Third Year of the Oblate Triennium

Third Year of the Oblate Triennium: Mission, Vow of Obedience and Evangelii Gaudium

20. INTER-RELIGIOUS AND INTER-CULTURAL DIALOGUE AS A CONTRIBUTION TO PEACE

SETTING: The animator arranges the ambience so that all may comfortably pray and share. A candle, the Bible, and symbols of cultural and religious dialogue may be placed in the center of the community. Persons of other faiths and cultures could be invited

MOTIVATION: In this encounter we want to meditate that we are witnesses of Jesus who is himself Peace (cf. Eph 2:14) and that as baptized persons we are called to be peace-makers among people of different cultural and religious background.

SONG: An appropriate song is chosen.

PRAYER: Lord, who can grasp all the wealth of just one of your words? What we understand in the Bible is much less than what we leave behind, like thirsty people who drink from a fountain. For your Word has many shades of meaning, just as those who study it, have many different points of view. You have colored your words with many hues so that each person who studies it can see in it what he loves. You have hidden many treasures in your Word so that each of us is enriched as we meditate upon it. Your Word is a tree of life that offers blessed fruit in abundance; like the rock gushing water in the desert it is for each of us a refreshing fountain. “All ate the same spiritual food and drank the same spiritual drink.” (Saint Ephrem, Oblate Prayer, p. 48)

THE WORD OF GOD: Gospel of Mark 7: 25-30 A woman whose daughter had an unclean spirit heard about [Jesus], and came and fell down at his feet. The woman was a Greek, by race a Phoenician from Syria. And she started asking him to drive the demon out of her daughter. He responded to her like this: "Let the children first be fed, since it isn't good to take bread out of children's mouths and throw it to the dogs! " But as a rejoinder she says to him: "Sir, even the dogs under the table get to eat scraps dropped by children!" Then he said to her: "For that retort, be on your way, the demon has come out of your daughter." She returned home and found the hcild lying on the bed and the demon gone (Mk. 7:25-30). (Alternative reading: GOSPEL OF JOHN 4:1-42 - The Samaritan Woman)

RESPONSE TO GOD’S WORD: Psalm 67 May God be gracious to us and bless us and make his face shine on us so that your ways may be known on earth, your salvation among all nations.

May the peoples praise you, God; may all the peoples praise you. May the nations be glad and sing for joy, for you rule the peoples with equity and guide the nations of the earth.

May the peoples praise you, God; may all the peoples praise you. The land yields its harvest; God, our God, blesses us.

May God bless us still, so that all the ends of the earth will fear him.

OBLATE TEXT:

Rule 41a - Oblate houses and hearts are open to all who seek help and counsel. Priests and religious are always welcome; and other evangelical workers will be received so that they may share the bread of friendship, faith, reflection and prayer.

GOING DEEPER INTO THE THEME: Reflection on EG 238-258

Oblate Mission: Inter Cultural-Religious Dialogue as a Contribution to Peace Pope Francis, sharing the joy of the Gospel, invites all Christians in the Catholic Church to commit themselves in the New evangelizing Mission of the Church, and to become missionary disciples in varied specific contexts of the world, for realities are more important than ideas (EG. 120). He sees that such mission is the call and responsibility of all baptized persons to be peace makers and credible witnesses to a reconciled life (EG. 244). Because, the Good News is the joy of the Father, who desires that none of His little ones be lost, the joy of the Good shepherd who finds the lost sheep and brings it back to the flock (EG. 237). Today, how do people become little ones in varied contexts? How/why do people get lost?

The Urgent task ahead for peace In the varied prevalent contexts of the world today, we see the urgency to create a culture of peace with justice. It demands us to engage more resolutely with all men and women of good will in the effort to direct humans’ desires and purposes away from narrow egoism and particular interests, from systems which set humans in hatred against his/her brothers and sisters, turn away from God, and tore our communities and brought untold suffering to humans of all sectors, specially the poor with many faces.

It is with such social awareness, Pope Francis feels the urgency to work for the promotion of full human development and perusal of common good, keeping ever in mind life and suffering of human beings (EG. 238). Its focus is the singular need of the people for ‘fuller life’. In preaching the Gospel of peace to the poor, if the unceasing interplay of the Gospel and of concrete human life both social and personal is not taken into account, then Evangelization will not be a complete one (EN. 17-24, 29).

Such mission has to be done in following Jesus’ way with uncompromising commitment to the Reign of God (Mk. 1: 14 -15; Rom. 14:17). Hence, the rootedness of the preachers of the Gospel in the concrete contexts and their sensitiveness to respond to the urgency ahead in mission demands from them sensed obedience.

th John Paul ll addressing to the ambassador in Nepal, 1985, Dec.05 pointed out that “to work for peace is to serve the cause of human dignity; it is to defend the fundamental rights of individuals and groups; it is to act according to the principles of solidarity and brotherhood in the service of common good.

Safeguarding of all these values is essential to the well being and happiness of all”. In other words, there is the need for solidarity and cooperation in accordance with justice and the demands of Christian charity to foster peace. As FABC states, it therefore remains with patience and decisions to help bind together the world contexts as a true family of nations, linked not in lines of geography, but by mutual understanding and respect, by nobler bonds of brotherhood and of love.

