dialogue with those who belong to other religions: “The Church, therefore, exhorts her sons (and daughters), that through dialogue and collaboration with the followers of other religions, carried out with prudence and love and in witness to the Christian faith and life, they recognize, preserve and promote the good things, spiritual and moral, as well as the socio-cultural values found among these men.”[2]
By this instruction, people of different religions are not to be considered just as objects for conversion. They are fellow human beings, sharing common spiritual bonds.[3] As persons, all are equal. All can be saved. In different ways, the document clarifies how God’s plan of salvation includes those “to whom the testament and the promises were given and from whom Christ was born according to the flesh”; “those who acknowledge the Creator”; “adore the one and merciful God, who on the last day will judge mankind” and those “who in shadows and images seek the unknown God, for it is He who gives to all men life and breath and all things, and as Saviour wills that all men be saved.” Yes, they can attain salvation: those“who through no fault of their own do not know the Gospel of Christ or His Church, yet sincerely seek God and moved by grace strive by their deeds to do His will as it is known to them through the dictates of conscience. Nor does Divine Providence deny the helps necessary for salvation to those who, without blame on their part, have not yet arrived at an explicit knowledge of God and with His grace strive to live a good life.”[4] Of course there are conditions before people outside the Church can attain salvation, for example, if they always follow their conscience, and if it is not their fault that they do not know Christ or the Church.[5] There are, moreover, the difficulty of arriving at religious truth, the activity of the devil and human weakness. So the Second Vatican Council concludes: “Consequently, to promote the glory of God and procure the salvation of all such people, and mindful of the command of the Lord, ‘Preach the Gospel to every creature’ (Mark 16,16), the Church painstakingly fosters her missionary work.”[6]
The response by the missionaries to this new approach to non-Christians was mixed. There was enthusiasm to embrace non-Christians; there was apathy; and there was outright rejection. The situation was such that just ten years after the Vatican II Council, people started posing many questions arising from the living experiences which Pope Paul VI described as “new horizons in contacts with non-Christian religions and cultures different from those of the missionaries.”[7] If outside the visible Church salvation is possible, what is the point continuing to promote missionary activities? There was need for fresh discussion and reflection on the mission of the Church in the post Vatican II Council world.
In 1974, Pope Paul VI convoked a Synod of Bishops “to make the Church of the twentieth century ever better fitted for proclaiming the Gospel to the people of the twentieth century.”[8] The theme of this synod was “Evangelization in the Modern World.” One major fruit of this synod is the Apostolic Exhortation, Evangelii nuntiandi(1975).
In this Apostolic Exhortation, the reflection on the mission of the Church does not begin from the Trinitarian perspective as in Ad gentes, but from the preaching of Christ and his witnessing to the kingdom of God.[9] Evangelization becomes a better word to use for the mission, meaning: “proclaiming Christ to those who do not know him,”[10] “bringing the Good News into all the strata of humanity”[11] and “renewal of humanity”,[12] converting and baptising people, setting up structures of administration, worship and spiritual contemplation, and promoting solidarity among peoples. It now includes dialogue which is walking together with all believers “towards truth” and working together with people of good will in “projects of common concern.”[13] The broader purpose of this journey together is to collaborate in the service of the truth and the motivation for it is charity “in obedience to the divine mission entrusted to the Church by our Lord Jesus Christ.”[14] This walking and working together by people of different religions became officially known as interreligious dialogue.
