It is providential for me to write this article while the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines wants the Church to focus its attention on ecumenical and interreligious dialogue, in preparation for the celebration of the fifth centenary of Christianity in the Philippines. In fact, one can wonder why the Church is launching activities such as interreligious dialogue to the point of dedicating a special year to it in a peculiar moment of preparation for the five-hundred years of Christianity in the Philippines.
The pristine position that Interreligious Dialogue takes in the Church’s mission, urges us to go back to Jesus whose mission is carried out today by the Church. This article tries to present how Jesus Christ, the Word made flesh is the interreligiously dialogical, so that his Mission may be pursued by the Church even through interreligious dialogue. Indeed, in Ecclesia in Asia, pope John Paul II states dialogue as one of the various aspects and elements of evangelization which represents today a reality that is rich and dynamic. Giving sense to dialogue, the pope continues saying that «The desire for dialogue is not simply a strategy for peaceful coexistence among peoples; but it is an essential part of the Church's mission because it has its origin in the Father's loving dialogue of salvation with humanity through the Son in the power of the Holy Spirit. The Church can accomplish her mission only in a way that corresponds to the way in which God acted in Jesus Christ: he became man, shared our human life and spoke in a human language to communicate his saving message.»[1]
By studying the data of revelation as well as the tradition of the fathers of the Church, one can grasp that the plan of God for humanity starts with Jesus Christ, the Logos «through whom and for whom all things were created» (see Col 1:16). In this we contemplate the universal actions both creative and saving of God for the humanity in Jesus Christ either as the «Word as such»[2]or as the «Word incarnate.» Léon-Dufour, quoted by Jacques Dupuis on his commentary on John’s Gospel, explains that «The Logos was working from the beginning of creation (vv.2–5) as the source of light and of life, setting up a personal relationship between God and human beings: as such, coming into the world in the way of the wisdom of God in Sir 24, he is the source of light for humanity and to those who have received him he gave «power to become children of God» (vv. 9, 12).[3]
Jesus Christ, the «Word as such »
The shortest definition of interreligious dialogue found in Ecclesia in Asia is «To seek the truth in love.»[4] Knowing that Jesus Christ is the «Truth» (see Jn 14:6), Jacques Dupuis presents the «Word as such» as the «sower» of all the «seeds of truth» (see Ad Gentes, 9) that can be found among the religions in dialogue. Though it is impossible for human beings to comprehend the totality of the Truth, that is Jesus Christ, the experiences endeavored in interreligious dialogue activities make people actors in the universal saving plan of God for humanity since the «Word as such» has no limit to inspire human beings from the fullness of truth he is. Many are the aspects that facilitate interreligious dialogue, the promotion of human values such as justice, peace, human right… but the summit should be the proclamation of the Truth that not only promotes those human values but furthermore brings back the whole creation to the Creator after making all the peoples brothers and sisters in truth and love. Jesus is the one who makes known the very authentic relationship between God and humanity. Saint Paul calls him «the mediator between God and humankind» (see 1Tim 2:5). He reveals God as our Father (see Mt 6:9) and consequently, all the children of God are but brothers and sisters. This reality came to us in a very special way when the Word himself took flesh, becoming the «universal sacrament.»
Jesus Christ the «Word made flesh»
The incarnation of the Logos marks a radical change in the mode of communication. The change consists in the fact that the henceforth [revelation] happens through the language and the existence of a human person among others: this phenomenon will make it possible for the revelation of God to be formulated directly in an intelligible way, and for all peoples to have access to a definitive communication with God.[5]
The Gospel values which Jesus upholds, the Kingdom of God he announces, the human project or program which he puts forward, his option for the poor and the marginalized, his denouncing injustice, his message of universal love: all these, no doubt, contribute to the difference and specificity of Jesus’ personality.[6]
It is evident that the words and deeds of Jesus Christ contain everything that can be shared in interreligious dialogue. In this way, Jesus Christ becomes the «source and summit» (LG 11) of interreligious dialogue. From him all the men and women get inspiration about the truth which becomes matter of dialogue in order to meet God all together as brothers and sisters. Ecclesia in Asia confirms the importance of dialogue to find ways for a sincere and honest sharing of experiences, ideas and proposals leading towards a genuine meeting of spirits, a communion of minds and hearts which, in love, respects and transcends differences. (See EA3).
Conclusion
If this article has pointed out the interreligiously dialogical Jesus Christ, it is for the «Word as such», through whom and for whom the whole creation came to be, not only reveals his truths in different ways to his creation, but also chooses to become a human person among others to authentically communicate the universal Love of God. Therefore, we have called Jesus Christ the «source and summit» of the interreligious dialogue which is codified as a way to «seek the truth in love.»
Jesus Christ is the Truth and God is Love (see 1Jn 4:8). When the Church invests evangelization in doing interreligious dialogue, there Jesus is shared and of course the love of God will let everybody welcoming others but like brothers and sisters through the Truth in Love. Indeed, Ecclesia in Asia says it better: «The more the Christian community is rooted in the experience of God which flows from a living faith, the more credibly it will be able to proclaim to others the fulfilment of God's Kingdom in Jesus Christ. This will result from faithfully listening to the word of God, from prayer and contemplation, from celebrating the mystery of Jesus in the sacraments, above all in the Eucharist, and from giving example of true communion of life and integrity of love. The heart of the particular Church must be set on the contemplation of Jesus Christ, God-made-Man, and strive constantly for a more intimate union with him whose mission she continues» (See EA 107).
This article has been pubblished in Quaderni del CSA, 4/2020. Click here to download it.
[1] John Paul II, Post-synodal Apostolic Exhortation Ecclesia in Asia, 6 November 1999, nn. 111, 147.
[2] J. Dupuis, Christianity and the Religions: From Confrontation to Dialogue. (New-York: Maryknol, 2002), 139.
[3] Idem. 143.
[4] Ecclesia in Asia, n. 147.
[5] J. Dupuis, Christianity and the Religions: From Confrontation to Dialogue, op. cit., 143.
[6] Idem, 157.
