Rome: March 13-15, 2002
“What Do We Want the Other to Teach About Our Prayer and Liturgy?”
Jewish-Christian-Muslim Dialogue

On March 13-15, 2002, the Center for Christian-Jewish Understanding (CCJU) of Sacred Heart University, sponsored a highly successful conference at the Dionesian Center at Villa Piccolomini, Rome, entitled, "What Do We Want the Other to Teach About Our Prayer and Liturgy?" It was the third of five conferences to be conducted under a similar theme.

 

Fathers Joseph Farias and Charles Parr from New Jersey participated at the CCJU Conference on Prayer and Liturgy held in Rome.

 

The conference began with greetings and messages by Dr. Anthony J. Cernera, president of Sacred Heart University, and Rabbi Joseph H. Ehrenkranz, executive director of the CCJU. Rabbi Reuven Kimelman, professor of Near Eastern and Judaic Studies at Brandeis University, Waltham, Massachusetts; Cardinal Carlo Maria Martini, Archbishop of Milan; and Sheikh Professor Abdul Hadi Palazzi of the Cultural Institute of the Italian Islamic Community, Rome, presented papers to an audience of more than 200 people. Papers included philosophical, theological and liturgical considerations from the Jewish, Christian and Muslim faith traditions on "What Do We Want the Other to Teach About Our Prayer and Liturgy?" At the end of the lectures, each presenter was given the opportunity to respond to questions.

The format for the following day of the conference included responses to the papers by noted scholars followed by discussion, critiques and suggestions by a group of 30 scholars and participants from the Czech Republic, Europe, Great Britain and the United States. Graduate students from several universities in Rome as well as representatives from the Sisters of Sion and the Focolare Movement joined as observers for each of the sessions.

Introduction: Why These Conferences?

These conferences are based on the mission of the CCJU, which advocates a respect for the dignity of all people, and acknowledges a special relationship among Jews, Christians and Muslims. The Center works to further interreligious dialogue by living the principles outlined in the 1965 Vatican II document, Nostra Aetate, which encouraged interreligious dialogue and understanding and positively asserted the ongoing validity and common spiritual heritage that Jews, Christians and Muslims share. As an academic and research division of Sacred Heart University, the CCJU promotes forums for dialogue and study in order to advance greater knowledge, understanding and harmony among religions.

Executive Summary: "What Do We Want the Other to Teach About Us?"

Rabbi Reuven Kimelman
Professor of Near Eastern and Judaic Studies
Brandeis University, Waltham, Massachusetts

Rabbi Kimelman said that Judaism's sources for prayer and liturgy are found in all forms of Jewish life including the examples of holy people, but also are articulated particularly well in the halacha [law codes] and sidur [prayer book]. He spent most of his presentation exploring the central place of blessing in Judaism. He said, “Jewish prayer is marked by its multitude of blessings, its understanding of the body and soul, its advocacy of the love of God, and its vision of redemption. With regard to the body, it underscores the religious significance of the workings of the body and its relationship with the soul. With regard to the love of God, it works out the relationship between the love of Torah and the love of God. With regard to redemption, it presents a three-stage development starting with the individual, moving to the community or people of Israel, and ultimately incorporating all of humanity. All three themes appear in the daily liturgy in this order respectively.”

 

Rabbi Joseph Ehrenkranz and Reuven Kimelman were presenters at the CCJU Conference on Prayer and Liturgy held in Rome.

 

According to Rabbi Kimelman, blessings are instructive and remind the Jewish believer of all of God's attributes, majesty, and his ability and desire to redeem the world. The blessings also firmly ground the believer in his or her identity as one of God's own, with a heritage and a future. For example, the second blessing in the morning recitation of the Shema (“Hear O Israel, the Lord our God, the Lord is one”) makes the case for the election of Israel as an expression of God's love. Rabbi Kimelman said, “God's election-love is expressed through teaching Torah and commandments. . . . God's everlasting (olam) love as expressed through such teaching is reciprocated by a commitment on Israel's part to rejoice and study the teaching and commandments forever (le'olam). As the morning version, so the evening version presents the loving God as a teaching God.”

Rabbi Kimelman also said that the theme of redemption permeates the Jewish liturgy, for example, in the Amidah of the daily liturgical prayer. “Redemption is a motif that recurs throughout the Prophets and the liturgy, especially on the High Holidays, namely, that the precursor of the universal recognition of divine sovereignty is God's return to Zion.” He concluded by saying, “It might be said that it is precisely our awareness of ourselves as body and soul that enables us to love, and be loved by, God and look forward to redemption.”

