Earlier this morning, I was on my way out of the local YMCA when I heard a familiar voice beckoning. I hadn't recognized his features as he walked in front of me, but when we passed each other, I recognized my friend, and since we hadn't seen each other for a while, we greeted one another warmly.
We spoke briefly about an upcoming Inter-faith dialogue which has been announced, and expressed our hope that we would both be present. It wasn't long before our encounter, cordial as it was, was over and we were on our way. As I continued the journey, I couldn't help thinking that many of our 'encounters' in life are like that, brief meetings that sometimes rekindle friendships, and build on existing relationships that have taken, at times, many years to cultivate.
My friend is Jewish, so it is natural that I also should have been reminded of the dialogues that have been ongoing for some time now, between the Catholic Church and our Jewish brothers. In fact, just yesterday, the Vatican's committee for relations with Jews and its Jewish counterpart completed their most recent meeting, complete with a special emphasis with involving youth in the work of building relationships.
Sometimes exchanges are formal, but more often, the work of building friendships appears at first to be a series of unstructured encounters. Where ever it leads, we give thanks for the benefits, and look forward to forging on.
We spoke briefly about an upcoming Inter-faith dialogue which has been announced, and expressed our hope that we would both be present. It wasn't long before our encounter, cordial as it was, was over and we were on our way. As I continued the journey, I couldn't help thinking that many of our 'encounters' in life are like that, brief meetings that sometimes rekindle friendships, and build on existing relationships that have taken, at times, many years to cultivate.
My friend is Jewish, so it is natural that I also should have been reminded of the dialogues that have been ongoing for some time now, between the Catholic Church and our Jewish brothers. In fact, just yesterday, the Vatican's committee for relations with Jews and its Jewish counterpart completed their most recent meeting, complete with a special emphasis with involving youth in the work of building relationships.
Sometimes exchanges are formal, but more often, the work of building friendships appears at first to be a series of unstructured encounters. Where ever it leads, we give thanks for the benefits, and look forward to forging on.
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