DIALOGUE IN MISSION
Introducing Interreligious Dialogue
Today, interreligious dialogue has become a household word. There are thousand and one definitions out there. It is a term already widely used to describe relations between people of different religions. It is “a meeting of people of differing religions, in an atmosphere of freedom and openness, in order to listen to the other, to try to understand the person’s religion, and hopefully to seek possibilities of collaboration.”[15] At the purely human level, it means “reciprocal communication, leading to a common goal or, at a deeper level to interpersonal communion;”[16] and it is “attitude of respect and friendship, which permeates or should permeate all those activities constituting the evangelizing mission of the Church.”[17] In the context of religious plurality, it means not only discussion, but also “all positive and constructive interreligious relations with individuals and communities of other faiths which are directed at mutual understanding and enrichment,”[18] in obedience to truth and respect for freedom. It also includes both “witness and the exploration of respective religious convictions”.[19]
Church in dialogue
The understanding of interreligious dialogue in the Church developed gradually over the years. In his very first encyclical,Ecclesiam suam, Pope Paul VI reflects on the meaning of dialogue. His reflection covers what could be called vertical and horizontal levels of dialogue. The first level is from God to human beings. The Pope calls this “dialogue of salvation” which “opened spontaneously on the initiative of God…with charity…divine goodness” which is “not proportioned to the merits of those toward whom it (is)… directed, nor to the results which it would achieve or fail to achieve” and which does “not physically force anyone to accept it;…(is) a tremendous appeal of love which, although placing a vast responsibility on those toward whom it (is)… directed, nevertheless (leaves)… them free to respond to it or to reject it.”[20] The second level is the relationship between “the Church” and “the world”; and among individuals. According to the Pontiff, this dialogue “supposes that we possess a state of mind which we intend to communicate to others and to foster in all our neighbours: It is a state of mind of one who feels within himself the burden of the apostolic mandate, of one who realizes he can no longer separate his own salvation from the endeavour to save others of one who strives constantly to put the message of which he is custodian into the main stream of human discourse”. He then defines dialogue as “a method of accomplishing the apostolic mission….(and) an example of the art of spiritual communication.”[21]
The Church esteems non-Christian religions because “they are the living expression of the souls of vast groups of people. They carry within them the echo of thousands of years of searching for God, a quest which is incomplete but often made with great sincerity and righteousness of heart. They possess an impressive patrimony of deeply religious texts. They have taught generations of people how to pray.” Despite this esteem, the Church does not relent in announcing Christ to people of other religions. “On the contrary,” according to Pope Paul VI, “the Church holds that these multitudes have the right to know the riches of the mystery of Christ - riches in which we believe that the whole of humanity can find, in unsuspected fullness, everything that it is gropingly searching for concerning God, man and his destiny, life and death, and truth.”[22] In 1964, the Pope established an office to promote dialogue with these other believers.
Paths of the Mission
In Redemptoris missio, Pope John Paul II, reflecting on the missionary activities of the Church in the world, affirms that this mission is a single but complex reality. He dissects the mission into nine paths,[23]affirming that interreligious dialogue is one aspect of it. According to him, interreligious dialogue, understood as a method and means of mutual knowledge and enrichment, “is a part of the Church’s evangelizing mission.”[24] It is neither a clever way of converting other believers to Christianity nor a manifestation of a desire to control all the religions in the world and not even a desperate attempt to impede the spread of some fast growing religions. To engage in interreligious dialogue is to be involved in the mission of Church to reach out to all believers, to build bridges of understanding and to bear witness to Christ.
Questions of the moment
All Christians are called to participate in the mission of bearing witness to Christ to ends of the world. Interreligious dialogue is a part of this mission. Returning to the concerns expressed at the beginning of this reflection:howis this mission of the Christians in the world to be carried out in a hostile environment? The natural instinct is to get away from danger and to defend oneself if attacked. There is no doubt that when and where there is tension, it is necessary for civil and religious leaders to meet to talk and, if possible, to make public declarations and encourage peaceful coexistence in the community. But why should Christians meet with people who promote violence? What would they hope to achieve?
WITNESS IN DIALOGUE
Christians from the very foundation of their religion have been in a situation of tension with other believers. The Founder of the religion was himself a “sign of contradiction” in the society in which he lived. He was persecuted and eventually condemned to death on the Cross; he died and rose again on the third day. His disciples faced persecution all through their ministry: court trials, flogging and different forms of humiliation, etc. (cf. Acts 4,1-22; 5,21-42; 7,55 – 8,3; 12,1-19; 16,25-37). In the Roman Empire, Christians were thrown to animals, and there have been many martyrs along history. Some people in the past attempted to defend the Church and save Christians.
It is now clear that the Christian faith did not survive because of the use of sword. Crusades and inquisitions took place but they did not save the faith. From the days of the Apostles to the present, Christ has used weak instruments, “earthen jar” (cf. 2 Cor. 4,7) to announce his Good News and, thus, to show that it is by his power that the mission is accomplished. “Without me, you can do nothing” (John 15,5), he told his Apostles. In ways known to God alone, it is by the work of the Spirit which blows wherever he wills that the Christian faith takes root and grows. The Holy Spirit at Pentecost gave the Apostles courage to come out of their hiding, to preach openly (cf. Acts 2,1-36) and to accept harsh consequences (including imprisonment and death) of their boldness. They responded to the call of Jesus Christ to be his witnesses to the end of the world. Christians must continue to bear this witness in today’s world.
