Badaliyya 101

BADALIYYA 101

The Badaliyya movement was created in Cairo in 1934 by Fr. Louis Massignon. The same spirit was shared by his friend and mentor, Charles de Foucauld. 

The backdrop of the movement was the shared concern for the mounting religious conflicts in the Middle East, especially in Palestine/Israel. 

By renewing the spirit of the Badaliyya in the Philippines, we hope to encourage mutual respect, understanding and dialogue between Massignon's three religious  traditions here in the Philippines with few modifications.  We can substitute Indigenous Peoples’ beliefs to Judaism.  

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. 

Since we are a small group 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.
The 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 discuss the meaning of the Arabic word, badaliyya, substitution, and begin 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 at our badaliyya prayer session.

In keeping with the original spirit of the Badaliyya we shall have moments before the Blessed  Sacrament in silence in our own time... We do the adoration privately in silence with intercessory prayers that include a plea for peaceful resolution to the unpeace in Southern Philippines and for conversion of hearts of all those whose hatred leads them to terrorist actions. 

We pray for the courage to forgive them by offering ourselves in their place to be reconciled to a benevolent God. We closed with the prayer of our Church, the Lord's Prayer.

We center our gathering on the theme of peace and each person shares his/her experience on the issue of Muslim-Christian relations.  In solidarity with all the badals worldwide, we agree to join them in praying for peace in the world, especially in the Holy Land.

Peace to everyone.
Fr. Jun Mercado, OMI