17th National Biblical Workshop Chali Beach Resort, Zone 3, Cugman, Cagayan de Oro City

1. 17th National Biblical WorkshopChali Beach Resort, Zone 3, Cugman, Cagayan de Oro City Theme: The Word of God-Source of Justice, Reconciliation and Peace

2. “Inter-Religious Dialogue, A Christian Perspective”

3. “The foundation of the Church commitment to dialogue is not merely anthropological, but primarily theological. God in an age long dialogue, has offered and continues to offer salvation to humankind. In faithfulness to the Divine Initiative, the church, too must enter into a dialogue of salvation with all men and women.” (Dialogue Proclamation, 38)

4. Our understanding of Justice Reconciliation and Peace can be best understood in our search into the meaning of inter-religious dialogue in the Word of God. (in the Bible).

5. 1. The God of All in the Bible

6. Christians today are invited to read again the Bible with the “mind and heart” of God’s Dialogue. Understanding the work of God in humanity is an act of Faith. Some parts of the Bible may seem to contradict the concept of dialogue. But in dialogue, we start from the understanding of the unifying action of God, even when it is not clear to us.

7. In dialogue, Christians apply the simple principle that God cannot contradict himself and because God is love dialogue is a manifestation of God’s love, then there must be a consistent action of love and dialogue in God.

8. Another point in understanding dialogue through the Bible, is to see the continuity of God’s dialogue from the Old Testament to the New Testament. However, for the Christians, there is the gradual revelation of God’s dialogue, centered in Jesus Christ’s teachings, life death and resurrection.

9. 1.1 Old Testament (OT)

10. The Bible starts saying that all people are created by God (Gen. 1:27) • Book of Wisdom Chapter 1 to 19 • Joseph and his brothers story ( Gen. 37 to 50 )

11. Ps. 67/66, 1-5 “Let the nations praise you, O God, let all the nations praise you! Let the nations shout and sing for you. Since you dispense true justice to the world; You dispense strict justice to the people. On earth you rule the nation”

12. 1.2 New Testament (NT)

13. In the NT, Jesus puts emphasis on God’s love for all, the love for one another, the faith of people outside Israel, the importance of solidarity and many other people points that help Christians promote inter-religious dialogue:

14. Jesus admired the faith of the Roman Officer who asked him to cure the servant ( Mt. 8, 5-13) • Jesus pointed out the faith of the Canaanite woman in asking him to cure her daughter (Mt. 15, 21-28)

15. Jesus presented the Parable of the Good Samaritan (Lk. 10: 25-37) • Jesus invited the Samaritan woman to worship in spirit and truth (Jn 4:24)

16. Some quotations that can be searched for Inter-Religious dialogue elements in the NT are: • God is love ( 1 Jn 4:16 ) • He (God) wants everyone to be saved and reach full knowledge of the truth ( 1 Tim 2,4 )

17. God has revealed his grace to the salvation of all (Titus 2, 11) see also Mt. 18, 10-14; Rm. 12, 17-21; Eph. 4, 22-32’ Ph. 2, 1-4, 2 Tm. 2, 14-26; Ps 3, 13-16; Rm 11, 11-32; • Each one of you must judge himself soberly and the standard of the faith God has given you (Rom. 12, 3)

18. Leave that the Lord comes: he will light up all hidden in the dark and reveal the secret intentions of man’s heart. Then will be the time for each one to have whatever praise he deserves from God. ( 1 Cor. 4, 5) • To love with all your heart, with all your understanding and strength, and to love your neighbor as yourself, this is far more important than any holocaust or sacrifice. (Mk. 12, 33)

19. Among Jesus’ message and teachings, we can give special attention to the following basic ones:

20. “ Which commandment is the most important of all? This is the most important one, Jesus said, Listen Israel! The Lord Our God is the only Lord. You must love the Lord your God with all your soul, with all your mind and with all your strength. The second most important commandment is this; you must love your fellowman as yourself. There is no other commandment more important than these two. “ (Mk. 12, 28-31)

21. “ You have heard it said, an eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth. But now, I tell you: do not take revenge on someone who does you wrong. If anyone slaps you on the right cheek, let him slap your left cheek too. And if someone takes you to court to sue for your shirt, let him have your coat as well. And if one of the occupation troops forces you to carry his pack one mile, carry it another mile, when someone asks you for something, lend it to him.

22. You have heard that it was said; love your enemies and pray for those who persecuted you, so that you will become the sons of your Father in heaven. For he makes his sun to shine on the good and the bad people alike, and gives rain to those who do good and those who do evil. Why should God reward you if you love only the people who love you? Even the tax collectors do that, “ Even the pagans do that! You must be perfect just as your Father in heaven is perfect ( Matthew 5: 38-48 )

23. 2. Rediscovering God’s Dialogue in the Bible

24. In the history of Christian spirituality one can discover the richness of the expressions of GOD. The challenge for Christian now is to see the manifestation of GOD in the Holy Bible, in the light of DIALOGUE and to understand more the style of God as a God of dialogue. This will encourage Christians to experience dialogue as a spirituality.

