Indonesia: Inter-religious Celebration of Sophie’s Feast
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For the third year, the communities in Indonesia celebrated St Madeleine-Sophie Barat's Feast with an inter-religious event. This year, we thought to make it a “little lower key”- not so many people, please. However, more than 100 came – more Muslims than Catholics, about equal numbers of men and women, if you didn’t count the RSCJ group. The theme was “Love in Islam and in Christianity”. Our two speakers - Sister Gerardette Philips (Gera) rscj and Ustad Mohammad Bagir. Nance O'Neil rscj welcomed our guests with a short explanation of why we choose to celebrate Sophie’s Feast in this way. |
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Some guests were a bit surprised when Gera began speaking about Love in Islam but then expected Bagir to speak about Love in Christianity. Wonderful talks both. One Sufi master said to Gera afterward, “I feel so proud to be a Muslim when I hear you speak of it.” Probably the Catholics present felt somewhat the same about the Jesus Bagir presented with such evident knowledge and love. |
Mohammad Bagir and Gera rscj
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 Lulud rscj (on the right) with mothers of our preschool children. |
Our community space is flexible, we had moved out all the furniture, Kaeru rscj and our novice and candidates arranged the space tastefully for our guests who sat on the floor. After the crisp presentations, we broke up into groups of five or six with the invitation to share with each other – “How do you experience the Love of Allah?” (In Indonesian Allah is the word for God.) This was wonderful, everyone was listening as they shared who their God was with enthusiasm. |
| This is the influence of God’s Love... people from different religions sitting together and relishing the gifts and fruits of the Spirit! We had invited our guests for a program lasting from 3 to 5 in the evening. But when 5 o’clock came the groups were still engrossed in sharing. We did “officially” end a little overtime with Lulud rscj thanking our guests. However, the sharing continued over snacks, visits to the chapel guided by RSCJ and on to the evening as many exchanged email addresses and telephone numbers. |  |
We RSCJ have a free kindergarten for children of the neighborhood whose families could not afford to send them to a play group or regular school. (Schools are supposed to be free, but aren’t.) And we had invited the mothers who usually come with the kids each morning.
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We forgot that if the mothers came, of course, the children would, too. So the age range was very wide – about 10 five year olds and one 82 year old! The children were very well behaved and were the first to organize discussion groups. The next morning we overheard their teacher, who had also attended, ask them “What did you learn about yesterday? “Tentang Kasih!” (about love) they shouted. And Ibu Tika told the children who hadn’t been able to come about what their friends had heard. The children asked when will it be “Sophie’s Birthday” again to be invited to her party! |
| SMSes, emails and phone calls galore - appreciative, asking for a repeat, glad to be with each other in a loving and non-threatening way - warmed our hearts. We think she who founded the Society with the mission of “making known the revelation of God’s love” was pleased with the way we celebrated her feast |
May 2010
Nance O'Neil, rscj
On behalf of the RSCJ from Indonesia
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|2010-06-29 Shanti Fernandes
English: Congratulations dear sisters for your creative way of living inter religious dialogue. Though you are a small group your life seems to be vibrant with life with the capacity to radiate the enthusiasm to all who touch your lives. Thank you.
Français: Félicitations, chères sœurs, pour votre manière créative de vivre le dialogue interreligieux. Alors que vous êtes un petit nombre, votre vie apparaît vibrante de vie, avec la capacité de rayonner l’enthousiasme à tous ceux qui vous approchent. Merci.
Castellano: Felicitaciones, queridas hermanas, por la manera creativa de vivir el diálogo interreligioso. Siendo sólo unas pocas,su vida aparece vibrante de vida, con la capacidad de irradiar entusiasmo sobre todo el que se les acerca. Gracias.
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|2010-06-23 Jacqueline Glenisson - España
Castellano: Vivo nuestro carisma contemplativo, me gustaría compartir un legado del Islam con vosotras: Muhyi-d-din Ibn 'Arabî TRATADO DE LA UNIDAD (risalatul ahadiyah) (Traducción de Roberto Pla según la edición francesa aparecida en la revista "Être", primer trimestre de 1977, traducida del árabe por Abdul-Hadi. Málaga, Ed. Sirio, 1987). Ibn ‘Arabi es uno de los más destacados místicos sufíes.
