Ecumenical Dialogue in the 21st Century

Friends:

Let me refer you to Mongisnor John Radano's [lead] article in the November 2009 issue of Ecumenical Trends. John retired recently from the Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity.

This article offers a Catholic perspective on Steps Forward and Continuing Concerns.
He does not dodge issues but has a certain tranquility of spirit.

He concludes: "There is still deep commitment to the search for unity."

Peace,
John

Proclamation and Dialogue

Friends:

I have just finished reading the first chapter of Dr. Lawrence D. Folkemer's book, No Mere Dialogue: Engaging World Religions. Larry was a long-serving faculty member at Gettysburg. He was one of the founders of the Consortium.

His first chapter--Proclamation and Dialogue--explores 10 theses on the question of proclaiming the gospel and dialogue with other religious communities. This chapter shows his typical thoughtfulness and balance. He covers all the major issues in a helpful way. Not that I am saying that we will agree at every point! But he truly engages this central question of our time.

Peace,
John

Some Recent Events

Friends:

Even just before Thanksgiving there are things going on:

1. The InterFaith Conference, our Affiliate Member, had its Annual InterFaith Concert on Tuesday at Washington Hebrew Congregation. It was one of the best ever.

• It had a new more condensed format,
• honored Cardinal McCarrick,
• recognized several of the most important founders and supporters, and
• presented some great religious music.

Simeone Kriesberg, a former Board Chair, received an award at the beginning of the evening from his home Congregation Washington Hebrew for his involvement with IFC and his support of interreligious dialogue.

2. The Librarians Group, a dedicated group of professionals, met Wednesday at WTU. The group has a great deal of sharing and updating. They have begun their five year review of the Borrowing Agreement.

3. I met with Dean Alton Pollard at HUSD yesterday--one of my normal meetings with CEO's for the good of the Consortium. I must say Dean Pollard is such an energetic and optimistic person that I too was energized. He has a contagious enthusiasm.

4. Ambassador Robert Hennemeyer, former US Ambassador to Gambia and mediator in Balkan Conflicts, has agreed to speak to our Science and Religion Luncheon meeting on Friday, December 4th at WTU . He is the co-author of the book Forgiveness in International Affairs which began as a project at the Woodstock Theological Center at Georgetown, our Associate Member. The book appeared in 2004. He will speak of the book and of his own experience in reconciliation work.

There is a lot more--but four events is enough for now.

Happy Weekend.

Peace,

John

Reality is Rife with Unique Events

Friends:

As I mentioned in this blog on Friday, Dr. Ulanowicz's presentation to the Science and Religion Group and Friends on Saturday was challenging.

There were numerous points worthy of comment.

I will mention two--with a risk that they will be seen out of the rich context in which they are found.:

1. Nature in its complexity is rife with singular events. Ulanowicz here is coming from a statistical analysis--and his study of biological systems.

Thus every action is not pre-determined by a law of nature! Of course the implication is that divine action in the world is quite possible--though not provable.

2. Mutualism is essential in nature; competition is second. Up until now, I have tended to be thinking in terms of the neo-Darwinian position that stresses competition as primary. Ulanowicz brings other considerations to bear in his consideration of evolution.

The current Science and Religion Group project--A Platform for Peacebuilding--would seem to me to resonate with the emphasis on Mutualism being central in nature, and thus building cooperative relationships does not go against the essentials of evolution.

--I should not neglect to mention that Fr. Jim Wiseman of CUA kicked off the discussion with his 4 questions--the discussion was substantive to say the least [perhaps some of those in attendance will comment on this blog].

Peace,
John

A Sad Moment

Friends:

As some of you know, Marguerite Connolly's mother Joan died suddenly two weeks ago.
Marguerite has been Director of Communications/Administrative Assistant--and general 'go to' person in our office--since Eileen Griffin retired six years ago.

I was able to attend Joan's wake last Sunday--and to meet Marguerite's father.
Their family had gathered from near and far.
There was a DVD presentation of pictures from her life--lots of pictures with members of the family and with friends.

Please keep Marguerite and Joan in your prayers.

Peace,
John

A Third Window

Friends:

I have been studying Dr. Robert Ulanowicz's new book A Third Window: Natural Life Beyond Newton and Darwin the last few days.

Bob is returning [he belonged to our group before he moved to Florida] to be our Science and Religion lecturer tomorrow morning at Washington Theological Union at 10:30.

I already have a few questions about his book. It is a substantive presentation of his view developed over a lifetime of work as a scientist. He offers a new, more ecologically based, way at looking at the material world and its systems. This has important implications for the dialogue of science and religion.

I will let you know what happens.

Peace,
John

Daily Prayer for Christian Unity

Friends:

I was reading a series of essay yesterday on the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity.
These celebrated the 100th Anniversary of the Week of Prayer.

The essays reminded me of the importance of prayer for Christian unity.
Perhaps the efforts we are making could be more nourished by prayer.

We are always in need of the guidance of the Spirit.
Yet we are so busy that prayer sometimes takes a 'back seat' or is done with less than full attention. Perhaps our faltering efforts are directly related to this lack of rooted-ness in prayer.

The essays inspired me to renew my own commitment to daily prayer for Christian Unity.

Peace,
John

Engaging in Dialogue

Friends:

I regularly reread sections of Pope John Paul II's Encyclical Ut Unum Sint--On Commitment to Ecumenism. My copy is really getting to look worn.

Paragraph 35 has an important point:

"Dialogue cannot take place merely on a horizontal level, being restricted to meetings, exchanges of points of view or even the sharing of gifts proper to each Community. It has also a primarily vertical thrust, directed toward the One who, as the Redeemer of the world and he Lord of History, is himself our Reconciliation."

We acknowledge to one another that we are people who have sinned and we need this reconciliation in Christ through the power of the Spirit.

It seems to me that this is key--Christ is our Reconciliation.
And we all need this Reconciliation, again and again.

Peace,
John

Ethics and the Secular

Friends:

Last evening members of the Consortium Ethics Group met at Wesley to discuss Charles Taylor's monumental volume A Secular Age. John Corbett of the Pontifical Faculty gave a 15 minute reflection as a discussion starter. This led to an hour of reflection on this lengthy, profound, repetitive, informed and difficult volume. If offers a superb, and occasionally digressive, view of the roots of our contemporary dichotomy--immanence with or without transcendence--and a host of other questions.

Will this work be one that will be read in decades to come?
There is some sentiment that it will--perhaps in a more concise form.

Peace,
John