Cardinal Carlo Maria Martini
Archbishop of Milan

Cardinal Martini began by saying that he was neither a theologian nor a mystic, yet he attempted daily to grow closer to God through prayer and meditation. He recommended three documents that informed his lecture: The 1965 Vatican II document, Constitution on the Liturgy; the Catholic Catechism, especially sections 1134 and 1209, as well as the sections on liturgy (1345-1419); on Christian prayer, and on the Lord's Prayer (2559, 2865). He also mentioned the 1989 “Letter on Some Aspects of Christian Meditation,” which, he noted offers “a thorough and simple explanation of prayer and meditation.”

Cardinal Martini began by saying that Catholic liturgy involves rites and prayers that should be intentionally simple and accessible. “Prayer is the gradual building of a relationship with God and others over a lifetime. The Eucharist is the center of liturgy, and it is something so mysterious that it is only understood in the context of a full-lived Christian life. . . . I still need to learn what is going on when I pray. Jesus Christ lives in and through his Church and this gives the believer deep joy and exultation. The symbols of bread and wine bring the community together as and through the Body of Christ,” he said.

The Archbishop explained that for him, “Christian prayer is a mystery. It is very difficult to explain what happens when I pray. It is more than an activity of thinking and speaking. Prayer is God's spirit within us, speaking through us, making us one with God. . . . . It is an elevation of the mind to God where a Christian is called to the truth, even in the midst of trial. This does not happen in a magical way, but in a mysterious way. Prayer is faith and hope that does not expect immediate reward. This is not to be confused with a psychological experience. Prayer requires surrendering to God's actions, not mastering our ego.”

Cardinal Martini also drew the connection between communal living and the sources of prayer.

“Christian prayer is manifold and can assume many forms. Christians consider the Bible a source of inspiration and union with God. Most of all, Christian prayer is dependent upon Christian revelation including Jesus Christ and the Church. This dependency is in union with the Church as well as the communion of saints and finds its fulfillment in the words, ‘Thy will be done.' Christian prayer has to be in union with Jesus Christ, which is why the Psalms are so important to Christians. They are the same psalms that Jesus prayed.”

The Cardinal also briefly described the variety in the Christian liturgical calendar and rites and said that the liturgy “must be focused on its roots in the Jewish Scriptures and religion while also remembering that the special sacred day for Christians is Sunday which commemorates Jesus' rising from the dead. Catholic liturgy and its calendar remembers especially Mary and the saints-human beings who help us to see God's glory shining through human weakness.”

Cardinal Martini concluded by saying, “I think that dialogue among religions is a most vital hope, especially for peace.” He alluded to his experience at Assisi where he attended the January 24, 2002, Day of Prayer for Peace in the World. He said, “Dialogue requires listening and understanding. We must continue to declare that every religion must be opposed to violence.”

Sheikh Professor Abdul Hadi Palazzi
Cultural Institute of the Italian Islamic Community, Rome

Sheikh Palazzi spoke about the unity, mercy, compassion and uniqueness of God (Allah) whose generosity and justice inspire the believer “to surrender to God in piety and strength and gratefully witness to others of God's amazing creation.” He also stressed the central role and importance of the Prophet Mohammed (d. 632) in Islam, who said that “prayer is the cornerstone of Islam.” He also clarified that the Shari'ah is only one aspect of Islam, a religion that is formed by Shari'ah (law), Tariqah (path) and Haqiqah (truth). “While the Shari'ah deals with those external deeds that a believer performs with his body, the Tariqah deals with the inner disposition in performing those same deeds, and the Haqiqah deals with that knowledge of God that is the goal of both Shari'ah and Tariqah,” he said.

Sheikh Palazzi explained the two concepts of prayer in Islam: the ritual prayers (salah in Arabic) and spontaneous prayer (du‘a'). The former “must be performed in Arabic, according to detailed rules of purity, in appointed times, with fixed formulas and a specific orientation of the body.” The latter does not depend on particular rules, and it is when one asks God whatever lawful things one is in need of and in whatever languages he or she prefers.

