Building Solidarity thorugh Reconciliation

Reconciliation is an important dimension of “Befriending the other.” The recent missiological literature emphasizes “Mission as loving relationship”. If we look at Mission as the proper loving human relationship that enriches and empowers every one, then rec­ onciliation is an essential component of this process. For we live in a divided world, causing and suffering from various forms of divi­ sions. In this paper we shall look first at the world of division, then see the attempts at reconciliation in various cultures and religions, and then look at the essentials of this process of reconciliation and the areas that need reconciliation, and finally relate reconciliation to mission as relation and to “Befriending the other”. First the author looks at some forms of divisions existing in the world due to various causes; the tendency to divide the States in India, the conflicts between two groups in the same country, for ex­ ample, in Ireland, Iraq and Rwanda. Then the author examines some of the attempts at unification and reconciliation in various African cultures, as an example of such attempts, in religions and finally in the Catholic Church. The Church has the sacrament of Reconcilia­ tion precisely for reconciling the erring members to the community. The author examines the main theme of what happens in reconcili­ ation. The basic truth behind the process is that each understands the other side from his/her point of view. Reconciliation can happen only when one understands the other from his/her point of view. Following Jesus’ wall-breaking ministry, we must recognize that in the past our mission work has often caused divisions by taking some people out of their groups to be Christians. The Churches have to recognize that their mission is not primarily geared towards increasing the number of members, but being a channel of the work­ ing of the Spirit gathering all people into one family of God, into the Kingdom of God, irrespective of their religions, cultures, gender and races