Witness to faith
Christian faith is a gift and those who have it “must not only keep…and live on it, but also profess it, confidently bear witness to it, and spread it.”[25] It is a duty to God to believe in him and to bear witness to him.[26] Following the example of the early disciples, all Christians “must be prepared to confess Christ before men and to follow him along the way of the Cross, amidst the persecutions which the Church never lacks.”[27] As living witnesses, Christians show their faith through their works (James 2,18).
Witness to hope
Peter told his contemporary Christians that they should ever be ready to bear witness to the “hope” that is in them, doing it with “gentleness and reverence” (1 Peter 3,15-16). A Christian is a person of hope. He or she prays for the coming of God’s kingdom: “eternal and universal kingdom”, “a kingdom of truth and life”, “a kingdom of holiness and grace”, and “a kingdom of justice, love and peace”.[28] But the kingdom is not just in the future, it is already inaugurated in Christ and it is “among you” (Luke 17,21). Christians must bear witness to this kingdom, which is already present, by the way they live and by their activities in the society. They must be the “light” and the “salt” of the earth. In the face of aggression, they must continue to speak the language of peace. Blessed are the peace makers for they shall be called children of God (Matthew 5,9).
Witness to love
God is love. This is the starting point of all evangelization. God loves every human being. He is the source of all love. Every Christian must bear witness to this love in the world where people of different religions live and work. They do this in imitation of Christ who shared his love, “giving glory and honour to God the Father in the power of the Holy Spirit” (cf. John 20,21-23).
The distinguishing mark of the early Christians was their love for one another. Tertullian recounted that the ancient Romans would exclaim about the Christians, “See how they love one another!”[29] And Justin Martyr described Christian love this way: “We who used to value the acquisition of wealth and possessions more than anything else now bring what we have into a common fund and share it with anyone who needs it. We used to hate and destroy one another and refused to associate with people of another race or country. Now, because of Christ, we live together with such people and pray for our enemies.”[30]Lactantius explained Christian witness of love thus: “If we all derive our origin from one man, whom God created, we are plainly all of one family. Therefore it must be considered an abomination to hate another human, no matter how guilty he may be. For this reason, God has decreed that we should hate no one, but that we should eliminate hatred. So we can comfort our enemies by reminding them of our mutual relationship. For if we have all been given life from the same God, what else are we but brothers? ... Because we are all brothers, God teaches us to never do evil to one another, but only good—giving aid to those who are oppressed and experiencing hardship, and giving food to the hungry.”[31]
__________________________________
[1]Ad gentes, 2.
[2]Nostra aetate, 2.
[3]Ibid.,1 & 3.
[4]Lumen gentium, 16.
[5] Cf. Dialogue and Proclamation, 29.
[6]Lumen gentium, 16.
[7]Evangelii nuntiandi, 53.
[8]Ibid., 2.
[9]Ibid.,8-12.
[10]Ibid., 17.
[11]Ibid.,18.
[12]Ibid., 24.
[13]Dialogue and Mission, 13.
[14] Benedict XVI, Address to Members of the Pontifical Council for Interreligious Dialogue, 7 June 2008.
[15] Francis Arinze, Meeting Other Believers(Leominster, 1997), p.5.
[16]Dialogue and Proclamation, 9.
[17]Ibid.
[18]Dialogue and Mission, 3.
[19]Dialogue and Proclamation, 9.
[20]Ecclesiam suam, 72-75.
[21]Ibid.
[22]Evangelii nuntiandi, 52-53.
[23]Witness, Initial proclamation of Christ the saviour, Conversion and Baptism, Forming local Churches, Ecclesial basic communities, Incarnating the Gospel in peoples’ cultures, Dialogue with brothers and sisters of other Religions, Promoting development by forming consciences, and Charity.Cf. Pope John Paul II, Redemptoris missio, 41-60.
[24]Ibid.,55.
[25]Catechism of the Catholic Church, 1816.
[26]Ibid.,2087.
[27]Ibid.,1816.
[28] Cf. Preface of Solemnity of Christ the King.
