THE DOOR OF FAITH IN DIALOGUE
Cornelius Afebu Omonokhua
Pope Benedict XVI declares October 11, 2012-November
24, 2013 the year of faith. He marked this declaration with an Apostolic
Letter, “Porta Fidei” stating that October 11, 2012, the first day of
the Year of Faith, is the fiftieth anniversary of the opening of the Second
Vatican Council and the twentieth anniversary of the Catechism of the Catholic
Church. This is one of the ways to demonstrate the force and dynamism of faith
as a key to opening the treasures of heaven for abundant life to the faithful.
God invites us into a personal dialogue for this interior conversion and
transformation: “Come let us reason together, says the Lord, though your sins
are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; they may be red like crimson, they shall be
as white as wool” (Isaiah 1, 8).
It is interesting that God is the one who takes the
initiative of inviting us to dialogue based on reason for our interior
conversion thereby expecting us to open the door of our heart with the key of
faith for this divine union. Faith assists when reason can find no further
explanations for our predicaments in the face of evil and suffering. In the
Acts of the Apostles we are encouraged to persevere even though ‘we must suffer
many difficulties before we enter the kingdom of God’ (Acts 14, 22). Our confidence
in a future hope gives us a dynamic force to open the door of faith to
others. Paul and Barnabas preached to
the gentiles, evangelized Iconium and healed a cripple but not without
difficulties. At the end of this mission, “they assembled the church and gave
account of all that God had done with them, and how he had opened the door of
faith to the gentiles” (Acts 14, 27).
In
Christian theology faith is defined as a theological virtue which enables us to
believe whatever God has revealed without doubting. In ordinary life faith and
trust go hand in hand with wisdom. For instance, if a student does not have
faith in a particular teacher the student is likely going to fail the subject
the teacher teaches. A patient needs to have trust, confidence and faith in a
medical doctor for quick recovery and healing. Without faith life generally
becomes a bore and the future becomes bleak. It is revealed in the Qur’an that whoever receives wisdom (hikmeth) has received
abundant goodness; but none heed advice except men of understanding (Qur’an
2: 269). Wisdom as an ability to reach a
right decision is based on what is revealed and accepted in faith and reason.
This is like a sailing ship with a compass and all the given equipments that
enables the sailor go far and beyond to discover the beauties of the Creator in
the universe and social life. In this journey, faith and reason are like two
boats that roar to keep the sailors on the straight path
The
year of faith is an opportunity God has given to us to think again about our
origin and destiny. God did not create anybody to destroy him /her. God created
each and every one of us for a reason. There is something that God wants us to
do in this world to add value to humanity. This assignment is given to us in a
very personal way such that if we do not do it, that gift will be lost forever.
The year of faith invites us to read the scriptures, the document of the second
Vatican Council (Vatican II) and the Catechism of the Catholic Church as guide
to open for us the door of faith. “The
words of the Lord are pure words like silver tried in a furnace of earth,
purified seven times” (Psalm 12, 6).
The
bible is a collection of books that were revealed to human beings. After
speaking in many and varied ways through the prophets, God spoke to us in His
Son (Hebrew 1, 1-2). The Bible is a record and account of God’s communication
to the human race. The authors of the books of the Bible were inspired to put
down this revelation. Those divinely revealed realities which are contained and
presented in Sacred Scripture have been committed to writing under the
inspiration of the Holy Spirit.
