FAITHS IN JOURNEY

Sharing the light of your faith in other lands

By September 2001

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In the last four decades, Catholics and Protestants worldwide have been rethinking their attitudes towards non-Christian religions. The Second Vatican Council of the 1960s is now seen as a watershed event in this new openness toward Jews, Muslims, Buddhists, Hindus, Aboriginals and others. Indeed, the Church has come to recognize and respect the presence of grace, truth and holiness in other religions.

The prashaad ritual. Prashaad (meaning “grace”) is a food dispensed to the Sikh congregation as they sit with their hands cupped together to receive it. Made of sugar, flour, butter and water, the prashaad is chanted over while it is being prepared. The chant is meant to sancitify this special food. The prashaad symbolizes God’s sweetness and goodness. At the interfaith event last fall, all members of the visiting mission group were invited to partake of the sacred food.

As well, the Church realizes that it can receive spiritual gifts in its conversation with other religious traditions. This conviction is best capsulized in the words of John Paul II: “By dialogue, we let God be present in our midst, for as we open ourselves to one another, we open ourselves to God.”

Across the planet, Catholic missionaries are embracing the challenge of interfaith dialogue; they are also struggling to interpret this challenge in light of the call to Christian mission.

In the fall of 2000, Scarboro Missions invited priests, nuns and lay personnel from a number of Toronto missionary organizations to embark upon a day of dialogue.

The first stop was a Sikh temple in Scarborough, Ontario. Following a cold bus ride, 40 mission pilgrims were ushered into the warm hospitality of the Sikh people. As the guests entered the Sikh house of worship, they were invited to remove their shoes and put on head coverings. Both of these Sikh customs are a way of showing respect for God while in the temple.

After a tour of the temple, guests had the opportunity to witness a dynamic worship service that featured prayers, singing and music played on a variety of instruments. Members of the temple then shared the history and traditions of Sikhism, an exercise that stimulated a volume of questions.

Next, it was on to what is perhaps the cornerstone of Sikh hospitality—the langar (community meal). Each day of the week, every Sikh temple provides free meals to any and all visitors, be they Sikh or non-Sikh.

Physically and spiritually nourished, the journeying missioners made their way back to the Scarboro Mission Centre to hear a panel of speakers representing five world faiths—Buddhism, Hinduism, Sikhism, Islam and Judaism.

Guests at the Sikh temple are treated to a community meal (langar). Each day, every Sikh temple provides a free meal to visitors. Sikh or non-Sikh. In the dining room, people sit on the floor in rows facing one another. “We sit like this because it is like the family getting together. When you eat together, you understand each other,” said Piara Singh Minhas, a member of the temple.

The theme chosen for the afternoon panel was “Faiths in journey: Sharing the light of your faith in other lands.” Each panelist was asked to sketch an historical outline of his faith tradition, with a specific focus on the spread of that given religion throughout the world.

This day of global journeying culminated with the celebration of the Eucharist in honour of St. Francis Xavier. Some members of the interfaith panel attended. Throughout the Mass and in his homily, the celebrant, Fr. Jack Lynch, Superior General of Scarboro Missions, stressed the importance of dialogue and diversity.

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