The recitation of Qur'an and in particular of its opening chapter (al-Fatihah), is an essential part of each service, while the conditions of purity and the positions which the worshipper takes during the service are also prescribed in it. He also noted that the language of the Qur'an is itself part of the revelation, unlike Judaism and Christianity, which are permitted translations. He said, “Muslims believe that the Qur'an cannot be translated into another language, and that a so-called ‘translation of the Qur'an' is not a real translation, but rather an explanation of the meanings in a language which is different from Arabic. Islam also teaches that the Qur'an has seven levels of understanding, each one of which is disguised by the level which precedes it. A translation of the meaning necessarily concerns the literal level only, which is the most external of the meanings, i.e., the one which is understood by every person who reads the Qur'an and knows the Arabic language.”

Drawing comparisons among Judaism, Christianity and Islam, he said, “The central rite of each of the three religions - tefillah in Judaism, Mass in Catholicism and salah in Islam - includes the idea of offering to God not only our actions, our hopes and our submission, but mainly His own Word. . . . In Judaism and in Islam, the Word of God is essentially manifested in the form of the Torah and of the Qur'an. This is the reason why their recitation has such a central point in Jewish and Islamic services, while in Catholicism that same Word is not understood as transcendentally manifested in a revealed Book, but rather in the person of Jesus Christ. The common point between the three religions is in understanding the service as restitution to God of the Word of God, which implies a participation of the creature in the same Divine nature, but the manifestation of the Word is not understood by Catholicism in the same way it is understood by Judaism and Islam. Consequently, a Jew and a Muslim find no difficulty in immediately understanding what the similarities between their respective daily services, but they could find some relevant difficulties in understanding the similarity that nevertheless exists between those services and a Catholic Mass. In the same way, a Catholic could be inclined to see in Jewish and Muslim services the mere repetition of words and prayers, without a palpable nature of offering, and even less of offering to God His own divinity.”

Sheikh Palazzi described the prayer experience as akin to a journey where individuals go “from the creation to the Truth and from the Truth through the creation, but this does not mean that each Muslim actually performs a spiritual journey during each of his daily services. Even so, Islam admits that the spiritual journey during the service has an ontological reality for the awliya', i.e., for that category of beings who correspond to the tzadikim of Judaism and to the saints of Catholicism. The same idea of magic carpet in the folklore of the Islamic world and in popular Islamic literature (for instance in “Thousand and One Nights”) hints at this same truth. The carpet stands for the place were the worshipper stands for the daily service, and the notion that someone can fly on his carpet is a sort of materialized transposition of the notion of spiritual journey.”

Sheikh Palazzi concluded his lecture by saying that “God is a God of Peace and He is Peace Himself. As-Salam, peace, in Arabic is both the common greeting and one of the 99 Beautiful Names of God.”

The evening concluded with kosher refreshments and informal conversation among those who remained. The work of an Israeli artist who had painted interreligious themes of peace was also on display.

Responses and Discussion

From a Jewish Perspective

The following morning, Rabbi Tsvi Blanchard, Director of Organizational Development, CLAL, New York, responded to Rabbi Kimelman's paper. He raised concerns over the need to view Jewish prayer as a balance of public liturgical prayer and private prayer as part of the whole Jewish life. He said, “Interpretations and perceptions often differ concerning events and texts, but the Torah comes alive and history becomes the basis of prayer, ritual, study, in short, the substance and fabric of Jewish life. . . . So, too, are all people invited into that journey of their community of faith that leads to God's holy mountain described by the Prophet Isaiah.”

Rabbi Blanchard agreed with the former evening's lecture on Judaism's prayer and liturgy, but wanted to add to the excellent picture of classical rabbinic prayer presented by Rabbi Kimelman. He said, “If we want the other to teach about us, the information must be so common that anyone could find it. Unfortunately there is a tendency with scholars to find the things that no one else knows of. Nevertheless, there is a renewal of Jewish spirituality, especially with study of the texts and also Jewish mysticism. This rediscovery of meditation, song and dance are less captured by theology and more by phenomenology or experiencing God and liturgy.”

Rabbi Blanchard said that there is no single way to teach about Judaism, but there is a continuity of identity, memory and history that allows for authentic dialogue and apologetics which are never neutral or value-free. He spoke of prayer as a purative activity but one that does not guarantee reward or freedom from temptation. He said, “Purity of motive and purity of intent are very important. The heart must love God without ulterior motives, but prayer does not guarantee a life of leisure.” 

