|
Johan
Bonny The author reflects on the witness given by Christians living in those parts of the World where they are in a minority. In the particular context of the Arabian Gulf, he suggests ways in which the different Christian churches might practice an authentic Christian witness and true ecumenism. Bonny is a Belgian priest working in the Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity. Courtesy: Encounter, No 271, March 2001.
In his address to young Muslims during his visit to Morocco in 1985, Pope John Paul II spoke of the richness of faith and religious life which is common to all the children of Abraham — Muslims, Christian and Jews. At the same time, he spoke of the necessity for each to recognize and respect the fundamental and very real differences in the beliefs held by. the adherents of these three monotheistic religious. For Christians, it is the person of Jesus Christ who, through his life, his work and his words, reveals the God who is a loving Father and he invites all his followers to live in brotherly communion with each other. When Cardinal Johannes Willebrands, the President of the Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity, celebrated leis 90th anniversary, a journalist asked him how he had experienced his role as 'diplomat at the service of the church'. Cardinal Willebrands promptly rejected the way that question had been formulated. 'This is a false characterisation', he said. 'I can hardly describe the nature of my work as a diplomatic one. My work was based on the commandment of Christ to live in such a way that unity can be realised. Indeed it was mainly theological and pastoral: I tried to find inner affinity, based on religious motives. This has a completely different spirit and content than diplomacy between states'.1 Common Christian Faith I thought to start with this anecdote, because it leads to he essence of our subject: Christian and ecumenical witness in a society with a Muslim majority. This certainly has a lot to do with good diplomacy, with courteous relations and respectful collaboration, but courtesy and diplomacy is not the essence of it. Christian and ecumenical witness is first of all related to the heart of the Gospel, to the example and the commandment of Jesus Christ. How can Christians live and profess together the essence of Christian faith: this is the key question in any ecumenical reflection. This question, however, leads to a deeper one: what is then the essence, the very heart of Christian faith? What is the specific genius of Christianity among the three monotheistic religions, that has Abraham as their common father in faith: Judaism, Christianity and Islam? These three religions believe in one God, the only Creator and Lord of all life. Their monotheistic faith represents a solid basis of inner togetherness and kinship, much more than we realise today. During his visit in Morocco in 1985, Pope John Paul II addressed 90,000 young Muslims in the stadium of Casablanca. He spoke in the presence of the late King Hassan II. He told the young Muslims: 'I believe that we, Christians and Muslims, must recognise with joy the religious values that we have in common, and give thanks to God for them. We both believe in one God, the only God, who is all justice and all Mercy, we believe in the importance of prayer, of fasting, of almsgiving, of repentance and of pardon. We believe that God will be a merciful judge to us at the end of time, and we hope that after the resurrection lie will be satisfied with us and we know that we will be satisfied with him.' What á richness of faith and religious life, common to all children of Abraham! What a solid basis for mutual exchanges, collaboration and friendship among them! Together with Jews and Muslims, Christians are called to confess and proclaim the uniqueness of God the Almighty, as clearly as possible. Nevertheless, among all children of Abraham, Christians have a particular understanding of God's uniqueness, based on the person and the work of Christ. The Father of Jesus Christ differs from both the God of the Old Testament and the God of Islam. In reference to both, Jesus Christ revealed something really unprecedented. Pope John Paul II therefore continued his above-mentioned speech in Morocco in this way: 'Loyalty demands also that we should recognise and respect our differences. Obviously, the most fundamental difference is the view that we hold on the person and work of Jesus of Nazareth. You know that, for the Christians, this Jesus causes them to enter into all intimate knowledge of the mystery of God and into a filial communion by his gifts, so that they recognize him and proclaim him Lord and Saviour. Those are important differences, which we can accept with humility and respect, in mutual tolerance: there is a mystery on which, I am certain. God will one day enlighten us'.
What does belong to that "intimate knowledge of the mystery of God", as revealed by Jesus of Nazareth? One can say, as recently written by a theologian,2 that Jesus purified monotheism from a fundamental ambiguity, which arises again and again form monotheism itself. In his famous book The Sacred (1922), Rudolf Otto explained how divine reality is spontaneously experienced as an ambiguous mystery, as a mysterium tremendum et fascinosum, a 'fascinating and frightening mystery'. People spontaneously experience divine reality as a mystery that attracts but also repels, that anoints but also punishes, that comes nearer but also fades away, that can be tender but also violent.
