Browse past isues
Help the mission
Support the mission
Get in touch
Beauty and greatness can be found in very simple surroundings, in little flashes of insights and in a lot of small loving gestures by very common people. That is a lesson we could learn easily in our daily life – either in a garden nearby or, if you have the luck to visit an African mission, in the driest place on Earth. This reminds me that our great God is also a God of small things.
Seon meditation, a form of meditative prayer, is focused on the continuing dialogue between God and the individual. The purpose of the dialogue is to develop a better relationship between the individual, the inner self, and God. The better one listens, the better the relationship. When God spoke to Jesus, Jesus attentively listened. And, when Jesus spoke, God listened to His favorite Son. Engaging in Seon means seeking to answer the questions: “Who is this God?” and “Who am I?” This ongoing struggle with one’s self is a constant practice of Seon.
Part of Trappist monk and writer Thomas Merton’s enduring appeal is surely the presentation, in his writings, of a contemporary human soul struggling with the challenges of his time, yearning to live in God’s presence, constantly in touch with the illumination that is the life of Christ. He wrote: “Christianity should make us more visibly human, passionately concerned with all the good that wants to grow in the world and cannot grow without our concern.”
In times of religious and cultural clashes, it is possible to find in the experience and vision of mystics a bridge over troubled waters. For instance, the basic points of the Islamic spirituality are similar to the Christian spirituality. To use a metaphor, we can imagine Christian and Muslim “pilgrims” working together toward a common goal. Both can be considered “pilgrims” as they follow the same path of a common spiritual journey.
Mary is the model of interreligious dialogue, because she carries with herself the fundamental and unrenounceable aspects of human communication. The Blessed Virgin Mary represents the meeting point in the interreligious dialogue both because of the place she occupies in Christianity, Judaism and Islam, and because of the analogies of her figure and the outstanding personalities of other religions.
Asia is in pieces due to prolonged conflicts. Poverty is skyrocketing. Corrupt politicians suck the economic blood of the nations to better themselves. The poor man is lying on the road unattended, dying… unless a Good Samaritan comes along. The Crucified Jesus is all over the continent, still hanging on the cross. He is hungry, He is thirsty, He has become a stranger in His own continent, He is without clothes, He is sick, and He is in prison. Thus, today, above all, Buddhists, Christians, Hindus and Muslims ought to undergo a conversion. The real enemy is not true religions but evil structures which exploit and enslave women and men of our age.
Jesus didn’t answer the question. It is very complex and requires the answer to a previous question: “What is salvation?” The issue is a mystery and should be approached with humility. For Jesus, however, salvation is a gift from God that can be achieved by denying ourselves, following His example, for the benefit of all.
Missionary activity finds its own ultimate goal in personal, social and cosmic salvation from all experiences and effects of the mystery of evil. A liberation which depends always on the presence and action of Jesus – be it explicit or implicit. Mission is always at the service of the fullness of life to be proclaimed, to be spearheaded, to be proposed in its totality and globality here and hereafter. A fullness whose paradigm is the Risen Christ. Mission cannot but serve reconciliation and promotion of communion and solidarity among all human groups, religions, genders and classes.
Christians and Muslims are not in total agreement with all their beliefs about Mary. Yet, this should not prevent them from nurturing a deep and mutual reverence for Mary as “Our Lady.” Beginning with common elements, these two great monotheistic religions can grow closer together; Mary can be one bridge to closer fellowship.
Mary is a real woman who knows how to reflect and speak, listen or take the initiative, weep or rejoice. In short, her history brings her nearer to us. It is in Mary’s own struggles and her journey in faith that many people today find strength and consolation.