Speaking to the issue of praying in difficult situations, Rabbi Blanchard asserted, “The search from pain to love is possible. It is headed for redemption and discovering the possibility of wholeness. In exile, God also goes to exile. In some mystical way, God is also separated from himself. One of the advantages of connecting to God even in a fragmented prayer, is that purity of the heart develops into prayer. We arrive at contemplation through a process of meditation and coming to understand and connect with a larger process and picture. . . . Stepping out of self and moving past contemplation to ecstasy is momentary but real. It is a moment when we can experience the possibility of peace and hope.”

Rabbi Blanchard said, “People should talk to God, pour out themselves every day in their own language and tell God by themselves what is going on. Solitude and silence are also part of the prayer experience. To be where God was more than where God is. The relationship of self-emptying to God is more important than the words.”

He concluded by saying that both public prayer, which Rabbi Kimmelman had emphasized, and private and “pre-theological” prayer were essential to the believing Jew: “The actions of saints make the tradition alive and real. Public religion emphasizes the texts, while private religion talks about anecdotes and usually stories of saints.” 

Discussion by the participants began by focusing on conceptions of private prayer for each religious tradition. Contemplation of divine numbers, poetry, repetitive prayers and devotions were a part of each tradition. The role of individuals within the community and the community towards the individuals during prayer was also discussed. It was noted that in addition to the experience of prayer, the educational component of prayer was also important-especially in inviting young people to the public sphere and ritual to celebrate their identity. One person noted that there are only two times when the Jewish prayer book uses the pronoun “my:” (The blessing for the soul, “My G-d, the soul You gave in me is pure. You created, You formed it, You breathed it into me;” and in another place the petitioner prays, “Help me not to speak evil about others.”)

The relationship of the body to prayer was also discussed. Transcending, transforming and living in one's body at the same time is a challenge for each tradition. Rabbi Blanchard said, “As for Jews, we teach that your body can be your friend but don't turn your back on it. The erotic and the mystical go together. Therefore, we do not overcome the body but we go through the physical to the spiritual.” Several others noted that the aesthetic, especially music, induces the body to greater participation. Some Jewish mystics are said to shake as if drowning in water. So, too, in the struggle of prayer one may not see the water, but the shaking is real. Similarly, the symbolic and sense of being in a dramatic way where one is can heighten the experience of prayer.

According to the group, a common theme for Jews, Christians and Muslims is the importance of teaching about saints and holy people. The participants agreed that holiness is not merely mental health, identity clarification or an achievement. Rabbi Blanchard suggested that holiness is a journey to discover the answer to Who am I? The answer, he said, “is more of a past-participle than a noun. The answer is, I am loved by God. I am nothing without God.” 

From a Catholic Perspective

The Catholic participants at the conference facilitated a discussion that responded to Cardinal Martini's paper, due to the fact that the scheduled respondent, Cardinal Walter Kasper, president of the Pontifical Commission for Religious Relations with the Jews, Vatican City, was called away at the last moment.

Dr. David L. Coppola of the CCJU began the discussion by saying that Jews, Christians and Muslims all hold to a belief in one God who acts and is revealed to all and communicates in history through events and people. “For us, a relationship with God has ethical consequences that guide the people of the Word to live lives in covenantal community, faith, law, love, justice and witness. The proper response to God of the community and the individual is prayer and liturgy,” he said.

Discussion initially focused on marking time and making it holy as well as the connection of the Eucharist and community. The participants discussed that Jesus' rising on the first day of the week contributed to Christianity's eventual practice of remembering the Sabbath on Sundays rather than on Saturdays. Although Christian prayer forms were deeply rooted in the Jewish prayer tradition, over time, prayer and liturgy as well as sacraments developed to reflect the central place of the Paschal Mystery (Christians' belief in the suffering, death and resurrection of Jesus) after which holidays and liturgical seasons evolved. One participant said that an important point to understand about Catholic prayer and liturgy is that prayers of home life and the personal prayer journey of individuals are always included in the community's public worship.

There was some discussion whether peace on earth was more important for Jews than the salvation of souls. While the Christians emphasized the salvation of souls as a way that God's reign of peace on earth would be accomplished, the Jewish participants said that they would emphasize more the duty to bring about peace on earth. Rabbi Kimelman stressed that for Jewish theology, the salvation of souls was not a divine action but a function of ethical human-to-human interaction. Additionally, the Christian participants said that they speak often about salvation whereas the Jewish participants noted that Jews speak with less frequency about the issue of what one imagines will happen after one's death.