Christian faith has been frequently marked by this ambiguity as well. Many Christians did or do hesitate in front of a God whom they experience at least as frightening and hard, as merciful and faithful. How much violence and aggression Christians, in the name of their own God, have committed! Many sad operations of Christian faithful in the Middle East, some of them dating from the Middle Ages, still darken ecumenical and interreligious relations in that area. According to the Gospels, however, the Father of Jesus Christ was not a 'fascinating and frightening mystery'. Fascinating, yes, but not frightening. In the course of his life and his teaching, Jesus purified theology from any connotation of violence and threat. In doing so, he was probably moved by two motives. The first motive was political. Even among, his own disciples, Jesus was often confronted with Zealots and supporters of the liberation combat against the Roman occupation. Those persons wanted to be instruments of divine justice and truth, reverting to violence, if necessary. Jesus could not take all weapons from their hands; what lie actually did, however, was even more fundamental. He invalidated the religious motive for which they wanted to fight. Surely, on the moral level, Jesus preached a new .and non-violent way of life. But on the theological level he went further. He preached a personally incarnated God who loves without ambiguity, without any shadow of violence or threat. And since his Father knew no violence or threat, Jesus himself refused to have recourse to violence or threat, even when lie was arrested, condemned and crucified. 'Who sees me, sees the Father': humankind would not have seen the Father truly and really, if Jesus had accepted recourse to violence or threat for his own sake. The second reason why Jesus purified theology from any shadow of threat or violence has to do with his own spiritual life and personal prayer. The final and purest expression of Jesus' prayer can be found in the 'Our Father'. From the very beginning of his public ministry, Jesus experienced how God sustained him and remained with him, as a loving Father. As the beloved Son, he recognised in God his loving Father. This awareness increased steadily, through joyful and painful experience, through periods of loneliness and periods of togetherness. It was the source of his public preaching and life. Many pious Jews were shocked by the way Jesus called God his dear Father, his loving Father; they regarded this filial relationship as a desecration of monotheistic faith. In that respect, Jesus became the most fundamental reformer in the history of religion. He purified the monotheistic concept of God from a dark shadow, still hanging over it: a shadow of violence and threat. In order to address a God who loves without ambiguity, he finally used the formula. 'Abba, Father', an expression of pure trust and childlike affection. Jesus thus prepared the words of St John: 'This is the message we have heard from him (Jesus Christ) and proclaim to you, that God is light and in him there is no darkness at all' (1 Jn 1,5): 'Whoever does not love, does not know God, for God is love' (1 Jn 4-8); 'So we have known and believe the love that God has 'for us-. God is love, and those who abide in love abide in God, and God abides in them' (1 Jn 4, 16). Jesus opened the way towards a 'Father in heaven' who 'makes his sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the righteous and on the unrighteous' (Mt 5,45); a 'heavenly father' who is pure kindness and generosity, source of communion and brotherhood. By purifying monotheism, indeed, Jesus brought about a second reform in the history of religion: He likewise purified the concept. of 'brotherhood' from any ambiguity. The concept of 'brotherhood', in fact, remains one of the most ambiguous terms in human vocabulary; it has no- unequivocal meaning 'Brotherhood' sounds very much like particularism — secrecy, protection of interests, defensive or aggressive violence, and sectionalism. In the name of religious brotherhood, people have achieved the holiest aid most beautiful heights, but they have also committed the most sinful and appalling acts. For Christians, however, the concept of 'brotherhood' can only be understood in the light of Jesus Christ: a brotherhood based on God's fatherhood and on the mystery of Incarnation. Since God loves every human being without ambiguity, and particularly since God's Word became a human being in Jesus Christ, his divine light shines on every human face, even on the face of the sinner, the enemy and the persecutor. 'You have heard that it was said, 'You shall love your neighbour and hate your enemies', but I say to you, 'Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, so that you may be children of your Father in heaven' (Mt 5, 43-44). The Christian concept of brotherhood does not permit any violence or threat: it transcends all limits of race culture acid earthly interest. The joyful understanding and the concrete promotion of that brotherhood pertain to the very core of Christianity. How can Christians, belonging to different local churches and communities, bear witness of their Christian faith and live their Christian identity, in this part of the world, which is the Gulf area? Most Christians in the West, when they learn about their brothers and sisters in the Gulf, react with compassion and despair: 'Oh, those poor people!' In comparison with Christians living in other regions or countries, Christians in the Gulf live in a tiny minority position. Civil law and social life are not based on Christian principles, customs or traditions: Direct evangelization is very difficult. Many faithful only