25. Christians often repeat the expression: “GOD is Love “ ( 1 Jn. 4, 16 ) But who is this love manifested? The Christian Faith presents God with different names, one of these is EMMANUEL ( God with us ). The relation of God with us is an expression of his love, because God is compassionate. This word does not mean that God pities us, but that He loves us.

26. The Lord is compassionate and gracious God, slow to anger and rich in Kindness and Fidelity ( Ex. 34, 6 ).

27. In the Hebrew language the word “Compassion” is “rahamir”. This word is taken from the word “womb of woman”. Thus the compassionate God is a loving God, like a mother who loves the child of her womb nourishing, giving life.

28. It is a very feminine and motherly term and denotes the ability to suffer with, to enter deeply into a situation, to be filled with empathy, as if one is experiencing the situation personally and not as an observer. The word really means to be able to share the sufferings and pains of others and also to experience their joy and happiness as if they are all happening personally.

29. The word as applied to God comprehensible also to those who know, with all the fibers of their being, in total self surrender and with passion, the meaning of unconditional love.

30. This concept is well expressed in the Bible by Isaiah 49, 14-16: • “Can a woman forget the baby and not love the child she love? Even if a mother should forget her child, I will never forget you. I have written your name on the palms of my hands.” • A mother who brings forth a child with love into this world, is the best expression of the love of God.

31. The Christian Faith presents the love of God in different stages. • The major ones are: God in communion: Trinity God manifesting his love through Creation God sharing his messages through Revelation God sharing his life through Incarnation; and

32. 2.1 Trinity

33. In the Ten Commandments it is clear that God is one and Christians believe in it. In the Trinity there is a dynamic life that cannot be expressed in human language. There is a perfect love and dialogue that can be expressed as God’s Dialogue “Ad-intra”, inside the mystery of the Trinity. God is alive and is in the attitude of sharing inside and outside.

34. This doctrine of the Trinity is openly expressed in the New Testament. One example in the Old Testament is the encounter of the three visitors with Abraham anticipating that he will have a son. Jesus talks often of the Father, and the Holy Spirit and the perfect unity among them. It was a language misunderstood even by the people close to him.

35. Christians believe in this mystery because they believe in Jesus Christ’s message. It is an act faith like many acts of faith that Christians are called to do. To have an idea of the mystery of the Trinity, we can use the example of “fire”. All of us have experience of the fire. And we know that the fire is one, but it has three basic qualities; the quality of light, the quality of heat, and the quality of burning.

36. Although we experience the three qualities of the fire, we say the fire is one, something similar happens in the mystery of the Trinity. For this reason, perhaps, in the Bible and in other religious traditions, fire is considered a sign in other religious traditions, fire is considered a sign of Divinity.

37. In a special way it reminds us of the “Burning Fire” of the mystical experience of Moses. Christians can recall many other events where God manifested himself in the Fire. One of these special presence was in the occasion of the Pentecost when the Apostles received the Holy Spirit in the form of fire.

38. 2.2 Creation

39. Creation is the most tangible sign of the dialogue of God with humanity. It is a simple language that people understand. God in a certain moment of time decided to share outside, his love. This can be considered as God’s Dialogue, Ad Extra. At the beginning of the Bible we read “God created heaven and earth (Gen. 1,1)

40. Humanity is part of, and is responsible for this creation according to the plan of God”. From this point of view, ecology for the Christian is not only a social commitment, but a spiritual way of entering into dialogue with creation according to the will of God.

41. 2.3 Revelation

42. Another source of God’s dialogue which Christians can contemplate, is revelation. God in his love planned to be closer to humanity, sharing his message and guiding his people to the Kingdom. The mystery of suffering and sin are signs of an encounter of God in different ways.

43. Revelation is a record of events and messages that God wants to share with the people. Revelation is contained in the Bible, although Christians believe that God has spoken at different times and in different ways “and continue to talk to humanity through the people and events.

44. 2.4 Incarnation

45. For the Christians, Incarnation is God’s mysterious way of getting closer to humanity and of establishing a deeper dialogue with us through Jesus Christ. People of different religions, and Christians, as well, find this mystery of the incarnation as something beyond human expectations.

46. But nothing is impossible to God. He was born poor and died on the cross, but on the third day he rose again and ascended to heaven and he will come again. The whole life of Jesus was a great sign of dialogue and his teaching was about love.

47. 3. Spirituality of Life-in-Dialogue

48. Upon discovering God’s Dialogue in the Holy Bible a Christian is called to answer to God’s dialogue with a life-in-dialogue with God, with oneself, with others and with Creation. This answer with life, becomes an experience of faith that we call spirituality of life-in-dialogue.

49. Teaching and Praxis of Christians in Dialogue

50. Dialogue starts from God and brings people back to God. • Inter-cultural and inter-religious dialogue is a new horizon in Christian life and spirituality. It helps to meet the human and spiritual aspirations of humanity expressed in different culture and religions