Theological Considerations
Did not Christ say that He is "the Way, the Truth and the Life"? Truth is the totality of reality - all that is, all that God has created - and continues to create.[God did not create and then go off to sleep, so to say. He is in His creation in such a way that its very evolution depends on Him. If He were to withdraw, so to say, His sustaining hand, all would disappear into nothingness. He continues to create.] And He created everything through His Word - Christ, the Son of God: "All things were made through him, and without him was not anything made that was made." - John 1:3 - This is why Christ claims that He is the Truth.
Christ is God's ultimate revelation to us. He tells us that God created everything out of love, governs all by His love, saves all because of love (Christ died for us) and leads all to His love. God is love. - John 4:16 - The essence of love is to share, to give. Creation is God's giving of Himself. Self-giving to others is dialogue, hence,, from the beginning of creation, God dialogues with the world. Therefore, He cannot but desire that all His creation shares His love - i.e. be saved. He has written this in the heart of every person since creation (Epistle to the Romans: Vatican Council II, A.G. No.3) Scripture constantly bears witness that God wants all to be saved. Echoing Scripture, Vatican Council II says: "Thus, He who created all things may at least be 'all in all. (1Cor. 15:28)" (Vatican Council II, Ad Gentes No.2) To say otherwise would make our God unjust, stupid, illogical and inconsistent - in other words, make a mockery of God. How can He who creates everything out of love, select only a few to be saved? Absurd.( Can People Of Other Faiths Be Saved? chapter 9)
The reason why God gives Man his five senses is for Man to perceive reality and to respond to the truth in love. This is the Way to Christ who is Truth. To listen to this Word of God is to have life. "I have come" says Christ, "so that they may have life, and have it to the full" (John 10:10). But Man in the hardness of his heart, refuses to listen to the Truth. He builds walls around him so that "has eyes and sees not, ears and hears not". Even in our sinfulness, God does not abandon us. In His unconditional infinite love, throughout the history of Man, He sent prophets to open the heart and mind of Man. Finally, when the "fullness of time" came, He sent His only Son, Jesus Christ, to speak to us and to die for us. He stills sends us prophets to help us. This is God's constant effort to dialogue with us, with the world.
And, we, who are privileged to hear the Word of God, Christ, have a special obligation to carry out this dialogue of God with the world. This is why many theologians say that the mission of the Church is inseparable from dialogue with the world.
To dialogue with the world, we must first of all be open to the Truth - dialogue with God. Firstly, God speaks to us in the life and teachings of Jesus Christ himself as understood by the Apostles and carried down through the centuries in the Church. Secondly, He speaks to us in all that is good, true and holy. The Gospel itself reveals to us that Christ is Truth. He is the Word through whom God created everything. Hence, all that is good, true and holy in creation comes from Christ. For this reason, the "Catholic Church rejects nothing that is true and holy in these (other) religions." (Vatican Council II, Nostra Aetate, No. 2) This is but an echo of St. Paul exhortation: "Finally, brethren, whatever is true, whatever is honourable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is gracious, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, fill your minds with these things" (Phil. 4:8) Why? Because, says St. Paul, "Christ is all and in all" (Col. 3:11) So, it is our duty also to be open to see and hear all that is true, good and holy in the world no matter where they come from: from Christians, Muslims, Hindus, Buddhists, Taoists, etc..
Thirdly, God speaks to us through the Nature of His creation. How often Man lifts up his heart to God at the beauty of a scene or turns to God in a natural disaster. Fourthly, God speaks to us through the events of Man's history - past and present. From our pasts, learning from what is good and what is bad, we now avoid the bad to follow the good. From the present, we must be open to God's Spirit speaking to us through the happenings in our history because we believe that God is still working in the world to save all men and women. Thus, Vatican Council II following the teachings of Christ, exhorts us to read "signs of the times." Fifthly, God speaks to us through other human beings. How often, because of the example of life or because of what a person says to me, I am touched and changed to become a better person. God also makes use of me to touch others and lead them along the path of Truth. One has only to examine sincerely oneself to recognize this fact. Lastly, God also speaks directly to an individual person in the very depths of his being.
Hence, true dialogue with God must necessarily open us up to dialogue with the world with all its realities because the latter is God's own Way. Our dialogue with the world is nothing but a cooperation with God's dialogue with the world. We are particularly interested in dialogue with people of other religions. From what has been said above, it should be obvious that, philosophically and theologically speaking, certain truths, holiness and goodness are found in people who are not Catholics. From your own experience, have you not come across good Muslims or Buddhists or Hindus? Have you not been struck with certain truths which they utter? I have. To deny this fact is to be blind to the Truth. Hence, the Church's stand on the necessity of dialogue with all people. This is expressed again and again by the Popes. It is also enshrined in the documents of Vatican Council II - the voice of the bishops of the world. To give only a few quotations:
"The Church therefore has this exhortation for her sons: prudently and lovingly, through dialogue and collaboration with the followers of other religion, and in witness of Christian faith and life, acknowledge, preserve, and promote the spiritual and moral goods found among these men, as well as the values in their society and culture." (Vatican Council II, Nostra Aetate No.2)
"Obviously we cannot share in these various forms of religion nor can we remain indifferent to the fact that each of them, in its own way, should regard itself as being the equal of another and should authorize its followers to seek to discover whether God has revealed the perfect and definitive form, free from all error, in which he wishes to be known, loved and served. Indeed, honesty compels us to declare openly our conviction that there is but one true religion, the religion of Christianity.
It is our hope that all who seek God and adore Him may come to acknowledge its truth. But we do nevertheless, recognize and respect the moral and spiritual values of the various non-Christian religions, and we desire to join with them in promoting common ideals of religious liberty, human brotherhood, good culture, social welfare and civil order. For our part, we are ready to enter into discussion on these common ideals, and will not fail to take the initiative. Where our offer of discussion is genuine, mutual respect would be well received." (Pope Paul VI, Ecclesiam Suam, Part II. In fact the whole encyclical is an exhortation to dialogue)
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Sunday, May 24, 2009
I have through years of reading, pondering, reflecting and contemplating, the 3 things that last; FAITH . HOPE . LOVE and I would like to made available my sharing from the many thinkers, authors, scholars and theologians whose ideas and thoughts I have borrowed. God be with them always. Amen!
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. - JOHN 16:12-15 -
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