[29] Quoted in www.earlychurch.com/unconditional-love.php
[30]Ibid.
[31]Ibid.
Christianity was founded in the midst of other existing religions. And right from the beginning the followers of Christ had the challenge of establishing their presence in the world and of winning converts. Church history is full of accounts of how different generations of Christians have handled their relationship with Believers of other Religions.
Since the Second Vatican Council, the Catholic Church has been encouraging Christians to approach these other Believers in an atmosphere of friendship and dialogue. For about three decades, interreligious dialogue was promoted with vigour, even when some Christians had theological difficulties with it. But this climate of harmonious coexistence is being threatened in recent times by the incessant violent attacks on Christians, especially in their places of worship. Such attacks have been recorded in Egypt, India, Kenya, Nigeria, etc. Many Christians in the Middle East live in insecurity and some have been forced to migrate to “safer”areas of the world.
These sad experiences have made many people to begin to ask: what is the point of interreligious dialogue with people who are bent on eliminating others? Why should Christians not pick up their weapons and start retaliating? Is there any need for reaching agreements with perpetrators of violence? What should Christians be doing in the face of what has become regular attacks on them in their places of worship? Should they keep quiet? When his master was assaulted in the Garden of Gethsemane, did Peter not make use of his sword? (John 18,10). Did Jesus Christ not advise his disciples to buy swords and get ready for possible attacks? (Luke 22, 35-38). What should Christians be doing among those who belong to other religions?
THE MISSION OF CHRISTIANS
The Great Commission
The mission of Christians in the world has its foundation in the Incarnation, the life and the teaching of Jesus Christ, his gathering together of the disciples, his sending out the Twelve, the Cross and the Resurrection and his permanent presence among his own. To the followers, Christ announced: “I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.”(John 10,10). He outlined his mission: “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim liberty to the captives and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty those who are oppressed, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favour” (Luke 4,18-19). Before ascending to heaven, he sent his disciples on a mission: “As the Father has sent me, so I send you” (John 20,21). He gave them the gift of the Holy Spirit. They received a great Commission: “Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptising them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything that I have commanded you.”(Matt. 28, 19-20). Elaborated in a different way by Luke, this “larger-than-life assignment” is stated thus: “But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.” (Acts 1,8). The first disciplines had the staggering mission of teaching, converting, baptising and making the whole world followers of Christ. Though considered “uneducated” and “simple” (cf. Acts 4,13), these messengers of Christ, guided by the Holy Spirit, took the message far beyond their immediate confines. The book of the Acts of the Apostles records a display of faith, spirit of sacrifice, resilience, sense of duty, etc. by the early disciples.
Expanding the mission. Challenges
Two thousand years have passed since the great Commission. The first Disciples of Christ and their successors have spectacularly extended the mission, not without difficulties. There have been stories of successes, challenges and even failures on the part of these “missionaries”. The promise of Christ to stand by his disciples and their successors has remained as solid as ever (Matt. 28,20). But the task of bearing witness to “the end of the earth” is yet to be fully accomplished. There are still those who have not heard the Gospel and there are others who do not accept it. Even among the Christians themselves, there have been misinterpretations, misunderstandings, disagreements, etc. Attempts to resolve these differences have led to formation of structures, splitting into groups, reformations, etc. In Councils and Synods, efforts have been made to define and redefine the mission and the contents of the faith. With time, some Christians separated themselves from the main body of the Church and formed ecclesial communities, denominations and sects. Using different methods, each group has, however, continued to “bear witness” in spreading the message of the Gospel.
New emphasis in approach
The Second Vatican Council has emphasized that the Church is on a pilgrimage and that striving to reach out to every human being to make God’s love known and felt is her basic and fundamental approach to the world. “The pilgrim Church is missionary by her very nature, since it is from the mission of the Son and the mission of the Holy Spirit that she draws her origin, in accordance with the decree of God the Father.”[1] . This mission is first of all directed to those who do not belong to the “household”. The Church strives to share with them the riches of Christ so that they become disciples of Christ and make contact with the means of salvation which are available in abundance in the Church.