A final point highlighted the many spiritual traditions practiced by communities of religious men and women and also the differences of prayer for men and women in general. It was also noted that Catholics and the Churches of the Reformation are growing closer together in their understanding of theology as it relates to the Word, prayer and liturgy.

From an Islamic Perspective

Sheikh Dr. Ali Hussen al-Badawi as-Siddiqi of the Italian Muslim Association of Rome wrote a response that was translated and read in English by Sheikh Professor Abdul Hadi Palazzi. He discussed Sufism and the inner dimension of Islamic spirituality. “God listens and answers even before we ask for something in prayer. When there is a choice between justice or mercy,” the Sheikh said, “Mercy is more present in Islam.”

In describing the inner life of holiness, Sheikh Hussen said that “Sufism is the renunciation of all selfish pleasures. . . . The end and aim of a Sufi's life is God alone; he loves God alone; his thinking, meditation and prayer are for God alone. He is ever ignorant of everything save God and when he thinks of God alone his mind is purified, and in this sense he finds himself attached to God and disconnected from everything save God. He is totally captivated by God alone! When lay people see him involved in acts of charity toward other human beings, animals or plants, he is simply contemplating God's creation for God's sake. . . . The goal of Sufism is thus the realisation of the immediate Presence of God. The source of this teaching in the Islamic tradition is represented by the Noble Qur'an and the hadith of the Prophet Muhammad (God's blessings and peace be upon him). Sufism is never a theory only but is always a presence, and even learning about it by hearing a preliminary explanation is regarded as the first step along the path. This is said to happen even when the listener does not fully realise it, even when he only supposes to be listening to a lecture, a conference or a similar academic program.”

The participants at the conference discussed the strengths and weaknesses of becoming "westernized" as religious people and how that process has affected their prayer and prayer forms. Most agreed that Jews, Christians and Muslims need to be prophetic enough to critique the culture by retaining their unique religious identity and preserving their integrity in the midst of a pluralistic society.

One Islamic participant said that there is a divine dimension to dialogue and prayer. He said, “God did not make us a single community, so that we can learn from each other. Even the Book of Genesis does not claim the first ten generations as Jewish.”

At one point in the conversation, the topic of some Muslims praying for violence to others was discussed. Sheikh Palazzi asserted, “Totalitarianism is a counterfeit unity. Islam is not a one-dimensional religious group, but very complex, especially due to the political situations around the world.” He continued, “Discrimination is forbidden on any basis, including religion, because it is God's will that there would be different religions on the earth until the last day. Terrorism is never justified, and violence is only justified in the name of Islam as a means of self-defense or a last resort from oppression. . . . When humans live in peace and unity, they are a living sign of God's nature of unity and oneness.”

Final questions and discussion focused primarily on the organization of Islam, politics and religion, Muslim intra-religious relations and understandings, the relationship of women and men, and the courage of individuals to stand up and speak against injustice committed in the name of religion.

Cultural Event

On the evening of the conference, Wednesday, March 14, 2002, the film, “Desperate Hours” directed by Victoria Barrett was shown. About 40 people joined the conference participants at the Villa Piccolomini, and several representatives from the Italian press attended. The film documented how the government and the people of Turkey helped to save the lives of European Jews by giving them citizenship papers as well as places to resettle during World War II. At a reception that followed, Dr. Coppola facilitated a discussion that concluded after about an hour.

Connections and Conclusions

A number of concurrent themes emerged from the proceedings. First, it was agreed that much more joint study needs to be pursued in the areas of prayer and liturgy, aesthetics and the scriptures of each religion.

Second, prayer and liturgy in one sense, is a conversation, a relationship and relating of a people to God, creation and ideas. This conversation asks about and reflects an individual's and a community's destiny and meaning in response to God's revelation. Issues and questions raised were: Have our ideologies separated us? Have even our symbols separated us from God's love? The cross, for example, is a paradox and a stumbling block to some, as well as the central symbol to inspire prayer in others. One participant said, “Symbols, images, art, music, beauty, are beyond the rational. They are visceral and are lodged in our marrow.” Nonetheless, the worship setting and the liturgical context of a symbol are powerful remedies to counter the secular abuses of religious symbols throughout history and at present.

Third, The Shema Israel,: “Hear O Israel: the Lord our God is one, and you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul and with all your might” (Deuteronomy 6:4-5), can be a starting point for prayer. This prayer helps the one in prayer to focus on the proper relationship of humans to God in a God-human partnership to perfect this world.

