The Covenant of Mutual Love<br/><br/>

Fr. Stephen Law is a member of the Focolare Movement. For over twenty years he worked in the City of Maria in Taygaytay, Philipines. He is responsible for the communication between the major religions in Asia. Recently, he visited some friends in Toronto while in Canada to visit his family. While he was here, he happened to engage in academic exchange with a few of our parishioners.<br/><br/>

Q: From the perspective of Western Philosophy, Buddhism is not a true religion because it does not embrace the concept of a deity. A true religion is based on the relationship between mankind and God. Pope John Paul II has also concluded this in one of his private works. What is your opinion?<br/><br/>

A: The Eastern Philosophies are not as logical as the Western philosophies. The origin of Buddhism is in Hinduism, and Hinduism is poly-theistic. Even though Siddhartha Gautama did not specifically address the existence of God, the Buddhist teachings imply that there is the concept of a deity in the religion; albeit it is not as evident as in Western Philosophy.<br/><br/>

Q. Does the exchange between different faiths imply that different religious beliefs strive for the same ideals?<br/><br/>

A: Absolutely not. We undoubtedly believe that Jesus Christ is the Word of God; He is the most perfect inspiration that is given by God unto mankind. Even though different faiths, such as Judaism, is inspired by the Holy Spirit in different ways, they are still in need of Christ’s Gospel and redemption. In the inter-faith exchanges, the most fundamental idea is to live out the mutual love as written in the Gospels. Once a Thai monk stayed at our centre for a week. We did not debate the differences in our faiths. All that we did was share our beliefs, and we served him as best as we could. When he returned to Thailand, he enthusiastically shared the covenant of mutual love with his fellow brothers. Is not the seed of the Gospel already planted in their hearts?