20240508 INTER-RELIGIOUS DIALOGUE REQUIRES THE HOLY SPIRIT OF TRUTH
08 May 2024, Wednesday, 6th Week of Eastertide
First reading |
Acts 17:15,22-18:1 © |
I proclaim the God you already worship without knowing it
Paul’s escort took him as far as Athens, and went back with instructions for Silas and Timothy to rejoin Paul as soon as they could.
So Paul stood before the whole Council of the Areopagus and made this speech:
‘Men of Athens, I have seen for myself how extremely scrupulous you are in all religious matters, because I noticed, as I strolled round admiring your sacred monuments, that you had an altar inscribed: To An Unknown God. Well, the God whom I proclaim is in fact the one whom you already worship without knowing it.
‘Since the God who made the world and everything in it is himself Lord of heaven and earth, he does not make his home in shrines made by human hands. Nor is he dependent on anything that human hands can do for him, since he can never be in need of anything; on the contrary, it is he who gives everything – including life and breath – to everyone. From one single stock he not only created the whole human race so that they could occupy the entire earth, but he decreed how long each nation should flourish and what the boundaries of its territory should be. And he did this so that all nations might seek the deity and, by feeling their way towards him, succeed in finding him. Yet in fact he is not far from any of us, since it is in him that we live, and move, and exist, as indeed some of your own writers have said:
“We are all his children.”
‘Since we are the children of God, we have no excuse for thinking that the deity looks like anything in gold, silver or stone that has been carved and designed by a man.
‘God overlooked that sort of thing when men were ignorant, but now he is telling everyone everywhere that they must repent, because he has fixed a day when the whole world will be judged, and judged in righteousness, and he has appointed a man to be the judge. And God has publicly proved this by raising this man from the dead.’
At this mention of rising from the dead, some of them burst out laughing; others said, ‘We would like to hear you talk about this again.’ After that Paul left them, but there were some who attached themselves to him and became believers, among them Dionysius the Areopagite and a woman called Damaris, and others besides.
After this, Paul left Athens and went to Corinth.
Responsorial Psalm |
Psalm 148:1-2,11-14 © |
Your glory fills all heaven and earth.
or
Alleluia!
Praise the Lord from the heavens,
praise him in the heights.
Praise him, all his angels,
praise him, all his host.
Your glory fills all heaven and earth.
or
Alleluia!
All earth’s kings and peoples,
earth’s princes and rulers,
young men and maidens,
old men together with children.
Your glory fills all heaven and earth.
or
Alleluia!
Let them praise the name of the Lord
for he alone is exalted.
The splendour of his name
reaches beyond heaven and earth.
Your glory fills all heaven and earth.
or
Alleluia!
He exalts the strength of his people.
He is the praise of all his saints,
of the sons of Israel,
of the people to whom he comes close.
Your glory fills all heaven and earth.
or
Alleluia!
Gospel Acclamation | Col3:1 |
Alleluia, alleluia!
Since you have been brought back to true life with Christ,
you must look for the things that are in heaven, where Christ is,
sitting at God’s right hand.
Alleluia!
Or: | Jn14:16 |
Alleluia, alleluia!
I shall ask the Father,
and he will give you another Advocate
to be with you for ever.
Alleluia!
Gospel | John 16:12-15 © |
The Spirit of truth will lead you to the complete truth
Jesus said to his disciples:
‘I still have many things to say to you
but they would be too much for you now.
But when the Spirit of truth comes
he will lead you to the complete truth,
since he will not be speaking as from himself
but will say only what he has learnt;
and he will tell you of the things to come.
He will glorify me,
since all he tells you
will be taken from what is mine.
Everything the Father has is mine;
that is why I said:
All he tells you
will be taken from what is mine.’
INTER-RELIGIOUS DIALOGUE REQUIRES THE HOLY SPIRIT OF TRUTH
SCRIPTURE READINGS: [ACTS 17:15, 22-18:1; JOHN 16:12-15]
How do we conduct ourselves in our relationships with non-Christians or even Atheists? More than ever, in today’s world of relativism and subjectivism, and also emphasis on personal experiences, we need tact and diplomacy in proclaiming Christ to those who do not know Him, or do not accept Him. Unlike in those days when religion could be spread through force or even antagonism, today, such methods would only bring greater resistance, resentment, anger, and even violence. Indeed, those of us who are engaged in inter-religious dialogue understand the importance of mutual respect, mutual appreciation of each other’s faith, and being sensitive so as not to present our faith in a triumphalist manner, even if we believe that our faith is the true faith. Today, we need to present our faith in a manner that is attractive, beautiful, inspiring, and one that promotes respect, love, unity and compassion. Otherwise, we will turn them off even before we can even speak and proclaim Christ.
This was the case of Paul when he was in Athens. Unlike in Palestine, or in those cities where he was addressing the Jews, he could immediately speak of Christ as the fulfilment of Judaism, and establish his claims using the scriptures. As his audiences in Athens were mainly intellectuals, philosophers and worshippers of deities and gods, he had to contextualize himself in order to understand the cultures and background. Standing before the whole Council of the Areopagus, he started his discourse on the true God by commending them for their religiosity. He began by saying, “Men of Athens, I have seen for myself how extremely scrupulous you are in all religious matters, because I noticed, as I strolled round admiring your sacred monuments, that you had an altar inscribed: To An Unknown God. Well, the God whom I proclaim is in fact the one whom you already worship without knowing it.” By this opening statement, Paul praised the Athenians and commended them for their disposition in acknowledging the reality of God even though they might not know Him.