Fourth, Vatican II called the liturgy "the source and summit" of Christian life. Catholics need to pay attention to the visceral impact of liturgy on Christian formation, especially since the Mass is the context in which most Catholics are able to engage their faith traditions most regularly. Catholics have often asserted the dictum lex orandi, lex credendi. However, it is also important to remember that the Church's lex credendi (rule of belief) may require changes in the lex orandi (rule of prayer), especially as Christians have come to understand their relationship with each other and God more deeply. This is particularly important in the growth of the Church's relationship with the Jewish people, which was articulated in the corrective and reformative efforts of the 1965 Vatican II document, Nostra Aetate. The document calls Christians to celebrate their "intrinsic bond" with the people and faith of Judaism and their respect for Muslims. "Sounding the depths of the mystery" that is rooted in these "spiritual ties" (Nostra Aetate, 4) suggests that Catholics are willing to revisit their liturgy in this new light. Some of the Catholic participants noted that it was probably a fair criticism that Catholic liturgical documents are slow in coming to reflect this deeper understanding of the Catholic-Jewish relationship. Without adequate catechesis in the Catholic community, for example, the traditional "Reproaches" employed in some Good Friday services, the “O Antiphons” and other liturgical hymns, as well as the liturgical usage of polemical New Testament texts, such as Matthew 27:25 or the Apostolic speeches in the beginning of the Acts of the Apostles, may be construed as a denigration of or supercession of the Jewish People. Albeit the differences in the leadership structure of Catholics from Jews and Muslims, it would be of great value to furthering the dialogue process if additional efforts also came from Jewish and Muslim faith communities.

Fifth, several people raised the importance of each person's being nourished in his or her own community of faith. When or if guests join a congregation to pray together, it is not appropriate to tinker with that faith community's integrity and traditional worship by watering it down. Certainly one's sensitivity is heightened and sense of hospitality is rightfully engaged, and serves as a critique of one's authentic worship of God. Nonetheless, when we are secure in our commitments, we can be open to those of other faiths. For example, at the start of the World Day of Prayer for Peace at Assisi in October 1986, Pope John Paul II said that he was “a believer in Jesus Christ, and in the Catholic Church, the first witness of faith in Him, but. . . it is in fact, my faith conviction which has made me turn to you.”

Sixth, one participant said that there is a rich Christian liturgical heritage that needs to be cautious especially about appropriating Jewish celebrations or creating syncretistic rituals. The challenge remains for Christians and Jews to neither cloud their differences nor overreact by objectifying each other by placing them on pedestals. At the same time, numerous points of connection between Jews, Christians and Muslims especially with regard to prayer, piety, fasting, wisdom, the unknowable mystery of God, and prophecy as gift were raised.

For example, the three Abrahamic traditions share a substantial common Scripture. There is the natural predilection towards the metaphysical when explaining the Word, whether as eternal, pre-existent ruah, dabar, Wisdom, prophecy, or the Word made flesh, or the Word made Book. This opened the door for multi-layered dialogue at the conference and surfaced the need for a more “textured” theory of revelation in relationship to the ways we teach about each other's prayer and liturgy. In particular, interreligious dialogue might uncover more points of concurrence by focusing on the response of the faith community in prayer and social justice, more than on the Word, per se.

Another point of connection could be the cooperative exploration of a more extensive interreligious theology of one's life as a journey or pilgrimage of prayer. The conference participants noted that prayer and pilgrimage are enduring themes for all three faith traditions and a common theological backdrop and religious experience leading to God. At Jerusalem, Rome, Mecca and many other destinations, one leaves his or her place of security, journeys to a sacred place despite danger and risk and meets an equality with other pilgrims. The pilgrim comes before God's presence in a new way and performs a sacred duty or celebration that transforms him or her. It was noted by the participants at the conference that Psalms 120-134 are hymns of pilgrims walking up to Jerusalem where they were greeted by the residents, “Blessed are you who come in the name of the Lord!” It was also suggested that Torah is a pilgrimage, belief is a pilgrimage. For the Christian participants, pilgrimage is also a model for life and the Christian journey focused on Jesus. Prayer and contemplation is a pilgrimage towards God, whether God's Holy Mountain, or internal 7-Story Mountains or the journey of prayer that one may take on one's prayer carpet. Finally, it was pointed out by one of the participants that for many people, pilgrimage becomes real in their witness and social justice and serves as a remedy for exaggerated, over-spiritualized faith.