The
Fathers of the Church, affirm that holy mother Church, relying on the belief of
the Apostles (John 20, 31; 2 Timothy 3, 16; 2 Peter 1, 19-20, 3:15-16), holds
that the books of both the Old and New Testaments in their entirety, with all
their parts, are sacred and canonical because written under the inspiration of
the Holy Spirit, they have God as their author and have been handed on as such
to the Church herself.[1]
In composing the sacred books, God chose men and while employed by Him[2]
they made use of their powers and abilities, so that with Him acting in them
and through them,[3]
they, as true authors, consigned to writing everything and only those things
which He wanted.[4] According to the Fathers of the Second Vatican
Council,
Jesus
Christ, therefore, the Word made flesh was sent as "a man to men." He
"speaks the words of God" (John 3, 34), and completes the work of
salvation which His Father gave Him to do (see John 5, 36; John 17:4). To see
Jesus is to see His Father (John 14, 9). For this reason Jesus perfected
revelation by fulfilling it through his whole work of making Himself present
and manifesting Himself: through His words and deeds, His signs and wonders,
but especially through His death and glorious resurrection from the dead and
final sending of the Spirit of truth. Moreover He confirmed with divine
testimony what revelation proclaimed, that God is with us to free us from the
darkness of sin and death, and to raise us up to life eternal.[5]
Through
divine revelation, God chose to show forth and communicate Himself and the
eternal decisions of His will regarding the salvation of men. That is to say,
He chose to share with them those divine treasures which totally transcend the
understanding of the human mind.[6]
In the
Qur’an the importance of the Christian Scriptures is emphasized. God told Prophet Muhammad that if he is
in doubt, he should ask those
who have read the Scriptures (Qur’an 10:94). This could be the reason why he was in contact with Jabr, Waraqa ibn
Naufai (the cousin of Khadija), Uthman ibn Huwairith, Addas, Salman, Suhaib,
King Negrus, the Abyssinian monks etc. Some Muslims believe that some wives of
the Prophet Muhammad (like Umm Habbibah, Miriam, and Sirin) were Christians. Some
Muslims also think that this relationship with the Christians is the reason why
some Arabs think that the message of the Prophet was learnt from men (Qur’an
16:103; 25, 4-6).
The point
here is the importance of scriptures as a formidable key to open the door of
faith that can lead to salvation and true happiness in this life and hereafter.
Given the context of our world today, the Christians should go beyond reading
the Bible and the teachings of the Church to a deep and critical study of the
sacred books of other religions. This will promote sincere dialogue and
peaceful coexistence given that the God of Christians is the God who created
everybody irrespective of religion, culture, colour and tribal differences. A scientific study of another’s religion is a
panacea to brainwashing and indoctrination. Before then we need to study and
understand our individual scriptures and faith tradition. The word of God is a
lamp for the feet and a light on the path (Psalm 11, 105). The WORD is eternal,
incarnate and dwells among us (John 1). It is “that which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we
have seen with our eyes, which we have looked upon and our hands have
touched…to bear witness, and declare to you that eternal life which was with
the father and was manifested to us” (1 John 1, 1-2).
We must
therefore believe in ourselves as witnesses to our faith tradition. We need to
revisit the good values of our ancestors by transforming our communal life to a
living Eucharist. This is one way of making the Eucharistic congress relevant
and practical in the year of faith. We can symbolically become the bread broken
and shared for others and the wine poured forth to cheer the hearts of people
without prejudice and preconceptions. We can transform ourselves to good
shepherds by becoming one another’s keeper to give real meaning to our pastoral
congresses. If we become the door of faith to others then we can make the world
a foretaste of heaven! Let us live in such a way that our actions would be like
sacred scriptures to those around us. Believe you can do this. Nothing is
difficult for a willing heart!
Fr. Prof. Cornelius Afebu
Omonokhua is the Director of Mission and Dialogue of the Catholic Secretariat
of Nigeria, Abuja; and Consultor of the Commission for Religious Relations with
Muslims (C.R.R.M), Vatican City (comonokhua@hotmail.com).
[1] First Vatican Council, Dogmatic
Constitution on the Catholic Faith, Chap. 2 "On Revelation:"
Denzinger 1787 (3006); Biblical Commission, Decree of June 18,1915: Denzinger
2180 (3629): EB 420; Holy Office, Epistle of Dec. 22, 1923: EB 499.
[2] Pius XII, encyclical "Divino Afflante
Spiritu," Sept. 30, 1943: A.A.S. 35 (1943) p. 314; Enchiridion Bible. (EB) 556.
[3] First Vatican Council, Schema on Catholic Doctrine, note 9: Coll.
Lac. VII, 522.
[4] Leo XIII, encyclical "Providentissimus Deus," Nov. 18,
1893: Denzinger 1952 (3293); EB 125.
[5] Dogmatic
constitution of divine revelation (Dei
Verbum); solemnly promulgated by His Holiness, Pope Paul VI on November 18,
1965, No. 4
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