stay in this area for a short period. They often feel uprooted, isolated from their own cultural and social background (India, Pakistan, Philippines, Egypt, Europe). Social problems, related to their jobs and their family life, require most of the churches' energy and efforts. Local churches and communities are confronted with their limitations, also. on the ecumenical level. Each community spends much energy in order to assist its own compatriots. Every community tries to preserve the ecclesiastical customs and characteristics of its homeland. Different Christian communities have different ways of dealing with local governments and political authorities. These are real limitations or constraints. Nevertheless, could not Christians in the Gulf say with St. Paul: '... I am content with weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecution and calamities for the sake of Christ, for whenever I am weak; then I am strong' (2 Cor 12,10). Could not local churches and ecclesial communities in the Gulf transform their necessity into strength? Their many limitations, could they not become an incentive to focus on the most fundamental questions, also in ecumenism? To meet God as a loving father and to approach every person as a brother or sister in Christ: this is the shining core of Christian life and accordingly of ecumenism as well. Brother Charles de Foucauld Looking for inspiration in history, the life and work of Brother Charles de Foucauld certainly represents a helpful reference. Charles de Foucauld was born in France in 1858; at the age of six he became an orphan. At the age of sixteen, he lost his Christian faith and started a life of intellectual confusion and material enjoyment. He joined the French army and became a sub-lieutenant. After being discharged from his functions for misbehaviour and disobedience, he joined his regiment anew when they went to Northern Africa for a military camp. This stay in Africa changed his life. The hard conditions he experienced in the desert purified his heart and mind. The affinity he felt with faithful Muslims of the region also led him to inner reflection. As a result of these experiences, he felt a deep religious unrest and an inner spiritual conflict. Finally he rediscovered Christian faith and decided to devote his whole life to Christ. He entered a Trappist abbey in France, but left it very soon to go and live in a poorer and more isolated abbey in Akbes (Syria). But even there he couldn't remain for a long period. Inspired by a deep desire to imitate the humble and hidden life of Jesus, he moved to Nazareth. He lived there from 1897 to 1900, almost as a hermit, in the garden of a religious convent. Ordained as a priest (1901), he decided to return to Northern Africa, to Morocco. With the consent of his superiors, he. later moved to. the Sahara and settled in Beni-Abbes. Knowing the spiritual need of so many tribes and Bedouins in that region, he set out to live there and to proclaim the Gospel 'not by words, but by the presence of the Holy Eucharist, the offering of tile divine sacrifice, prayer, penitence, the practice of the evangelic virtues, charity, a fraternal and universal charity, sharing his bread till the last bite with every poor person, each guest, receiving every unknown human being as his beloved brother'. He named his small and poor hermitage a 'Fraternity of the Sacred Heart of Jesus'. There he realised his vocation, as he summarised it himself : 'I would like to witness the Gospel with all my life. I am the universal Brother'. He finally left Beni-Abbes and moved to the higher Hoggar Mountains, a territory that had been this far closed to Christianity. He settled in Tamanrassat, once again in a small and poor-hermitage. He lived there, in the most modest and humble way, as a 'universal brother'. He spent many hours a day in his small chapel, celebrating the Eucharist, meditating the Sacred Scriptures, adoring Christ in his Eucharistic presence. He studied the local Touareg language, taking a very great quantity of notes in view of future publications. His hermitage was always open to visitors at any time. He didn't travel throughout the desert to visit people, as most missionaries do, but offered hospitality to any guest. In doing so, he gained the trust and esteem of both the French military authorities and the local Touareg population. He put his friendship and his wisdom at the disposal of both. His hermitage was a simple and modest place; it wasn't perceived as a threat by anybody. It was an austere and humble oasis of prayer, hospitality and friendship, in the middle of the desert. Nevertheless, the life of Brother Charles ended in a drammatic way. On 1 December 1916 he was assassinated in his hermitage by a young guard, confused by the sudden arrival of a group of raiders. In his many spiritual writings, Charles de Foucauld described the character and the, purpose of his presence in the desert, living among a non-Christian majority. 