LESSON 41
DIALOGUE & MISSION

The term "dialogue" was made known to the Church by Paul VI in the encyclical Ecclesiam Suam (6 August 1964). Since that time, it has been frequently used in the Council and other Church teachings. It means not only discussion, but also includes all positive and constructive inter-religious relations with individuals and communities of other faiths which are directed at mutual understanding and enrichment.

Mission is the Church's communication of God's saving love that has been revealed and communicated to mankind in Christ and is present and active throughout the world by means of the Holy Spirit. For every Christian, missionary duty is the normal expression of his lived faith. Missionary activity includes: 1) working for the extension of the Kingdom and its values among all men and women, such as social justice, liberty and the rights of man, and the reform of unjust social structures; 2) liturgical life, prayer and contemplation; 3) dialogue in which Christians meet the followers of other religious traditions in order to walk together towards truth and to work together in projects of common concern; 4) announcement and catechesis in which the good news of the Gospel is proclaimed, its consequences for life and culture are analysed and the Church is established.

St. Francis of Assisi said that those who "through divine inspiration would desire to go among the Muslims can establish spiritual contact with them in two ways: The first do not raise arguments and disputes, but rather are subject to every human creature for the love of God and confess themselves to be Christians. Others, when they see that it would be pleasing to the Lord, announce the word of God".

Any missionary should love and respect all that is good in the culture and the religious commitment of the other, out of "respect for everything which the Spirit, who blows where he wills, has produced in man" (RH 12). The fact that Christian mission can never be separated from love and respect for others is proof for Christians of the place of dialogue within that mission.

Dialogue does not grow out of opportunism or tactics of the moment, but arises from reasons which experience and reflection, and even the difficulties themselves, have deepened. The Church feels itself called to dialogue principally because of its faith. It has the duty of discovering and bringing to light and fullness all the richness which the Father has hidden in creation and history, not only by celebrating the glory of God in its liturgy but also by promoting among all mankind the movement of the gifts of the Father. Christ is the Word who enlightens everyone and the Redeemer present with grace in every human encounter. The Holy Spirit acts in the depth of people's consciences and accompanies them on the secret path of hearts towards the truth, both anticipating and accompanying the path of the Church.

Vatican II urged Christians "to be joined to the people of their time by esteem and love, and acknowledge themselves to be members of the group of people among whom they live. Let them share in cultural and social life by the various exchanges and enterprises of human living. Thus, they ought to know well the religious and cultural traditions of others, happy to discover and ready to respect seeds of the Word which are hidden in them... As Christ himself,.. so also His disciples should know the people among whom they live and should establish contact with them, to learn by sincere and patient dialogue what treasures a bountiful God has distributed among the nations of the earth. At the same time, let them try to illuminate these treasures with the light of the gospel, to set them free, and to bring them under the dominion of God their Saviour" (AG 11).

Before all else, dialogue is a manner of acting, an attitude and a spirit which guides one's conduct. It implies concern, respect, and hospitality towards the other. It leaves room for the other person's identity, his modes of expression, and his values. Dialogue is thus the norm and necessary manner of every form of Christian mission, as well as of every aspect of it, whether one speaks of simple presence and witness, service, or direct proclamation. Any sense of mission not permeated by such a dialogical spirit would go against the demands of true humanity and against the teachings of the Gospel. There are various kinds of dialogue:

  1. Every follower of Christ, by reason of his human and Christian vocation, is called to live dialogue in his daily life, whether he finds himself in a majority situation or in that of a minority. He ought to bring the spirit of the Gospel into any environment in which he lives and works, that of family, social,, educational, artistic, economic, or political life. Dialogue thus finds its place in the great dynamism of the Church's mission.

  2. A further level of dialogue is that of deeds and collaboration with others for goals of a humanitarian, social, economic, or political nature which are directed towards the liberation and advancement of mankind. This kind of dialogue often occurs today in the context of international organizations, where Christians and the followers of other religions confront together the problems of the world.

  3. Of particular interest is dialogue at the level of specialists, whether it be to confront, deepen, and enrich their respective religious heritages or to apply something of their expertise to the problems which must be faced by mankind in the course of its history. Such a dialogue normally occurs where one's partner already has his own vision of the world and adheres to a religion which inspires him to action. This is more easily accomplished in pluralistic societies where diverse traditions and ideologies coexist and sometimes come in contact.

  4. At a deeper level, persons rooted in their own religious traditions can share their experiences of prayer, contemplation, faith, and duty, as well as their expressions and ways of searching for the Absolute. This type of dialogue can be a mutual enrichment and fruitful cooperation for promoting and preserving the highest values and spiritual ideals of man. It leads naturally to each partner communicating to the other the reasons for his own faith. The sometimes profound differences between the faiths do not prevent this dialogue. Those differences, rather, must be referred back in humility and confidence to God who "is greater than our heart" (1 John 3:20). In this way also, the Christian has the opportunity of offering to the other the possibility of experimenting in an existential way with the values of the Gospel.

Missionary proclamation has conversion as its goal: "that non-Christians be freely converted to the Lord under the action of the Holy Spirit who opens their hearts so that they may adhere to Him" (AG 13). Conversion is the humble and penitent return of the heart to God in the desire to submit one's life more generously to Him. All persons are constantly called to this conversion. In the course of this process, the decision may be made to leave one's previous spiritual or religious situation in order to direct oneself towards another. Thus, for example, from a particular love the heart can open itself to one that is more universal. "Every conversion is the work of grace, in which a person ought to fully find himself again" (RH 12).

In the Christian view, the principal agent of conversion is not man, but the Holy Spirit. "It is He who drives one to announce the Gospel and in the depths of one's conscience makes one welcome and understand the word of salvation" (EN 75). It is He who determines the movement of hearts and gives rise to the act of faith in Jesus the Lord (1 Cor. 2:4). The Christian is but a simple instrument and co-worker of God (1 Cor. 3:9).

In dialogue also, the Christian normally nourishes in his heart the desire of sharing his experience of Christ with his brother of another religion (cf. Acts 26:29; ES 46). On the other hand, it is natural that another believer would similarly desire to share his faith. It is the Holy Spirit who directs the carrying out of God's design in the history of individuals and all humanity until the time when God's children who are dispersed by sin will be reunited as one (cf. John 11:52). God alone knows those days, He to whom nothing is impossible, He whose mysterious and silent Spirit opens the paths of dialogue to individuals and peoples in order to overcome racial, social, and religious differences and to bring mutual enrichment. We live therefore in the age of the patience of God for the Church and every Christian community, for no one can oblige God to act more quickly than He has chosen to do. In the meantime we should radiate a Christianity open to awaiting in patience the maturation of the seeds sown in tears and in trust (cf. James 5:7-8; Mark 4:26-3O).

QUESTIONS

  1. Explain principal aim of mission and the various forms that it can take.
  2. Discuss the meaning and foundation of dialogue.
  3. Discuss the various kinds of dialogue and which is best for your situation.
  4. Discuss how dialogue and mission can be harmonized.
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