In one of the shortest but ground breaking documents of the Second Vatican Council, entitled Nostra aetate, there is a call to all Christians to establish a relationship of dialogue with those who belong to other religions: “The Church, therefore, exhorts her sons (and daughters), that through dialogue and collaboration with the followers of other religions, carried out with prudence and love and in witness to the Christian faith and life, they recognize, preserve and promote the good things, spiritual and moral, as well as the socio-cultural values found among these men.”[2]
By this instruction, people of different religions are not to be considered just as objects for conversion. They are fellow human beings, sharing common spiritual bonds.[3] As persons, all are equal. All can be saved. In different ways, the document clarifies how God’s plan of salvation includes those “to whom the testament and the promises were given and from whom Christ was born according to the flesh”; “those who acknowledge the Creator”; “adore the one and merciful God, who on the last day will judge mankind” and those “who in shadows and images seek the unknown God, for it is He who gives to all men life and breath and all things, and as Saviour wills that all men be saved.” Yes, they can attain salvation: those“who through no fault of their own do not know the Gospel of Christ or His Church, yet sincerely seek God and moved by grace strive by their deeds to do His will as it is known to them through the dictates of conscience. Nor does Divine Providence deny the helps necessary for salvation to those who, without blame on their part, have not yet arrived at an explicit knowledge of God and with His grace strive to live a good life.”[4] Of course there are conditions before people outside the Church can attain salvation, for example, if they always follow their conscience, and if it is not their fault that they do not know Christ or the Church.[5] There are, moreover, the difficulty of arriving at religious truth, the activity of the devil and human weakness. So the Second Vatican Council concludes: “Consequently, to promote the glory of God and procure the salvation of all such people, and mindful of the command of the Lord, ‘Preach the Gospel to every creature’ (Mark 16,16), the Church painstakingly fosters her missionary work.”[6]
The response by the missionaries to this new approach to non-Christians was mixed. There was enthusiasm to embrace non-Christians; there was apathy; and there was outright rejection. The situation was such that just ten years after the Vatican II Council, people started posing many questions arising from the living experiences which Pope Paul VI described as “new horizons in contacts with non-Christian religions and cultures different from those of the missionaries.”[7] If outside the visible Church salvation is possible, what is the point continuing to promote missionary activities? There was need for fresh discussion and reflection on the mission of the Church in the post Vatican II Council world.
In 1974, Pope Paul VI convoked a Synod of Bishops “to make the Church of the twentieth century ever better fitted for proclaiming the Gospel to the people of the twentieth century.”[8] The theme of this synod was “Evangelization in the Modern World.” One major fruit of this synod is the Apostolic Exhortation, Evangelii nuntiandi(1975).
In this Apostolic Exhortation, the reflection on the mission of the Church does not begin from the Trinitarian perspective as in Ad gentes, but from the preaching of Christ and his witnessing to the kingdom of God.[9] Evangelization becomes a better word to use for the mission, meaning: “proclaiming Christ to those who do not know him,”[10] “bringing the Good News into all the strata of humanity”[11] and “renewal of humanity”,[12] converting and baptising people, setting up structures of administration, worship and spiritual contemplation, and promoting solidarity among peoples. It now includes dialogue which is walking together with all believers “towards truth” and working together with people of good will in “projects of common concern.”[13] The broader purpose of this journey together is to collaborate in the service of the truth and the motivation for it is charity “in obedience to the divine mission entrusted to the Church by our Lord Jesus Christ.”[14] This walking and working together by people of different religions became officially known as interreligious dialogue.
