I begin the series on Badaliyya to renew the spirit of the Badal for our time. We aim to encourage mutual respect, understanding and dialogue between and among Fr. Massignon's three Abrahamic traditions Judaism, Christianity and Islam. We hope that others will join us in spirit around the world. In the spirit of our friend and guide, Fr. Louis Massignon, we believe that any efforts at reconciliation and social action must begin in prayer.
We began by reflecting on the foundations of the Badaliyya in order to ground us in the spirit of its original intention. The Badaliyya began with a vow made by Louis Massignon and Mary Kahil in an ancient Franciscan church to dedicate themselves to the well-being of the Muslim community.
It is reassuring to realize that the Badaliyya began with only two. The initial responses to the idea of a vow led us to begin to realize the seriousness of our endeavor - Badaliyya on line. One person reminded us that all our vows are essentially a deepening of our baptismal promises. This is an invitation for us to struggle more intently with what we are called to become. We discussed the meaning of the Arabic word, badaliyya, substitution, and began some reflection on Massignon's understanding in light of his intense Christian faith. Substitution is a controversial and challenging call which we will continue to explore through the writings of Massignon and others in our prayers and contemplation.
In keeping with the original statutes of the Badaliyya we began our prayer for one another in silence. Then spent some time in silent reflection. If we have a small group of Badals we center our gathering on the theme of peace and each person is asked to bring a reading or something to share.
Our readings are taken from scripture passages, readings from the Qur'an, or an original poem written about Saint Francis. Our intercessory prayers included a plea for peaceful resolution to the crises in the Middle East and in communities of religious and ethnic conflicts and for conversion of hearts of all those whose hatred leads them to terrorist actions. We prayed for the courage to forgive them by offering ourselves in their place to be reconciled to a loving God. We close with the prayer of our Church, the Lord's Prayer.
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