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Dialogue of life

“You are a jew and I am a Samaritan — so how can you ask me for a drink?” — Jonh 4:9

A Pluralistic World

We live in a pluralistic world. Our world is not a monolithic world. We are not the same in terms of culture, religion, economic status, political belief or even ideology. In almost all aspects of our lives, we are all different from each other. Indeed, we are diverse in many ways.

Apparently, God created a pluralistic world. God created us male and female. Some are given more gifts than others. Some are more beautiful or more intelligent than others. Some are tall; others are small. Each one of us has a unique personality.

Pluralism is what makes our world beautiful, but also exciting. It is quite exciting, because there are those who could not accept a pluralistic world. They would like the world to be monolithic; they would like it to have a monoculture. They would like to fashion the world according to their own image. They would like other people to think and behave as they do. And those who do not think and behave like them are considered enemies to be condemned or destroyed.

The Jews and the Samaritans were considered mortal enemies during Jesus’ time (cf. John 4). This is implied in the Samaritan woman’s question to Jesus: “You are a Jew and I am a Samaritan – how can you ask me for a drink?” The Jews would like the Samaritans to think and behave the way they do, in the same manner that the Samaritans would also like the Jews to think and behave the way they do. Consequently, violent conflicts arose.

In our churches today, there are also those who could not withstand a pluralistic worldview. They would like their fellow Christians or other people to think and behave the way they do. And those who do not think and behave like them are considered decadent, and therefore, in need of renewal.

Even in our society today, many of our political leaders could not also accept a pluralistic worldview. They want all citizens to follow their political line, to think and behave like them. And those who oppose them are either arrested, put to jail and charge of rebellion, or worst still would be killed in cold blood.

This is the kind of world we live in today. It is a pluralistic world, indeed. But many could not accept this kind of world that God gave to us. And thus, we have a world full of violent conflicts and divisions.

Proclaiming the Gospel

Now, it is to this kind of world that we are called upon to proclaim the Gospel. The Gospel we proclaim is not of our own; it is the good news of Jesus Christ our Savior and Lord. Jesus’ life and ministry embodies concretely what this Good News is all about. And we are going to proclaim it through a dialogue of life.

In the Biblical story found in John 4:1-30, Jesus and his disciples were going from Judea to Galilee passing through Samaria. It was in the town called Sychar that Jesus met a Samaritan woman at Jacob’s well. What happened between Jesus and the Samaritan woman is an example of a dialogue of life.

What transpired between Jesus and the Samaritan woman would show to us what a dialogue of life is all about. There are several things that we notice in the story.

First of all, a dialogue of life happens not inside an air-conditioned conference room, but in the day-to-day life of people. The dialogue between Jesus and the Samaritan woman happened beside Jacob’s well; it happened while the Samaritan woman was drawing water from the well, and while Jesus was resting from a long journey.

Proclaiming the Gospel through a dialogue of life is done not so much with words, but with life. Mahatma Gandhi is reported to have said to a group of Christian missionaries: “You talk too much. Look at the rose. It has also a gospel to proclaim. It does it silently, but effectively, and people come to it with joy. Imitate the rose.”

This reminds me of the UCCP Program called Muslim-Christian Dialogue in Mindanao. The dialogue between the Christians and the Muslims in the community happens while they are working together to build an irrigation canal for their rice fields. It is when we work together for the good of the whole community that we engage in a dialogue of life.

Moreover, a dialogue of life happens when there is a genuine spirit of openness, concern, and mutual understanding. The Samaritan woman opened her life before Jesus; and Jesus responded to her, not with condemnation but with genuine concern and understanding. And consequently, the woman was changed, and she brought more people to Jesus so that they too will be changed.

Dialogue is the best way to resolve conflicts and divisions in church or in society. But this can never happen without the spirit of openness, genuine concern, and mutual understanding.

Sometime in the 1960’s, an author wrote a book entitled the “Miracle of Dialogue”. He said that there is miracle in dialogue in the sense that it brings changes in the life of people engaged in it. Through dialogue, we could learn from each other. We could learn to understand, to forgive and to accept each other just as we are.

Finally, a dialogue of life transcends all cultural, religious, political, and gender differences. The Jews and the Samaritans had a long history of cultural, religious, and political differences. A woman with high reputation was not supposed to talk in public with a man not her husband. But all these differences were transcended when Jesus pointed to God as the Father of us all. With God as our Father, we are all brothers and sisters.

As one nationalist leader said some years ago: we live in seven thousand islands. We profess no less than five major religions. We pray in no fewer than seven native tongues. But all of us – Muslims or Christians, Tagalog or Visayan, Ilocano or Kapangpangan, Cordilleran or Pangasinanse – all of us are Filipinos, not only because we are all brothers and sisters in blood – many of us are not – but because we are all brothers and sisters in tears. Not because we share the same land – many of us are landless – but because we share the same dream. Whether we like it or not, we are one people, with one future, a future that will be as bright or as dark as we remain united or divided. #

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