DIALOGUE IN MISSION
Introducing Interreligious Dialogue
Today, interreligious dialogue has become a household word. There are thousand and one definitions out there. It is a term already widely used to describe relations between people of different religions. It is “a meeting of people of differing religions, in an atmosphere of freedom and openness, in order to listen to the other, to try to understand the person’s religion, and hopefully to seek possibilities of collaboration.”[15] At the purely human level, it means “reciprocal communication, leading to a common goal or, at a deeper level to interpersonal communion;”[16] and it is “attitude of respect and friendship, which permeates or should permeate all those activities constituting the evangelizing mission of the Church.”[17] In the context of religious plurality, it means not only discussion, but also “all positive and constructive interreligious relations with individuals and communities of other faiths which are directed at mutual understanding and enrichment,”[18] in obedience to truth and respect for freedom. It also includes both “witness and the exploration of respective religious convictions”.[19]
Church in dialogue
The understanding of interreligious dialogue in the Church developed gradually over the years. In his very first encyclical,Ecclesiam suam, Pope Paul VI reflects on the meaning of dialogue. His reflection covers what could be called vertical and horizontal levels of dialogue. The first level is from God to human beings. The Pope calls this “dialogue of salvation” which “opened spontaneously on the initiative of God…with charity…divine goodness” which is “not proportioned to the merits of those toward whom it (is)… directed, nor to the results which it would achieve or fail to achieve” and which does “not physically force anyone to accept it;…(is) a tremendous appeal of love which, although placing a vast responsibility on those toward whom it (is)… directed, nevertheless (leaves)… them free to respond to it or to reject it.”[20] The second level is the relationship between “the Church” and “the world”; and among individuals. According to the Pontiff, this dialogue “supposes that we possess a state of mind which we intend to communicate to others and to foster in all our neighbours: It is a state of mind of one who feels within himself the burden of the apostolic mandate, of one who realizes he can no longer separate his own salvation from the endeavour to save others of one who strives constantly to put the message of which he is custodian into the main stream of human discourse”. He then defines dialogue as “a method of accomplishing the apostolic mission….(and) an example of the art of spiritual communication.”[21]
The Church esteems non-Christian religions because “they are the living expression of the souls of vast groups of people. They carry within them the echo of thousands of years of searching for God, a quest which is incomplete but often made with great sincerity and righteousness of heart. They possess an impressive patrimony of deeply religious texts. They have taught generations of people how to pray.” Despite this esteem, the Church does not relent in announcing Christ to people of other religions. “On the contrary,” according to Pope Paul VI, “the Church holds that these multitudes have the right to know the riches of the mystery of Christ - riches in which we believe that the whole of humanity can find, in unsuspected fullness, everything that it is gropingly searching for concerning God, man and his destiny, life and death, and truth.”[22] In 1964, the Pope established an office to promote dialogue with these other believers.
Paths of the Mission
In Redemptoris missio, Pope John Paul II, reflecting on the missionary activities of the Church in the world, affirms that this mission is a single but complex reality. He dissects the mission into nine paths,[23]affirming that interreligious dialogue is one aspect of it. According to him, interreligious dialogue, understood as a method and means of mutual knowledge and enrichment, “is a part of the Church’s evangelizing mission.”[24] It is neither a clever way of converting other believers to Christianity nor a manifestation of a desire to control all the religions in the world and not even a desperate attempt to impede the spread of some fast growing religions. To engage in interreligious dialogue is to be involved in the mission of Church to reach out to all believers, to build bridges of understanding and to bear witness to Christ.
Questions of the moment
All Christians are called to participate in the mission of bearing witness to Christ to ends of the world. Interreligious dialogue is a part of this mission. Returning to the concerns expressed at the beginning of this reflection:howis this mission of the Christians in the world to be carried out in a hostile environment? The natural instinct is to get away from danger and to defend oneself if attacked. There is no doubt that when and where there is tension, it is necessary for civil and religious leaders to meet to talk and, if possible, to make public declarations and encourage peaceful coexistence in the community. But why should Christians meet with people who promote violence? What would they hope to achieve?
WITNESS IN DIALOGUE
Christians from the very foundation of their religion have been in a situation of tension with other believers. The Founder of the religion was himself a “sign of contradiction” in the society in which he lived. He was persecuted and eventually condemned to death on the Cross; he died and rose again on the third day. His disciples faced persecution all through their ministry: court trials, flogging and different forms of humiliation, etc. (cf. Acts 4,1-22; 5,21-42; 7,55 – 8,3; 12,1-19; 16,25-37). In the Roman Empire, Christians were thrown to animals, and there have been many martyrs along history. Some people in the past attempted to defend the Church and save Christians.
It is now clear that the Christian faith did not survive because of the use of sword. Crusades and inquisitions took place but they did not save the faith. From the days of the Apostles to the present, Christ has used weak instruments, “earthen jar” (cf. 2 Cor. 4,7) to announce his Good News and, thus, to show that it is by his power that the mission is accomplished. “Without me, you can do nothing” (John 15,5), he told his Apostles. In ways known to God alone, it is by the work of the Spirit which blows wherever he wills that the Christian faith takes root and grows. The Holy Spirit at Pentecost gave the Apostles courage to come out of their hiding, to preach openly (cf. Acts 2,1-36) and to accept harsh consequences (including imprisonment and death) of their boldness. They responded to the call of Jesus Christ to be his witnesses to the end of the world. Christians must continue to bear this witness in today’s world.