What is significant among the Athenians was that deep in their hearts, they knew that God existed. But since they did not receive any divine revelation, using their minds and reasoning, they concluded that this God was an unknown God and He was worshipped and acknowledged by people in different ways according to their experience of His divine presence. This God was symbolized in statues and monuments which they carved. Paul reasoned with them that if this God they worshipped was the one “who made the world and everything in it is himself Lord of heaven and earth, he does not make his home in shrines made by human hands. Nor is he dependent on anything that human hands can do for him, since he can never be in need of anything.” Hence any attempts to make God out of our image would only mislead people into thinking that a statue or a monument is God. Nevertheless, in spite of their inadequate presentation of God, they were commended by Paul as already worshipping God without knowing it.
This is our Catholic perspective towards people of other faiths. In Nostra Aetate, No 2, the Church recognizes the genuine search and worship of God in non-Christian religions, albeit imperfectly. “From ancient times down to the present, there is found among various peoples a certain perception of that hidden power which hovers over the course of things and over the events of human history; at times some indeed have come to the recognition of a Supreme Being, or even of a Father. This perception and recognition penetrates their lives with a profound religious sense. Religions, however, that are bound up with an advanced culture have struggled to answer the same questions by means of more refined concepts and a more developed language. Likewise, other religions found everywhere try to counter the restlessness of the human heart, each in its own manner, by proposing “ways,” comprising teachings, rules of life, and sacred rites.”
The Council also spells out how the Church views the faith and practices of other religions. “The Catholic Church rejects nothing that is true and holy in these religions. She regards with sincere reverence those ways of conduct and of life, those precepts and teachings which, though differing in many aspects from the ones she holds and sets forth, nonetheless often reflect a ray of that Truth which enlightens all men. Indeed, she proclaims, and ever must proclaim Christ “the way, the truth, and the life” (John 14:6), in whom men may find the fullness of religious life, in whom God has reconciled all things to Himself. The Church, therefore, exhorts her sons, that through dialogue and collaboration with the followers of other religions, carried out with prudence and love and in witness to the Christian faith and life, they recognize, preserve and promote the good things, spiritual and moral, as well as the socio-cultural values found among these men.” (Nostra Aetate, 2)
What do we share in common with some of these religions? Besides acknowledging the truth of the existence of God, or a supreme being, or a Sacred Reality, we are all children of God. Paul sees the entire humanity as issuing from a single stock, and we are all children of God. “From one single stock he not only created the whole human race so that they could occupy the entire earth, but he decreed how long each nation should flourish and what the boundaries of its territory should be. And he did this so that all nations might seek the deity and, by feeling their way towards him, succeed in finding him. Yet in fact he is not far from any of us, since it is in him that we live, and move, and exist, as indeed some of your own writers have said: “We are all his children.” This is true even if we do not recognize Him, as St John wrote, “See what love the Father has given us, that we should be called children of God; and that is what we are. The reason the world does not know us is that it did not know him. Beloved, we are God’s children now; what we will be has not yet been revealed.” (1 Jn 3:1f)
What, then, is the obstacle to believing that we are truly God’s children? Paul diagnosed this as the lack of knowledge of Christ as the Son of God. “Since we are the children of God, we have no excuse for thinking that the deity looks like anything in gold, silver or stone that has been carved and designed by man. God overlooked that sort of thing, when men were ignorant, but now he is telling everyone everywhere that they must repent, because he has fixed a day when the whole world will be judged, and judged in righteousness, and he has appointed a man to be the judge. And God has publicly proved this by raising this man from the dead.” Indeed, Jesus, by His death and resurrection showed Himself to be the Saviour and most of all, through Him we are adopted as God’s sons and daughters. Faith in Christ is the key to discovering our true identity, our ultimate calling and our vocation in life.
But this presupposes that we have faith in the resurrection of Christ. Unfortunately, therein lies the chasm between believers and unbelievers. Where can we find faith in Christ as the Risen Lord? No argument can in the final analysis prove the fact of the Risen Lord. We only have access to Him through the testimonies of the early Christians. Faith is the key to knowing the resurrection of the Lord. Understanding and accepting the Risen Lord calls for the grace of the Holy Spirit. This is why in the gospel, Jesus said, only the Holy Spirit, the Spirit of truth can lead us into this understanding. Jesus said to His disciples, “I still have many things to say to you but they would be too much for you now. But when the Spirit of truth comes he will lead you to the complete truth, since he will not be speaking as from himself but will say only what he has learnt; and he will tell you of the things to come.” Only the Holy Spirit can reveal Jesus to us today. Through the gift of faith and understanding, we will arrive at a fuller understanding of Christ as the Son of God.
Indeed, as the Lord said, the Holy Spirit will reveal Himself to us and lead us all to glorify Him. “He will glorify me, since all he tells you will be taken from what is mine. Everything the Father has is mine; that is why I said: All he tells you will be taken from what is mine.” The Holy Spirit does not lead us to Himself. His role is to reveal Christ to us and through Christ, we come to know the Father who created us all. It is therefore to the Holy Spirit that we turn for inspiration, guidance and revelation.
Written by His Eminence, Cardinal William SC Goh, Roman Catholic Archbishop of Singapore © All Rights Reserved.
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