Union of Catholic Asian News (http://www.ucanews.com)
VATICAN UCAN Column - Can Christians Pray With Muslims?、12 March 2004
VATICAN CITY (UCAN) -- Something remarkable happened last December when we had a seminar in Bangkok on peace-building and conflict transformation.
The seminar was organized by the Office for Ecumenical and Interreligious Affairs of the Federation of Asian Bishops' Conferences, together with the Christian Conference of Asia, which represents more than 120 Protestant and Orthodox Churches, and the Asian Muslim Action Network, a Muslim association active in about 12 Asian countries including China and Afghanistan.
When we were planning the seminar with fellow Christians and Muslim colleagues, we did not want to gather simply as peace-oriented NGOs, but as believers in One and the same God whose commitment to peace is inspired and shaped by our faith. We wanted to begin our morning sessions with a period of prayer, but the question was: "How do we do it?"
Our prayer had to express the reality that Christianity and Islam are two distinct religions and we do not agree on many points of faith. Nevertheless, Muslims and Christians both worship the same God and seek to do God's will as best each understands it. We Christians did not want to compromise our Christian beliefs in any way, and our Muslim sisters and brothers were equally concerned not to do anything against the teaching of Islam.
Together we arrived at a formula acceptable to all of us, but we were not sure if it would work. We chose a theme for each day and came together as a united group. We began with a reading from the Bible and another from the Qur'an that spoke to that theme. For example, one day's theme was "God's gifts in nature," on other days "peace," "forgiveness" and so on. After the readings from the Qur'an and Bible, we left time for silent reflection, and then invited whoever wanted to share something with the group to do so.
This was where we were unsure if the experiment would work. If everyone remained silent and unwilling to share, the silence would become embarrassing and awkward. What actually happened, though, was that people began sharing -- hesitantly at first, but then with more confidence and enthusiasm -- about their reflections on the readings.
Christians not only spoke about the Bible, but also made respectful and perceptive comments on the Qur'an. Muslims explained the Qur'anic texts and offered sensitive insights into the Biblical readings. We gradually found ourselves discussing, from the viewpoint of our respective faiths, questions of peace, forgiveness, God's action in our lives and society, and the like.
Some days, this "spiritual sharing" went on for 45 minutes, much longer than we originally planned, and the morning sessions became one of the formative elements of the seminar. We came to experience a bond that went deeper than merely the desire for peace. We discovered ourselves united in and by the One God who is peace itself.
How do we explain this? Pope John Paul II, very early in his pontificate, gave a radio talk to the peoples of Asia on the occasion of his first visit to Manila in 1981. In that talk, he directly addressed the question of prayer as a common bond uniting believers.
Speaking of other religions, the pope declared: "The Church experiences a profound need to enter into contact and dialogue with all these religions. She pays homage to the many moral values contained in these religions, as well as to the potential for spiritual living which so deeply marks the traditions and cultures of whole societies. What seems to bring together and unite, in a particular way, Christians and the believers of other religions is an acknowledgment of the need for prayer as an expression of human spirituality directed towards the Absolute. Even when for some He is the Great Unknown, He nevertheless remains always in reality the same living God. We trust that wherever the human spirit opens itself in prayer, an echo will be heard of the same Spirit who, knowing the limits and weakness of the human person, himself prays in us and on our behalf" (Manila, Feb. 2, 1981).
The last line of the pope's statement strikes me most deeply. Whenever people of various religions sincerely enter into prayer, the Holy Spirit takes up that prayer and prays in us and for us. This is not just theory. I've seen it happen over and over. God's own Spirit, who transcends all differences in doctrine and practice among religions, guides the prayer and makes it into something pleasing to God and nourishing of our own spiritual and moral lives.
The pope obviously is not opening the door indiscriminately to all forms of common prayer. Every religion has its own acts of worship that are particular to that faith and, in a sense, give identity to those who perform them.For example, I have often accompanied Muslim friends to the mosque for their Friday prayers, but I do not perform the bodily movements by which Muslims express their Islamic identity. I sit in respectful silence in the back and inwardly make my own Christian prayers. Similarly, when my Muslim students and colleagues ask to attend Mass to learn how Christians pray, I welcome them, but it would make no sense for them to receive Communion since this action is a profession of Christian faith that they do not share.
When the pope invited Muslims, Jews and others to Assisi to pray for peace (in 1986, 1993 and 2002), some Christians felt it would be improper for us to pray with people of other faiths. The pope defended his invitation by stating that the Church has a duty to bring humankind together before God, even when people remain faithful to their respective religions.
In my experience of dialogue with followers of other religions, I believe the most active participant is the Holy Spirit. The Spirit is active not only in Christians, for whenever any human person opens to the movements of grace, the Spirit works to bring out the best in all. Thus, dialogue is not just an exercise in public relations, but rather a matter of all of us, followers of various religions, becoming instruments of the Spirit for the benefit of all.
This is, of course, a Christian explanation of what happens in dialogue. Muslims and others will explain it in their own way. The point is simply that prayer together is a special occasion when God takes over to guide us all according to His will.
・Jesuit Father Tom Michel is Ecumenical Secretary of the Federation of Asian Bishops' Conferences and Secretary of the Jesuits for Interreligious Dialogue.
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