Interfaith Friendships: The Great Means of Personal Growth

C

lose personal relationships between people from different backgrounds of faith are an important means for promoting interfaith understanding and peace between the communities. We can also be a perfect way for us to develop on a personal level. Such relationships will provide us with opportunities to learn positive lessons for our own gain from other religious traditions and their adherents, which we then incorporate in our own lives. That’s something that I’m reminded of after a recent experience.

The other day, three of us friends visited a home of sisters belonging to a religious order which emphasizes a simple lifestyle while living among economically and socially vulnerable people. Younger congregation members take up ‘small’ jobs, such as working in a factory or supporting mentally ill people in a home. Although providing them with an income, their job helps them to connect with ‘ordinary’ people and live their faith among themselves.

The hours we spent that day with the sisters proved to be an outstanding learning experience. We heard more about their commitment to helping the poor as they shared their life snippets. One sister made reference to her work with those affected by leprosy. Another recalled her close friendship with a couple that survived as they begged for alms.

What was especially important from an interfaith viewpoint was that the spiritual approach the sisters were trying to pursue was rooted in service across religious lines, the most powerful way to win hearts and break down walls between people from various faith traditions.

The sisters had a comfortable and happy lifestyle, at the same time. They played a lot on their own hands. Their day was characterized by prayerful times. The home they shared, exquisite in its simplicity, was a peaceful oasis with many trees and plants around in the midst of the urban chaos.

Our visit was truly unforgettable due to the warm welcome we received from the sisters, their good cheer and the excitement with which they answered our questions about their lives.

I do not belong to the religious tradition of the sisters, and some of my religious beliefs may vary significantly from theirs. But instead what? Our spiritual differences do not stand in the way of my being able in their religious culture to discern positive things as they try to live it out and to imbibe these myself to develop as a human. My friendly experience with the sisters that day (which could form the foundation of a long-lasting friendship) opened me up to appreciable aspects of their way of life from which I could gain if I adopted them. These include, for example:

• Service to the needy, transcending social boundaries, as an important part of one’s spiritual journey and as an efficient way to bring people of different faiths and backgrounds closer together.
• A spirituality which should make us happy and accessible to people of other religions and backgrounds as well.
• A material minimalist kind of lifestyle that makes one’s life simpler and lighter in the world.
• Living in communion with nature.
• Frequent spiritual companionship and extended fellowship.

My experience with the sisters that day strengthened my belief that nothing can take the place of strong and supportive interfaith personal relationships and experiences in helping people from different religious backgrounds build bridges between themselves. Such relationships can help us discover and become more appreciative of goodness in different religious traditions and their adherents. Going further, embracing and implementing the positive things that we know from them can become a great means for our own personal growth.

By Masooma