'My evangelization must be an evangelization of goodness. Seeing me, they should say: "since this man is so good, his religion must be good"'. If they ask why I am tender and good, I should say: Because I am the servant of someone much better than me. If only you knew how good my Master Jesus is! I would like to be so good that they would say "If that is the servant, how is the Master then?" (1909, p. 383).3 And elsewhere: 'In fact; we do not contribute to the glorification of God, to the work of our Lord, to the salvation of the people by oral predication of the Gospel, we contribute- efficiently to this by bringing to the nations Jesus, who is present. in the Eucharist, Jesus offered in the Holy Sacrifice, the evangelical virtues and the charity of the Heart of Jesus that we try to practice. Since we didn't receive from God the vocation of preaching, we sanctify and preach to the nations in silence, as the Blessed Virgin sanctified and preached in silence to the house of St John, by bearing there Our Lord and by practicing there his virtues' (1899; p.447).4 The end of 19th century and the beginning of the 20th century were glorious times in the history of Christian missionary work. Most Churches were able to send large numbers of missionaries towards territories still without Christian presence. These missionaries were generously helped and supported by their home communities, on a large scale. Wherever, they arrived, they succeeded in. founding well-equipped and well-organised centres of evangelization, education, health care and social work. They also had or took the freedom to preach the Gospel, through several means of teaching and predication. Brother Charles de Foucauld could have done the same, but he did not. He didn't travel around to preach the Gospel, he didn't build any school or hospital. He simply 'lived his personal Christian faith, as honest and authentic as possible, among a non-Christian population. That was his way of proclaiming that God is a loving Father and that all human beings are brothers and sisters in Jesus Christ. He didn't verbally proclaim this; he simply witnessed it with his life, without provoking any fear to anybody. Common Witness Today Certainly, Christian believers do not come to the Gulf as missionaries. They mostly arrive to find a job. Their first interest is not to proclaim Christian faith, but to practice their profession, to support their families and to build a better future for themselves and their children, here or in their homelands, Most of them know that their presence will be limited in time. In brief: they came with their faith, not for their faith. Nevertheless, their presence in the Gulf creates a new situation and a challenge for themselves, for their Christian communities, for their non-Christians colleagues or neighbours. How to approach Christian witness and ecumenism in the Gulf? We can engage in endless discussions, for which times are not yet ready or appropriate. We can also try to return, together, to the very essence of Christian faith and life. 'Seek first the kingdom of heaven, and everything will be given to you'. These words of Jesus are valid, even in ecumenical matters. The unity of all Christians will be given to us, if first we have sought, together, the kingdom of heaven.5 1. The Holy Eucharist
All Christian communities celebrate Eucharist, although in different ways and under different names (Divine Liturgy, Holy Supper, Holy Mass). The main question is not to know how or when it will be possible to celebrate one Eucharist, all together. More important, even in an ecumenical perspective, is the question how the Eucharist might become for each of us a real sharing in the loving presence of Christ and a real experience of boundless brotherhood. Since the very beginning of Christianity, Christians distinguished themselves from the other believers by breaking bread and sharing a cup on the Lord's Day. The mere fact that Christians are known and recognised by non-Christian believers as people who break the same bread and drink from the same cup, on Sunday morning is itself a basic element of Christian witness. The weekly Eucharistic celebration distinguishes Christianity from the other monotheistic religions. Whenever non-Christians ask their Christian friends or neighbours what they practice on Sunday-morning in their churches, let them simply answer that they break the bread and share the cup in remembrance of Jesus' death and resurrection. That answer implicitly contains the essence of Christian faith that Jesus died for our salvation, that he rose from death that he unites all in him, that he is the Bread of Life. Hence, a practical suggestion, in the field of ecumenism. For each of our communities, the Sunday Eucharistic celebration is a highly important moment. Could not local churches and communities prepare a common publication, easily understandable and well illustrated, on their different Eucharistic traditions? Such a publication would certainly help the Christian faithful to understand something essential: that on Sunday morning all Christian faithful, albeit in 'different liturgical rites and traditions, obey the one commandment of Christ: 'Do this in memory of me'. On Sunday morning, let all Christians be aware, with joy and pride, that they celebrate the one mystery of faith. 2. Christian Singing Is there anything more typical of Christian liturgy and celebration, than communal singing? Each ecclesiastical tradition has its own heritage of liturgical hymns, chants of praise and joy, songs of hope and love. In Belgium, on Sunday morning, I like to switch from one European television channel to another, to enjoy different styles of liturgical music. Singing can become an instrument of violence and hate: most soldiers sing while: marching to a battlefield. Many, times in history, indeed, singing has announced dangerous situations. But singing can also express brotherhood and, reconciliation. Genuine love needs more than words, it also needs singing: Is it possible to believe in a God who loves joyful singing? This is not a plea for more common singing among our different communities, although this could be an ecumenical togetherness. The first idea is this: let all Christians be known, in a society with a Muslim majority, as believers who sing. Do we not say that in heaven angels are singing the glory of God, in an unending hymn of praise? To practice our musical traditions, and to