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'Isa - Jesus

Posted on 30th April, 2021

18 ‘Isa – Jesus

 

A short word of explanation before tackling today’s subject.

The Arabic alphabet does not include the three vowels that are used: ‘a’ ‘i’ and ‘o’. These are not normally written (the reader has to know which vowel to supply). The apostrophe in the name ‘Îsâ represents the consonant ‘ayn, a guttural sound that does not exist in English.

 

The story of the Annunciation to Mary (maryam), that while remaining a virgin she is to bear a son, Jesus, and the account of his birth, are given in chapter (sûra) 19 of the Qur’an, a chapter entitled ‘Mary’ (maryam) (See AR no.8 and no.24).  There is another version of the Annunciation in sûra 3 (‘The Family of ‘Imran). Here Jesus is described in the following manner:

The angels said, “Mary, God gives you the news of a Word from Him, whose name will be the Messiah, Jesus, son of Mary, who will be held in honour in this world and the next, who will be one of those brought near to God (Q 3:45).

So Jesus is called a ‘Word (kalima) from God’. Now while kalima is feminine in form, the pronoun referring to it in ‘whose name’ is masculine (‘the name of him’). But Christians should not jump to the conclusion that we have here the Logos, the Word of God as understood by the Gospel of John where we find: In the beginning was the Word: the Word was with God and the Word was God (Jn 1:1).The Word (kalima) here in the Qur’an would seem to indicate the creative word of God, for the angel says to Mary: “This is how God creates what He will: when He has ordained something, He only says ‘Be’ and it is” (Q 3:47). So for Muslims Jesus is the son of Mary, but not the Son of God.

Yet, as the passage from the Qur’an quoted above states, Jesus is ‘held in honour’, he is one of the prophets, and he is ‘brought near to God’. This latter phrase may be a reference to the Islamic understanding of the Passion of Jesus. This is found in the following passage of the Qur’an:

[The Jews said] “We have killed the Messiah, Jesus, son of Mary.” (They did not kill him, nor did they crucify him, though it was made to appear like that to them….they certainly did not kill him – No! God raised him up to Himself). (Q 4:137-138).

This leads the Second Vatican Council to declare:

Although not acknowledging him as God, they [the Muslims] venerate Jesus as a prophet, his virgin Mother they also honour, and even at times devoutly invoke.

Despite these fundamental differences in belief, the same document says:

Let them [Christians and Muslims] together preserve and promote peace, liberty, social justice and moral values (Nostra Aetate 3).

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INTERRELIGIOUS DIALOGUE

The importance of Interreligious Dialogue

“Interreligious dialogue is a necessary condition for peace in the world, and so it is a duty for Christians as well as other religious communities” (Pope Francis, Evangelii Gaudium no.250)

This dialogue is part of the mission of the Church, together with the worship of God through prayer and liturgy, the witness of a Christian way of life, service to fellow human beings, proclaiming the Good News of the Gospel and instructing people in the faith.

What is dialogue?

Dialogue means “all positive and constructive interreligious relations with individuals and communities of other faiths which are directed at mutual understanding and enrichment, in obedience to truth and respect for freedom” (Pontifical Council for Interreligious Dialogue, Dialogue and Proclamation no.9)

What is the aim of this dialogue?

The aim is threefold:

Imam Sayed Ali Abbas Razawi and Pope Francis meet.

 -   To live in peace and harmony with people of different religious traditions;

-    To work together for the benefit of all our brothers and sisters;

-    To help one another to respond sincerely and generously to God’s will for us.

To whom is this dialogue directed?

This dialogue “should be potentially universal, that is, all-embracing and capable of including all” (Pope Paul VI, Ecclesiam Suam, no.79).

Missionaries of Africa

“Our Society was founded in 1868 by Cardinal Lavigerie, Archbishop of Algiers. It is a Missionary Institute of Priests and Brothers living in community. Its aim is to proclaim the Gospel to the peoples of the African world. Because of its origins the Society has always had a particular interest in Muslims” (Constitutions art.1).

In Liverpool

Here in St. Vincent’s, we see our participation in interreligious dialogue as:

  • Establishing contact with local Muslim communities and communities of other faiths.
  • Cooperating with other bodies engaged in interreligious relations.
  • Participating in the work of interreligious committees (Fr Michael and Fr Terry are members of the Archdiocesan committee for Ecumenism, which covers also interreligious relations; Fr Michael attends the meetings of Faith Leaders).