Seventh, one participant reminded the group that it was God's presence that challenges us to show profound respect to one another. And yet such a relationship challenges us to further dialogue. Important questions still remain. Does the wideness of God's mercy call into question our own narrowness? Because the Abrahamic faiths take history seriously, there are often strong connections between culture, faith and civilization. Can we begin to eliminate the elements of supercessionism in our prayers and liturgies while remaining faithful to our beliefs? Can prayer unite us? How many ways are there to the one and only God? Does God distinguish between our prayers? Is there still a place in our faith traditions for prophetic prayer? Is there a unity that transcends our particularity that can be expressed in prayer and liturgy? Do we gather together and pray or gather to pray together? Whatever we decide in our local and universal faith communities, have we forgotten in our newness of this relating, the time and place for silence and contemplation together? Can we allow time to reflect, to listen to inspired readings, to sing and mostly to be quiet?

Finally, it is clear that individual prayer is a necessary preparation for authentic dialogue and study to take place, especially if one's prayers are fundamental individual and communal processes that remember and celebrate who an individual is and who we are called to be as people of faith. As such, prayer is about responsible relationships. Through prayer and meditation we open ourselves to God and each other. Prayer and meditation help to bring to the surface transcendental values, which can inspire ethical action for justice and peace that counters materialism and disrespect for life. Prayer leads us to recognize the other as an equal, perhaps even a sibling. In short, there is a divine dimension to the dialogue process and if entered with reverence and respect, dialogue can be a sacred encounter pleasing to God.

-David L. Coppola, Ph.D.

“What Do We Want the Other to Teach About Our Prayer and Liturgy?”

Rome Conference: March 13-15, 2002

List of Invited Participants:

• Rabbi Tsvi Blanchard, Director of Organizational Development, CLAL, New York
• Professor Giovanni Bonsanti, Esq., Director, Office for Islam, Order of the Knights of the Holy Sepulchre
• Dr. Anthony J. Cernera, President, Sacred Heart University, Fairfield, Connecticut
• Dr. David L. Coppola, Center for Christian-Jewish Understanding, Fairfield, Connecticut
• Khadija Rosaria De Maria, Chairman, Council of Muslim Women, Italian Muslim Association, Rome
• Mrs. Istina Di Corte, Focolare Movement, Rome
• Rabbi Dr. Riccardo DiSegni, Chief Rabbi of Rome
• Rabbi Joseph H. Ehrenkranz, Center for Christian-Jewish Understanding, Fairfield, Connecticut
• Rev. Dr. Joseph Farias, Drew University, New Jersey
• Avv. Guglielmo Guerra, Legal Advisor, Italian Muslim Association, Rome
• Sheikh Dr. Ali M. Hussen, President and Chief Qadi, Italian Muslim Association, Rome
• Kalim Karim Hussen, Chairman, Federation of Muslim Students, Italian Muslim Association, Rome
• Cardinal Walter Kasper, President, Commission for Religious Relations with the Jews, Vatican City
• Farid Naimi Khan, President, Italy-Afghanistan Fellowship, Counselor for Asia, Italian Muslim Association, Rome
• Rabbi Dr. Reuven Kimelman, Brandeis University, Massachusetts
• Rabbi Joseph Laras, Chief Rabbi of Milan
• Cardinal Carlo Maria Martini, Archbishop of Milan
• Marzuk Marzio Mostarda, Counselor of the Italian Muslim Association, Secretary, Office for Islam,
• Order of the Knights of the Holy Sepulchre
• Sheikh Professor Abdul Hadi Palazzi, Cultural Institute of the Italian Islamic Community, Rome
• Dr. Margaret Palliser, O.P., Sacred Heart University, Fairfield, Connecticut
• Lisa Palmieri-Billig, ADL Representative in Italy, Rome
• Rev. Dr. Charles Parr, Catholic University, Washington, DC
• Rabbi Abraham Piattelli, Rabbi of the Great Synagogue, Rome
• Dr. Ombretta Pisano, Documentalist, Sidic Center, Rome
• Rabbi David Rosen, President, International Council of Christians and Jews, Jerusalem
• Sr. Lucy Thorson, NDS, Sister of Sion, Rome
• Sr. Mechthild Vahle, NDS, Superior General, Sisters of Sion, Rome

Previous Page    Back to 2002 Programs and Conferences    Next Page