
	Each month Bishop Manning writes a Letter to the Catholic Community of Parramatta Diocese, which is published in 'Catholic Outlook', the official diocesan newspaper. To review previous letters from the Bishop visit the archive.
	December 2007/January 2008 The Bishop's Letter Entering into the dialogue of love Bishop Kevin Manning, Catholic Outlook, December 2007/January 2008 My Dear People, Recently, 138 Muslim religious leaders sent an open letter and call to His Holiness Pope Benedict XVI and many other Christian leaders around the world. While we look forward to the official response of the Catholic Church, I offer a Christmas reflection on the open letter. A common word In their letter, entitled A Common Word, the Muslim leaders asked all readers to recognise that Christianity and Islam are both based on the foundation of love of God and love of neighbor. They give many quotations from the Bible and the Qur'an to show that Christianity and Islam are both based on love. The letter concludes with the appeal: "So let our differences not cause hatred and strife between us. Let us vie with each other only in righteousness and good works. Let us respect each other, be fair, just and kind to another and live in sincere peace, harmony and mutual goodwill." We have here an invitation to respect one another and to be just and kind to one another. This is really the new commandment of Christ, which we Christians must obey. Dialogue between different religions is not about coming to an agreement on doctrinal issues. The first step in dialogue is always respect. And respect can lead to love. Quality of witness The feast of Christmas, and A Common Word, challenge us to reflect on how we live up to the new commandment of Christ. How deeply do we witness to our love of God and love of our neighbour? I recall the saying in early Christian times, "see how these Christians love one another", and I wondered whether Muslims could say the same today about our love for one another. Encounters with people of any religion, who truly seek the truth, challenge us to ask ourselves: are we living authentic Christian lives? Love An authentic Christian life is centred on love. We believe in the One God, Father, Son and Holy Spirit, who live in love in eternity. We believe in God who loved us so much that He sent us His Only Son. We believe in Christ who, out of love for us, "did not count equality with God as something to be grasped, but emptied Himself by taking the form of a slave becoming as human beings are" (Phil 2:6-8). This is Christ we see in the Crib; this is Christ who died and rose again; this is Christ whose second coming we await. In Christ Jesus Our faith is incarnational or, to put it another way, for Christians "truth is a not a thing we possess, but a person by whom we allow ourselves to be possessed" (DP 49). Becoming like Christ is the work of a lifetime; but it is not one we undertake simply as individuals. We were baptised "into Christ". We belong in Him, in His Body, the Church. We are called to live with all people in a relationship of love. St Paul, in his straightforward style, spells it out for us: "Be generous to one another, sympathetic, forgiving each other as readily as God forgave you in Christ." (Eph. 4:30-32) The dialogue of love Our relations with Muslims must be relationships of love. Christ asks for nothing less. Whether they be formal dialogues, or chance meetings in the supermarket, our fundamental disposition must be love. If it is not, how can we call ourselves Christians? If we cannot love, how can we say that we possess Christ? If we cannot forgive, how can we receive the Eucharist? I end with the words of Cardinal Tauran, President of the Pontifical Council for Interreligious Dialogue, "this is the ardent hope I share with you; that Christians and Muslims continue to develop increasingly friendly and constructive relationships in order to share their specific riches, and that they will pay particular attention to the quality of the witness of their believers" (Message for the End of Ramadan 2007). It is my ardent hope that this Christmas, you will reflect on the quality of your witness to God, who is Love. Bishop Kevin Manning, Bishop of Parramatta.

Each month Bishop Manning writes a Letter to the Catholic Community of Parramatta Diocese, which is published in 'Catholic Outlook', the official diocesan newspaper.

To review previous letters from the Bishop visit the archive.

December 2007/January 2008

The Bishop's Letter

Entering into the dialogue of love

Bishop Kevin Manning, Catholic Outlook, December 2007/January 2008

My Dear People,

Recently, 138 Muslim religious leaders sent an open letter and call to His Holiness Pope Benedict XVI and many other Christian leaders around the world. While we look forward to the official response of the Catholic Church, I offer a Christmas reflection on the open letter.

A common word
In their letter, entitled A Common Word, the Muslim leaders asked all readers to recognise that Christianity and Islam are both based on the foundation of love of God and love of neighbor.

They give many quotations from the Bible and the Qur'an to show that Christianity and Islam are both based on love. The letter concludes with the appeal:

"So let our differences not cause hatred and strife between us. Let us vie with each other only in righteousness and good works. Let us respect each other, be fair, just and kind to another and live in sincere peace, harmony and mutual goodwill."

We have here an invitation to respect one another and to be just and kind to one another. This is really the new commandment of Christ, which we Christians must obey.

Dialogue between different religions is not about coming to an agreement on doctrinal issues. The first step in dialogue is always respect. And respect can lead to love.

Quality of witness
The feast of Christmas, and A Common Word, challenge us to reflect on how we live up to the new commandment of Christ. How deeply do we witness to our love of God and love of our neighbour?

I recall the saying in early Christian times, "see how these Christians love one another", and I wondered whether Muslims could say the same today about our love for one another. Encounters with people of any religion, who truly seek the truth, challenge us to ask ourselves: are we living authentic Christian lives?

Love
An authentic Christian life is centred on love. We believe in the One God, Father, Son and Holy Spirit, who live in love in eternity. We believe in God who loved us so much that He sent us His Only Son.

We believe in Christ who, out of love for us, "did not count equality with God as something to be grasped, but emptied Himself by taking the form of a slave becoming as human beings are" (Phil 2:6-8). This is Christ we see in the Crib; this is Christ who died and rose again; this is Christ whose second coming we await.

In Christ Jesus
Our faith is incarnational or, to put it another way, for Christians
"truth is a not a thing we possess, but a person by whom we allow ourselves to be possessed" (DP 49).

Becoming like Christ is the work of a lifetime; but it is not one we undertake simply as individuals. We were baptised "into Christ". We belong in Him, in His Body, the Church. We are called to live with all people in a relationship of love.

St Paul, in his straightforward style, spells it out for us: "Be generous to one another, sympathetic, forgiving each other as readily as God forgave you in Christ." (Eph. 4:30-32)

The dialogue of love
Our relations with Muslims must be relationships of love. Christ asks for nothing less. Whether they be formal dialogues, or chance meetings in the supermarket, our fundamental disposition must be love.

If it is not, how can we call ourselves Christians? If we cannot love, how can we say that we possess Christ? If we cannot forgive, how can we receive the Eucharist?

I end with the words of Cardinal Tauran, President of the Pontifical Council for Interreligious Dialogue, "this is the ardent hope I share with you; that Christians and Muslims continue to develop increasingly friendly and constructive relationships in order to share their specific riches, and that they will pay particular attention to the quality of the witness of their believers" (Message for the End of Ramadan 2007).

It is my ardent hope that this Christmas, you will reflect on the quality of your witness to God, who is Love.

Bishop Kevin Manning,
Bishop of Parramatta.