Witness to faith
Christian faith is a gift and those who have it “must not only keep…and live on it, but also profess it, confidently bear witness to it, and spread it.”[25] It is a duty to God to believe in him and to bear witness to him.[26] Following the example of the early disciples, all Christians “must be prepared to confess Christ before men and to follow him along the way of the Cross, amidst the persecutions which the Church never lacks.”[27] As living witnesses, Christians show their faith through their works (James 2,18).
Witness to hope
Peter told his contemporary Christians that they should ever be ready to bear witness to the “hope” that is in them, doing it with “gentleness and reverence” (1 Peter 3,15-16). A Christian is a person of hope. He or she prays for the coming of God’s kingdom: “eternal and universal kingdom”, “a kingdom of truth and life”, “a kingdom of holiness and grace”, and “a kingdom of justice, love and peace”.[28] But the kingdom is not just in the future, it is already inaugurated in Christ and it is “among you” (Luke 17,21). Christians must bear witness to this kingdom, which is already present, by the way they live and by their activities in the society. They must be the “light” and the “salt” of the earth. In the face of aggression, they must continue to speak the language of peace. Blessed are the peace makers for they shall be called children of God (Matthew 5,9).
Witness to love
God is love. This is the starting point of all evangelization. God loves every human being. He is the source of all love. Every Christian must bear witness to this love in the world where people of different religions live and work. They do this in imitation of Christ who shared his love, “giving glory and honour to God the Father in the power of the Holy Spirit” (cf. John 20,21-23).
The distinguishing mark of the early Christians was their love for one another. Tertullian recounted that the ancient Romans would exclaim about the Christians, “See how they love one another!”[29] And Justin Martyr described Christian love this way: “We who used to value the acquisition of wealth and possessions more than anything else now bring what we have into a common fund and share it with anyone who needs it. We used to hate and destroy one another and refused to associate with people of another race or country. Now, because of Christ, we live together with such people and pray for our enemies.”[30]Lactantius explained Christian witness of love thus: “If we all derive our origin from one man, whom God created, we are plainly all of one family. Therefore it must be considered an abomination to hate another human, no matter how guilty he may be. For this reason, God has decreed that we should hate no one, but that we should eliminate hatred. So we can comfort our enemies by reminding them of our mutual relationship. For if we have all been given life from the same God, what else are we but brothers? ... Because we are all brothers, God teaches us to never do evil to one another, but only good—giving aid to those who are oppressed and experiencing hardship, and giving food to the hungry.”[31]
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[1]Ad gentes, 2.
[2]Nostra aetate, 2.
[3]Ibid.,1 & 3.
[4]Lumen gentium, 16.
[5] Cf. Dialogue and Proclamation, 29.
[6]Lumen gentium, 16.
[7]Evangelii nuntiandi, 53.
[8]Ibid., 2.
[9]Ibid.,8-12.
[10]Ibid., 17.
[11]Ibid.,18.
[12]Ibid., 24.
[13]Dialogue and Mission, 13.
[14] Benedict XVI, Address to Members of the Pontifical Council for Interreligious Dialogue, 7 June 2008.
[15] Francis Arinze, Meeting Other Believers(Leominster, 1997), p.5.
[16]Dialogue and Proclamation, 9.
[17]Ibid.
[18]Dialogue and Mission, 3.
[19]Dialogue and Proclamation, 9.
[20]Ecclesiam suam, 72-75.
[21]Ibid.
[22]Evangelii nuntiandi, 52-53.
[23]Witness, Initial proclamation of Christ the saviour, Conversion and Baptism, Forming local Churches, Ecclesial basic communities, Incarnating the Gospel in peoples’ cultures, Dialogue with brothers and sisters of other Religions, Promoting development by forming consciences, and Charity.Cf. Pope John Paul II, Redemptoris missio, 41-60.
[24]Ibid.,55.
[25]Catechism of the Catholic Church, 1816.
[26]Ibid.,2087.
[27]Ibid.,1816.
[28] Cf. Preface of Solemnity of Christ the King.
[29] Quoted in www.earlychurch.com/unconditional-love.php
[30]Ibid.
[31]Ibid.
