Spirituality for Mission Nostra Aetate (In Our Time): Challenges and Prospects

The article of Fr. Edgar Javier, SVD answers the questions, “What is the spirituality for mission in our time? What are its challenges and prospects or even opportunities?” Asia is the focus and addressee of the inquiry. Asia being the biggest continent in the world is home to many traditions, races, languages, religions and cultures. In other words, it is a religiously pluralist continent and also home of many schools of spirituality. Asians, who are believers in God, expressed their strong faith in God in also different and various ways. In their ways of expressing their spirituality, it has become a way of life and ultimately a pursuit of the ultimate source of meaning in life. It is also a reality that the spiritualities of religions create religious identities that are efficiently leading others to bordered and separate traditions, particularity and difference. However, Asia in the twenty first century is changing. Entering into a digital age, the people of Asia is inevitably becoming citizens of the global village. Globalization in this sense is the main factor that is challenging Asia in its richness of cultures and religions. It creates a dichotomy depending how it is accepted and developed by different religious traditions, because it can promote chaos or community, particularity or diversity, difference or plurality. Globalization which is a phenomenon that promotes and celebrates interconnectivity, may make it impossible for separate religions to remain bordered from each other. Thus, this is the new global order of the third millennium. Then, there is also a need of a new spirituality in Asia. With the help of interreligious or interfaith dialogues, this new spirituality that is living the God of life is brought to become interfaith spirituality. It is a spirituality grounded on the following features 1.) the economic-imperialistic stance of Asia vis-à-vis the wider world economy; 2.) the impending ecological questions and the implications of eco-justice; 3.) interfaith dialogue with the great Eastern religions. Moreover, in building an interfaith spirituality, one urgent concern that must be attended to by world religions is the environment. Finally, the author concludes that the acceptance of pluralism generates an interfaith spirituality that is fit for the twenty-first century world. It is a step farther from mere devotional and sacramental practices to interfaith relationships among humans and sincere concerns and deep commitments for ecological flourishing.

            Generally, the article aids the readers the need to answer the current issues of the twenty-first centuries particularly in the environment. The most probable opportunity to do it is developing a new spirituality, which is interfaith spirituality. There can be different interpretations from different religions in addressing the challenge as long us with one goal. Spirituality of each religious tradition is never compromised because a true spirituality finds its strength by making it as a way of life and ultimately in pursuing the ultimate meaning of life. The deep ecology and concern for environment can be the grounds of a new interfaith spirituality. Moreover, dialogue plays an essential role in this new spirituality. The value of acceptance and openness of each difference should be the foundations of interfaith dialogue. So as in dong mission in other cultures and religions, this is new interfaith spirituality should serve as guide in our spirituality of God of life by which Asians are great believers in God. These are the strong points of the article.

One weak point may be of the article is on the under-emphasis of the alternative response to religious pluralism aside from ecological concerns. The Old Testament can be seen as indicators to such an alternative or paradigm. (Notes on Missiology, p. 27)