enjoy each other's singing, can certainly lead to a better awareness of what it means to believe in a God who is Love and in a boundless brotherhood. Didn't Jesus say: "I have said these things to you so that my joy may be in you, and, that your joy may be complete" (Jn 15, 11)? Knowing the divergent attitude of Muslim faithful regarding religious singing, one could also wonder, if it wouId not be possible to develop. a Christian liturgical singing better according to the traditional musical standards of an Arab or Muslim context. This might be a supplementary challenge in the ecumenical field, an appropriate means for ecumenical collaboration. Many efforts in that direction were already made in some parts of the Middle East. 3. Christian Art Christian churches and communities developed, in the course of time, various types of liturgical and. devotional works of art. 'According to their theology, movements and schools of Christian art developed. A common characteristic of all Christian art, since the very beginning of Christianity, is the acceptance of figurative representations. Although different, icons, biblical pictures and devotional images of holy persons belong to our common ecclesiastical patrimony. These figurative representations have at least one major advantage in that they can give a particular expression to tenderness, charity and love. Icons of the Virgin Mary, holding the child Jesus in her arms, are a wonderful expression of spiritual affinity between the Blessed Virgin and our Saviour Jesus Christ, the incarnate Word of God. Classical images or statues of the pieta, the Blessed Virgin embracing her crucified and deceased Son, are expressions of the tenderness and the compassion with which the church receives the life-giving sacrifice of its Lord and Saviour. Statues representing the Sacred Heart, Jesus showing his loving and wounded heart, are meant to be expressions of a primary element of our faith that God is Love, that his 'love became a human person in Jesus Christ, that love is the very heart of any Christian spirituality. In order to express their faith in a loving God and in a boundless brotherhood, Christians cannot but revert to some figurative representations. They are part of their common heritage. Would it be possible to foster ecumenical collaboration in making traditional and fitting Christian artifacts, images or representations available for the faithful? At the same time, Muslim believers have a particular sensitivity regarding the question of religious figurative art. As no figurative religious images or artistic products are allowed by their religion, for reasons we can only respect, Muslim artists developed a non-figurative religious art. One of their most outstanding religious forms of art was and still is calligraphic art. The most precious words of the Qur'an are written or painted in highly artistic calligraphic way. Taking into account the local context of the Gulf, one wonders if calligraphy could not become a supplementary form of Christian artistic expression. The most beautiful words on God's love for mankind are written by St John and by St Paul. Why couldn't these words be written in beautiful calligraphy, not only in the characters of western languages, but also in Arabic characters? Can we not use calligraphy to express the beauty of God's Love, in a society with a Muslim majority? This might be another field of ecumenical collaboration. 4. Ecumenical pooling of resources and services For most Christian communities and organisations in the Gulf, social and humanitarian help to their faithful is a primary concern. According to the Acts of the Apostles, the apostles themselves already had to organise several forms of local communities, where mutual support was perceived as a distinctive characteristic of Christianity itself. Today, mutual assistance is one of the major fields of ecumenical collaboration. Several paragraphs of the Directory for the Application of Principles and Norms on Ecumenism, published by the Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity, are of particular interest for this region. 'The field of development, which is basically a response to human needs, offers a variety of possibilities for collaboration between the Catholic Church and churches and ecclesial communities at regional, national and local levels. Such collaboration would include, among other things, working for a more just society, for peace for promotion of the rights and dignity of women, and for a more equitable distribution of resources. In this sense, it would be possible to provide joint services for the poor; the sick, the handicapped, the aged acid all who suffer because of unjust "structures of sin". Cooperation in this field is encouraged particularly in places where there is. a high concentration of population with serious consequences for housing, food, water, clothing, sanitation and medical care, An important aspect of collaboration in this fled would be in dealing with the problem of migrants, refugees, and victims of natural catastrophes. In world emergencies, the Catholic Church encourages the pooling of resources and services with international organisations of churches and ecclesial communities, for reasons of efficiency and to reduce costs. It likewise encourages ecumenical collaboration with international organisations that specialise in these concerns' (n. 215). Let it be clear, in a society with a non-Christian majority, that Christians believe in a boundless brotherhood and really take care of one another. The many initiatives, undertaken by the Middle East Council of Churches in favour of an ecumenical pooling of resources and services in the Gulf area, are a good