I would like to share with you the first half of the following video. It was taken from my the conference I recently attended in Krakow, Poland, promoting dialogue between Christians and Jews. Each day we began with a 'reflective moment', which, if I'm honest, when I saw this listed on my timetable, I thought would be incredibly cheesy. I was gladly proven wrong. I found that the following words (from the start till around the 8min mark) of Rabbi Schudrich resonated with me, particularly as I continue to question the aim of religious dialogue from a Catholic perspective.
Benedicite.
4 comments:
Thank you. Interesting.
I sometimes think it is easier to be open to other faiths than other opinions within Catholicism. There is intolerance between Catholics which can reach an unpleasant pitch at times particularly on the blogosphere.
I gather there are many shades of opinion in Judaism and wonder if the Rabbi touched on this.
It was good to see a Lutheran on the same platform. Martin Luther was a fierce anti-Semite when the Jews did not convert after the Reformation. The Lutheran Church has apologised for this.
Sam: I have often heard in Jewish circles that if there are two Jews present, then there is going to be three opinions! The Jewish tradition is renown for arguing, not in a petty sense, but in a way, I think, that is similar to Catholicism. We debate because we are pursuing the truth. One difference I think between the Judaism and Catholicism is that in the Catholic tradition we have the Magisterium, which at the end of the day reminds theologians and faithful that there is in fact a Catholic faith, and there are aspects which cannot be debated and just are. I, for one, am grateful for this. There has been a tendency in the past to have a somewhat supercilious attitude towards the Magisterium. In fact, I recall being at an interreligious gathering where the participants were mostly of an older generation; when the Magisterium was mentioned, no joke, the congregation basically recoiled and I heard actual wails! This is ridiculous. The Magisterium is part of the Catholic tradition, perhaps even 'the' Catholic tradition, and in order to dialogue effectively with others, we need to know that tradition well, as Rabbi Schuldrich suggests.
I often think the tensions within Catholicism are all the more painful because for left and right (I hate such terms but I use them here as it is easier to demonstrate my point) the faith is important to them, and thus any differing opinion can indeed prove threatening. Some battles are pointless: some argue points which have been clarified by Vatican II but choose to reject it, and on the other end of the spectrum you have others arguing points which run contrary to the Magisterium or twist and manipulate Vatican II for their own purposes and intentions. There is potential for people on both sides to be equally erroneous, and it certainly can damage the Church particularly as it is perceived by those outside its boundaries. Polemics are just not helpful, and are rather immature.
Have you heard about the World Exclusive interview with Pushkin, the Birmingham Oratory Cat who met the Pope? Pushkin tells us exclusively about his life, his loves and his opinions on world affairs:
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Please tell all your readers about the World Exclusive Interview that we are proud to include in our journal:
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Shaun
A post to the Guild on Blessed Pier before you go to Madrid to give your lecture on him please.
Last request before I go away.
I am only a reader of the Guild blog, not connected personally, but I would like to see you appear there, as would others.
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