Dear Friends,
We live in a world where religion plays a significant role in our lives. Each religion bears the truth in varied expressions and practices. Our global context is pluri-religious and pluri-cultural confronted with acute poverty. With multifaceted religiosity and cultures, what can sanctify human beings in our war-stricken, hunger-ridden, and exploitation-laden world is JUSTICE, PEACE AND RECONCILIATION. In other words, harmonious living as genuine human beings irrespective of religious and cultural differences.
The South Asian Conference is confronted with a great paradox. While there are many adherents to organized religions, some followers see religions as a danger because of religious fanaticism, fundamentalism and terrorism associated with a perverted form of Islam in many countries, Hinduism in India, and Buddhism in Srilanka & Myanmar.
This paradox reveals religion's capacity for the best as well as the worst. They can serve holiness or alienation. They can preach peace or war. Yet, it is always necessary to explain that it is not the religions themselves that wage war but rather their followers. Hence, the need to conjugate faith with reason. We need dialogue more than ever in these troubled times. To address some of these burning issues as well as equip ourselves with analytical tools and practical ways of conducting inter faith dialogue, we have Fr Victor Edwin SJ to help us. He is a specialist in Islam and has recently published two books of international reputation.
The purpose of the webinar is to know practical ways of dialogue in our life situations (pastoral, educational and Social). This webinar also will help us to develop practical toolkit/handbook (this is also the wish/dream of Victor Edwin) for pastors, religious and laity to organise and carry on InterFaith Dialogues in our parishes, educational institutions and social sectors. (It could be prayer services, meetings, functions, inter-festival participation, building harmonious meetings, creating a culture of inter-religious harmony etc at the level of life than theology or coming together of experts). Let us Dialogue among ourselves and with our sisters and brothers of other faiths, honestly and free ourselves from prejudices.
I cordially invite you and your close collaborators to this enriching webinar. See you all for a dialogue of life today 23rd August 2021 at 6.00pm.
Please share the link with people of other faiths in your Educational, Social and other sectors of religious engagement.
Yours in dialogue,
Arun Kumar SJ
Secretary for the Service of Faith
Topic: Dialogue of Life: Challenges and Opportunities in Our Troubled TimesResource Person: Fr Victor Edwin SJ
Moderator: Fr Xavier Theramel SJ
Date: 23-8-2021
Time: 6.00pm -7.30pm
Day: Monday
Participants: Jesuit Pastors, People of different Faiths and Religious
Meeting ID: 879 3113 1223
Passcode: 540488
Webinar Report
The Secretariat for the Service of Faith [SoF] organized a webinar on Dialogue of Life: Challenges and Opportunities in Our Troubled Times on 23 August 2021 with Joseph Victor Edwin SJ as the resource person. Fr. Arun Kumar SJ, Secretary, JSF in his opening remarks pointed out that we live live in a world where religion plays a significant role in our lives. Each religion bears the truth in varied expressions and practices. Religions instead of enabling people to live harmony and peace have often become source for conflict, violence and bloodshed. Practitioners of diverse faiths must move from hostility for one another and open themselves for the lights from different sources. Fr. Xavier Tharamel SJ moderated the session.
Victor Edwin noted that dialogue of life demands people to strive to live in an open and neighborly spirit, sharing their joys and sorrows, their human problems and preoccupations. He further pointed out that dialogue of life is founded on Peace, Justice, Life and Truth. He reminded his listeners the words of Pope Paul VI [If you want peace work for justice] and Pope John Paul II [If you want peace, work for justice. If you want justice, defend life. If you want life, embrace truth …].
A balanced attitude, Religious conviction, and Openness to truth must mark the life of one who is engaged in dialogue. He further affirmed that sincerity of interreligious dialogue requires that each enters into it with the integrity of his or her own faith. At the same time, we must remember that God has also manifested himself in some way to the followers of other religious traditions. We must not forget, he said that … truth is not a thing we possess, but a person by whom we must allow ourselves to be possessed. Insufficient grounding in one's own faith, Insufficient knowledge about others and polemical spirit chock and obstruct dialogue of life, he mentioned. Pope Francis is a beautiful model for us, he pointed out. Like him, we can must ‘go forth’ knowing that that the Lord has taken the initiative, that he has loved us first (cf. 1 John 4:19), and therefore we can move forward.
ARUN KUMAR SJ
SECRETARY, SOF
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