Biblical Concept of Peace The Biblical concept of peace is the closest to harmony. ‘Shalom’ on the other hand, means ‘welfare’, ‘prosperity’, and ‘happiness’. Basically it denotes always wholeness, health, and completeness. Peace is coupled with justice and is the effect of justice (Is. 32:17). Ps. 85:11 says “Justice and peace will kiss each other”. Justice before God and justice among the human beings is the only foundation of peace, since it is justice which eliminates sin, the source of divisions. The association of peace with justice ties together the means of wholeness with the notion of peace as an action (Ps. 34: 15). Peace is not seen simply as tranquility but as the work of justice. Peace is the messianic gift that Christ has achieved for humankind through His redemptive event (Lk.2: 14; Jn. 14:27; 16: 33; Eph. 2:14-22). He is the bearer of justice and His Kingdom shall be the Kingdom of peace established and sustained by justice (Is. 11:1-9). Christian life is characterized by an earnest hope for peace and commitment to bring about peace (Mt.5:9). The Church, as people of God is called to be the sacrament of peace and harmony of the whole humankind. The Church can fulfill its mission as sacrament of peace and harmony only insofar as it is committed to establish justice by listening to the Word of God who alone gives peace, and being open to the Spirit of God who is constantly at work weaving among humans one solid bond (Eph. 4:3).

Inter-religious Dialogue as a contribution to peace It is Pope Francis’ conviction that in a world of today, working for reconciled life among people through dialoguing is a means for building up consensus and agreement, while seeking the goal of a just, responsive and inclusive society. He wishes that such dialogue be done in collaboration with all sectors of people (EG 239). He declares that the Church, as people of God proclaims ‘the Gospel of peace’ in collaboration with all sectors of people in order to safeguard the immense universal good (EG. 239). It has to be an ecumenical, inter- religious, social venture.

The Gospel of Peace is one for all Christians. Proclaiming the Gospel of peace, the credibility of the Christians Message could realize the fullness of Catholicity proper to them, only if unity of/among Christians is fostered. The spirit of ecumenism is a universal phenomenon today. The various Christian churches and ecclesial communities work together in many areas of Gospel witness and service to the world. The Gospel of Peace should strengthen this common commitment. The present efforts at an ecumenical reading of the Bible should aim at building up communities that are based on Christian love and communion. Hence Pope ardently urges the need for ecumenical/Christian unity as prerequisite for dialogue with others to be a credible witness among people (EG. 244, 246).

The Christian communities today live in the midst of other religious groups, some of them are aggressive fundamentalists. We, the Christians must take into account this religious reality of the people around us and be open to dialogue, seeking social peace and justice beyond all merely practical considerations, for it is an ethical commitment which brings about a new social situation (EG. 251). Today there are institutions that champion the cause of peace and unity. However, there is also much misunderstanding, prejudice and intolerance that cause deadly violence and destruction in the name of religion or more precisely religious fundamentalism. It is against this background that inter-religious dialogue assumes an importance and a basis on which peoples of different religious affiliations can come together and collaborate to build a world of justice and peace. In fact, the basic question one must ask is what is the effect of religion on public life (EG. 256)?

Pope Francis’ focus falls also on those who do not consider themselves part of any religious tradition, yet sincerely seek Truth, Goodness and Beauty which Christians believe have their highest expression and source in God (EG. 257). To defend human dignity with human rights, to build peaceful coexistence fostering human values and to protect creation, we must form partners of dialogue with them.

Collaboration of Christians in such broad religious pluralistic vision would enable them to demonstrate in words, attitudes, and deeds the social dimension of the Gospel Message (EG 258). Finally, the ecumenical networking and inter-religious cooperation can make social advocacy for peace as an affirmation of life. Looking for more creative ways in which we can incorporate spirituality as an integral dimension of our responsibility of promoting social advocacy towards a culture of peace will enhance our prophetic thrust of our vocation as religious.

(Gerard de Rosairo, omi. Colombo, Sri Lanka)

TIME FOR SILENT REFLECTION

SHARING OUR FAITH: The animator invites all to share what has inspired each one in the reflection and around the questions:  Share difficulties that you have experienced in contact with other cultures. How have you been questioned and enriched by such experiences?  Share some experience of your participation in ceremonies of other religions or confessions.  How can we collaborate to be peace-builders in intercultural and inter-religious dialogue?

COMMITMENT: The animator reminds everyone that we are preparing for the General Chapter by seeing how we can grow, change, be transformed. We are asked to consider concrete gestures in the life of our community as signs of openness and dialogue with other religions and cultures. Can we commit ourselves to visit, meet or invite persons of other cultures and religions in our area? Can we study together texts from other religions to understand them better? Can we think about a peace-building activity together with members of other religions?

PRAYER FOR THANKSGIVING AND INTENTIONS: (Spontaneously each person can vocalize a prayer of thanksgiving)

FINAL PRAYER: We pray together the Our Father, taking conscience that God is Father of All. BLESSING AND SONG: The animator asks an Oblate present to pray a blessing over the group and then a final song may be sung.