Interfaith mission

Three Persons in One God. Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Creator, Savior, Sanctifier. The ultimate meaning of this goes beyond the boundaries of institutional religion. An inner awareness of the one, loving God of all mankind, and thus of all religions. Unity in diversity – the only way to national as well as global peace.

Two monumental steps must come about in God’s own time. First is the interfaith unity of all religions, within and among the countries of the world. Second is the moral-spiritual awakening of the secular, godless forces in this very same world. All this is but a coming home of all creation to the one and only Creator of the whole universe.

The noted theologian, Hans Kung, expressed all this in his "Declaration Toward a Global Ethic" for the 1993 Parliament of the World’s Religions in Chicago. He capsulizes it in just four statements:

"• No peace among the nations without peace among the religions.

• No peace among the religions without dialogue between the religions.

• No dialogue between the religions without common ethical standards.

• No survival of our planet in peace and justice without a global ethic.

In studying the Torah, Quran, the Bhagavad-Gita, Sermon on the Mount, the discourses of the Buddha and the sayings of Confucius, Kung found that compassion, love, equality and honesty are common threads embedded in the world’s religions." (NCR, Sept. 3, 2004).

Just this past week, our Foreign Affairs Secretary Alberto Romulo announced the launching of the Philippine-led Tripartite Conference for Interfaith Cooperation for Peace to be held next month in New York. No less than the United Nations Secretary General Kofi Anan has given his full support for this. In Romulo’s own words: "I had a very frank and fruitful discussion with the Secretary General. He was upbeat and very supportive of our interfaith initiatives, including our plan to hold the Tripartite Conference in June." (The Phil. Star, May 15, 2005). Many interfaith activities and programs have been going on in our country for these past years. Let us support them and be involved in them in our own personal ways. In faith, I know that God will reward our efforts in His own time and way.

The moral-spiritual conversion of much of our politics, business and industry, media and entertainment including the jueteng empire and our educational system will demand the greatest courage and persevering efforts on our part. True, we have many NGOs, religious and non-religious organizations that are already doing their best to bring back morality and God to these secularized if not demonized institutions. But more, much more has to be done.

One among the God-inspired citizens’ movements I want to mention here is the Kapatiran or KPK (Kapatiran sa Pangkalahatang Kabutihan). It aims to integrate the political within the moral; the secular within the sacred; and it is interfaith. "KPK is a community-based national political movement that hopes to motivate and educate the Filipinos for nonviolent political and social participation, and commits to work for the common good of all by undertaking an educational campaign for enlightened, mature and responsible citizenry from which servant-leaders will emerge." (KPK Primer) Membership in KPK is open to all regardless of religion and socio-economic status.

Lastly but not least, we know that moral values and interfaith spirituality start within the home, in the family. Thus, in our own little way, this is what we at the Center for Family Ministries (CEFAM) are trying to contribute to the nation. As our mission statement says:

"The Center for Family Ministries, participating in the mission of the Society of Jesus, aims to empower the Filipino family to become a community of love, justice and peace both in the home and in its social role and responsibility to the nation and to the world…. We believe in the one God of the one human race in cooperating with all men and women of goodwill in our service to humankind."