By Leon Bent –
On October 1, 1517, Martin Luther defiantly nailed a copy of his 95 Theses to the door of the Wittenberg Castle church in Germany. It ended up in a division of the Church into different denominations. On its 500th Anniversary, with numerous Christian denominations celebrated, Pope Francis declared that all Christians must work together in Dialogue towards the prayer of Jesus for unity: “May all be one…so that the world may believe” (cf. Jn.17:21).
Unity is not the fruit of human effort or the product of diplomacy. It is a “gift that comes from above.” Unity is not uniformity, either. Differences of religious and cultural notions are a wealth and not a threat to unity. Unity is not even absorption….We must acknowledge we are sisters and brothers, who believe in one Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ (zenith.org).
At a Focolare Inter-Religious initiative and active participation of Spiritual Leaders, Dr. A.K. Merchant, National Trustee of the Lotus Temple and Baha’i Community of India said: “We need a renaissance of religion today, where people can rediscover faith in all its pristine purity.”
The Director-General of UNESCO, the UN Permanent Observer of the Holy See and the Focolare Movement jointly sponsored a forum entitled: “Reinventing Peace: Education Towards a Humanism Based on the Unity of the Human Family,” explained, “ Peace is not a theory, nor a dream; it is a commitment and a choice; an invitation to everyone to be bearers of peace.” This is what Maria Voce, President of the Focolare Movement, read: “Peace is certainly a gift of God, but it is also the outcome of choices people make, and, therefore, something each one of us can contribute to daily…through small steps and concrete gestures.”
The only solution is to engage in dialogue processes involving different cultures, different faiths, different world views, aimed at mutual recognition, international cooperation, the promotion of solidarity and the common good. These are the characteristics of a community based on a lifestyle that seeks unity.
What does Dialogue of this nature entail? Dialogue is “Love that beats in the depths of every human heart. For the followers of Christ this may mean agape – a participation in the Love Circle of the Blessed Trinity….For those of other religions persuasions it is benevolence ; for those who do not entertain religious beliefs, it can mean philanthropy, solidarity, non-violence. We must decide to live in dialogue to bring about Universal sisterhood and brotherhood. Dialogue is the new culture of the contemporary world.
Way back in 1947, Chiara Lubic uttered prophetically: “We must keep our gaze fixed on the one Father of countless children, and then consider all people as children of that one Father, God!” Dialogue must be sustained by and imbued with mercy, compassion and charity. We have only one thing, in fact, that is necessary: to love. It is the Holy Spirit in us who can help us respond.
Love and mercy are the foundation of dialogue. They not only help us to see our neighbour in good light, but help us discover diversity as a gift. “The person next to me was created as a gift for me, and I was created as a gift for the person by my side. In this world, all things are in a relationship of love. In and through love we discover the golden thread that weaves and interlinks together all that exists” (Maria Voce on 5th May, 2017, in Malta).
Archbishop Felix Machado, Bishop of Vasai Diocese, a former Under-Secretary in the Vatican’s Pontifical Council for Inter-Religious Dialogue, and my contemporary in the Seminary and friend, shares how he received grace from on high to fulfil has great task. He says emphatically: “I am inspired by St. Pope John XXIII, who used to kneel in prayer after a long, hard day saying, ‘Lord, I’ve done my best. This is your Church (your World), you are in command now.’ As human beings we have a tendency to be impatient, but God isn’t. And, hence, it is our duty to be Christ-like in loving, forgiving and continuing to believe in universal brotherhood and sisterhood, even when we are greeted by a dark and menacing world, in our march towards establishing peace and harmony in a world torn apart by anti-religious sentiments, terrorism in the name of religion and bloodshed and massacre on an incredible scale. Our world leaders always believe that “peace is secured through the barrel of a gun,” an age-old saying which is being dastardly and murderously lived out, even today. In fact, more so, in the post-Modern Era!
On her journey through the path of Unity, Chiara Lubic made it clear through her many writings that, the key point of the spirituality of Unity is “Jesus Crucified and Forsaken!” God has poured a great passion into my heart: him, crucified and forsaken! From the height of the Cross he tells me: “I let everything of mine fade away…everything! I am no longer beautiful, or strong; I have no peace here; justice is dead; truth has vanished. All that is left is my Love, which to pour out for you the riches of God…This is how he speaks to me…to follow him…he is my Passion!”
“The mystery of Jesus forsaken is very important for living in unity. In his abandonment and total self-surrender to the Father’s will, Jesus shows us the way to overcome disunity, however stretched and threadbare it may be. If we live and suffer like Jesus, we will never find separation from any other person or from God, as Jesus experienced in an unparalleled manner. In his dying moments, after colossal pain and agony, Jesus’ last cry from the Cross was: “Into your hands I commend my spirit!”(Lk. 23:4). If we desire this Godly level of unity we too must lose everything for the sake of unity! Jesus said: “When I am lifted up from the earth, I will draw all people to myself” (Jn.12:32), that is, I will make everything one!
And, this final flourish from Thich Nhat Hanh, Nobel Peace Prize winner in 1967, world-renowned Buddhist Zen master, spiritual leader and peace activist: “Peace is every step. It turns the endless path to joy.” This summarizes the essence of this great thinker and humane person. Peace is not external, or to be sought after or attained. Quite mystically, it is slowing down and enjoying each step, and each breath. Peace is already present in each step, and if we walk in this way, a flower will bloom under our feet with every step. In fact, the flowers along the way, will smile at us and wish us well on our way to the “One Father of ALL humanity!”
Leon Bent is an ex-Seminarian and studied the Liberal Arts and Humanities, and Philosophy, from St. Pius X College, Mumbai. He holds Masters Degree in English Literature and Aesthetics. He has published three Books and have 20 on the anvil. He has two extensively “Researched” Volumes to his name: Hail Full of Grace and Matrimony: The Thousand Faces of Love. He won The Examiner, Silver Pen Award, 2000 for writing on Social Issues, the clincher being a Researched Article on Gypsies in India, published in an issue of the (worldwide circulation) Vidyajyoti Journal of Theological Reflection, New Delhi. On April, 28, 2018, Leon received the Cardinal Ivan Dias Award for a research paper in Mariology.