example of this. 5. Human and Christian Dignity But, even in the area of solidarity, there are limitations. What can an 'ecumenical pooling of resources and services' ever signify in comparison with the financial mainstreams in the Gulf? Last week, when I told a friend that I had to give a conference in the Gulf, the first thing he told me was, 'Oh do not miss the opportunity to by some jewelry over there! You know, gold is nowhere as cheap as in the Gulf; since many emirates can live without taxes, thanks to the income from petroleum'. Also in the Gulf, Christian and ecumenical solidarity is small change in comparison with the large amounts of money spent on some luxury investments, even in the sector of religion. How can Christian people be assisted in manteining their human and Christian people even when confronted with their common social or financial weakness? Cardinal Joseph Cardijn, the founder of the international 'Young Catholic Workers Movement' used to say to young workers Every single young worker counts more than all the gold of the world. To offer financial, material or juridical help is one thing. To sustain people's self-esteem or self-respect is another thing. This certainly represents a supplementary ecumenical challenge. How can churches and ecclesial communities sustain their people's self respect and pride, based on their common faith? Even in subordinate or inferior functions, all persons equally are children of God. His glory equally shines over their lives, no matter how prestigious or humble their social position or professional activity may be. How could churches and ecclesial communities in the Gulf collaborate in sustaining this fundamental element of Christian faith? How could they strengthen peaceful self-respect and non-violent self-esteem, based on Christian faith, even and especially among; the most humble and defenceless of their faithful? 6. Oases of Friendship Brother Charles de Foucauld called his small and poor, hermitage a 'fraternity', a humble room for brotherhood and friendship, among Christians and non-Christians. In the middle of the desert, he simple wanted to be 'the universal brother'. For that purpose, he' did not organise meetings or conferences. He deliberately avoided any initiative or action, which might have been experienced as threatening or humiliating by the non-Christians. Yet, he did not hide his Christian identity. On the contrary, he tried to deepen this as much as possible. Only by so doing, could he become 'the universal brother' he wanted to be. His hermitage really became a small 'oasis of friendship' between Christians and non-Christians. And friendship, according to his deep conviction, was sacred, a sacred reflection of God's love for all human beings. The dialogue between Christianity and Islam will certainly become a major challenge of the new millennium. No dialogue, however, has a chance, unless it is based on friendship and mutual trust. How can personal trust and friendship be improved, where Christians and Muslims are living together, day after day? Many countries in the Middle East have a long experience in this living together. The Gulf, however, has a particular position in that respect. The growing presence of several churches and ecclesial communities in this specific region, is a rather recent phenomenon. This creates advantages and disadvantages the disadvantage that personal relations and exchanges between Christians and Muslims still have to make a real start, sometimes a difficult start; the advantage that Christians can face this new challenge, afresh, on an ecumenical basis. New 'oases of friendship' between Christians and Muslims should be promoted in the Gulf, on an ecumenical basis. Why should we extend ecclesiastical fractures and divisions into our local relations with the Muslim faithful? Of course, we have to be realistic. Local relations between Christians and Muslims in the Gulf will be influenced; sometimes even determined, by many non-religious factors, related to economical, financial, social or cultural differences among the faithful of both religions. On the other hand, the more the Gulf area will develop and broaden its economical activities; the more faithful of all three monotheistic religions will collaborate here in the field of research, industry, trade, education and medical care. Some faithful, who are only colleagues at work, will certainly become friends at home. Their friendship will open new perspective. Only through friendship and trust, in fact, on a personal or familiar level, can old memories be healed and new bridges can be built. What can churches and ecclesial communities do to multiply such 'oases of friendship' in the Gulf? We could provide correct and respectful information on Islam to Christians and on Christianity to the Muslim? How can we help those highly skilled and qualified members of our communities to deepen their relations with Muslim colleagues and friends? This would certainly benefit them and, in the long term, their religious communities. Let me conclude with the words of Brother Charles de Founcauld. Ecumenical collaboration and friendship in the Gulf doesn't have any purpose but a common witness to our Lord and Saviour 'not by words, but by the presence of the Holy Eucharist, the, offering of the divine sacrifice, prayer, penitence, the practice of the evangelical virtues, charity, a fraternal and universal charity, sharing his bread till the last bit with every poor person, every guest, everyone unknown, and receiving every human being as his beloved brother'.
Dialogue is only possible between people who remain what they are, and who speak the truth. Albert Camus
Ref.: Focus, Vol. 31, n. 3, 2001. |