Français: Je vis de notre charisme contemplatif, j’aimerais partager avec vous un trésor de l’islam : Muhyi-d-din Ibn 'Arabî TRAITE DE L’UNITE (risalatul ahadiyah) (Traduction cf. ci-dessus). In’’Arabi est un des mystiques soufies les plus détachés.
English: I am living our contemplative charism and I would like to share with you a legacy from Islam: Muhyhi-d-din-Ibn ‘Arabi TREATISE ON UNITY (risalatul ahadiyah) (Translation by Roberto Pla according to the French edition as it appeared in the magazine “Etre”, in the first term of 1977, translated from the Arabic by Abdul-Hadi. Malaga Ed. Sirio, 1987). Ibn ‘Arabi is one of the most outstanding Sufi mystics.
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|2010-06-28 Maria Cecilia Rondon Amarante - Brasil
Français: Chères Sœurs, Je suis tellement heureuse, avec vous, de la réussite de votre fête du 25 mai! L´Anour de Dieu est vraiment le langage qui pénètre les cœurs et unit toutes les personnes! Moi, j´ai aussi eu une fête spéciale. J´étais au Village indien Myky, où vit et travaille ma soeur rscj Elizabeth Amarante. Nous avions combiné: ce sera un moment avec tous les enfants du village et nous leur avons parlé de notre grande Amie Madeleine Sophie. Aleur âge, pas de longs discours, mais une distribution de "pipoca" et de ballons, au nom de Sophie.
Castellano: Queridas Hermanas, estoy tan contenta con Uds., por el éxito de su fiesta del 25 de mayo! El Amor de Dios es verdaderamente el lenguaje que penetra los corazones y une a todas las personas! Yo también tuve una fiesta especial. Estaba en el poblado indio Myky, dónde vive y trabaja mi hermana Elizabeth Amarante rscj. Habíamos organizado: sería un momento con todos los niños del poblado y les hablamos de nuestra gran Amiga Magdalena Sofía. A su edad los discursos no muy largos, así que hicimos una distribución de "pipoca" y de globos en nombre de Sofía.
English: Dear sisters, I am so happy with you about the success of your feast of the 25th May! The love of God is truly the language which penetrates hearts and unites people. I also had a special feast. I was in the Indian Myky village, where my rscj sister, Elisabeth Amarante, lives and works. We got together; it was to be a time with all the children of the village and we spoke to them about our great friend, Madeleine-Sophie. Because of their age, there were no long speeches, but a distribution of "pipoca" and balloons, in Sophie's name.
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|2010-06-07 Paul Vaz,S.J. - India
English: The RSCJ community is a very innovative and creative community. Always searching and daring to try out new ways of portraying the Heart of Jesus. You can experience this Heart of Jesus, living among them too!
Français: La communauté RSCJ est une communauté très innovante et créative, toujours cherchant et osant essayer de nouvelles manières de dépeindre le Coeur de Jésus. Vous pouvez expérimenter ce Cœur de Jésus, vivant parmi elles aussi !
Castellano: La comunidad de RSCJ es una comunidad muy innovadora y creativa. Siempre está buscando y atreviéndose a probar nuevas maneras de retratar al Corazón de Jesús, vivo también entre ellas.
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|2010-06-05 RSCJ
Castellano: Las felicito hermanas por ese modo de compartir tan sencillamente el amor de Dios en la fiesta de Magdalena Sofía! Estoy segura que el Señor las seguirá bendiciendo con creces...
Français: Bravo, chère sœurs, pour cette manière de partager si simplement l’amour de Dieu en la fête de Madeleine-Sophie ! Je suis sûre que le Seigneur continuera à vous bénir largement...
English: I congratulate you, Sisters, on this way of sharing so simply the love of God on the Feast of Madeleine Sophie! I am sure that the Lord will continue to bless you abundantly.
English: Dear Nance and all, What a wonderful way of celebrating the feast of St. Madeleine Sophie ! I feel this form of gathering is really inculturated and all who came felt at home! United in love and prayers
Français: Chère Nance et chers vous tous. Quelle merveilleuse manière de célébrer la fête de Ste Madeleine-Sophie! Je sens ce type de rencontre réellement très inculturé et que tous ceux qui sont venus se sont sentis chez eux ! Unies dans l’amour et la prière.
Castellano: Queridas Nance y todos: qué maravillosa celebración de la fiesta de Santa Magdalena Sofía. Siento que ese tipo de encuentros están realmente inculturados, y todos los que lo vivieron se sintieron como en casa! Unidos en el afecto y la oración.