More than Dialogue
In an open and pluralistic society, people are exposed to various religions and believes. There might have been a time when the established religion felt threatened. But now, that everybody has realized that it is useless to try to hold to the past and that we need to move forward, we are appreciating the unique opportunities of our times.
Until some decades ago, only missionaries came in direct contact with other religions, and only because they used to leave their countries of origin and travel to other countries and continents. Since the last years of the last century the West has seen an invasion of all the principal religions of the world, together with an infinite number of denominations, sects, spiritual and esoteric believes.
All these posed a serious challenge to the claim of Christianity as the only way to salvation and that of Jesus Christ as the only Savior of mankind. As time went by, the Catholic Church started to engage into dialogue with the various expressions of faith. At first it was almost scandalous, not withstanding the openness for dialogue proposed by the Second Vatican Council. But then, maybe even with the prophetic gestures of Pope John Paul II, like the prayers for peace at Assisi, together with the leaders of the leading religions of the world, religious dialogue has become the fashion of the day.
Even Jesus was seen in dialogue with two of the greatest representatives of the Judaism: Moses, the giver of the Torah, and Elia, the great Prophet. One of the false accusation, brought against Jesus by His contemporary religious leaders, was that He intended to overthrow the Law. Sitting together with Moses and Elia was a striking sign and illustration that Jesus did not come to abolish the Law; in fact, He was a friend of Moses, as well as of Elia.
It is good for all religions to enter into dialogue among themselves, especially in order to confront their common enemy: atheism and the negation of God. However, from such a dialogue, the religion that has most to at stake is Christianity. Yes, because Christianity is the only religion that believes in a God who speaks, a God who has spoken, and whose Word has took flesh, became Man and dwelt amongst us. Christianity is not a religion of the Book, but a religion founded by and around a Person: Jesus Christ. You can dialogue about the contents of a Book, its understanding and interpretation, but a Person has something to say and needs to be listened to.
Although Jesus talked with Moses and Elia, the Father was very clear about Jesus: “This is my Son, the Beloved; with him I am well pleased; listen to him!” When Peter saw His Master in dialogue with such great personalities, wanted to erect three tents, one for each of them. He did not know Jesus enough as yet; for him it was more like Moses and Elia endorsing Jesus, rather than the contrary. It is what happened with so many Christians whose faith was more a question of tradition and culture, than a living and personal experience of Jesus and His Word. Dialogue served them to drift away to other religions and faiths. Actually, they betrayed dialogue, because dialogue can only take place between different convincing points of view. Christian faith is the fruit of an essential dialogue with Jesus who calls and the person who respond by accepting. The Christian who forgets this when he engages in dialogue with people of other religions and faiths, does not only betray his faith, but looses the capacity to lead others that at some point they need to to stop discussing and listen to the Beloved Son of the Father, who has something to tell them.
