inundado por um mistério de luz que é Deus e N´Ele vi e ouvi -A ponta da lança como chama que se desprende, toca o eixo da terra, – Ela estremece: montanhas, cidades, vilas e aldeias com os seus moradores são sepultados. - O mar, os rios e as nuvens saem dos seus limites, transbordam, inundam e arrastam consigo num redemoinho, moradias e gente em número que não se pode contar , é a purificação do mundo pelo pecado em que se mergulha. - O ódio, a ambição provocam a guerra destruidora! - Depois senti no palpitar acelerado do coração e no meu espírito o eco duma voz suave que dizia: – No tempo, uma só Fé, um só Batismo, uma só Igreja, Santa, Católica, Apostólica: - Na eternidade, o Céu! Unceasing recollection of God leading to peace
Introduction
There is this mysterious experience that the closer I am to God, the closer I come to the other. Indeed, prayer brings me closer to my brothers and sisters. Several years ago, Fr. Pierre de Bethune, secretary of the Intermonastic Council, said: “Beyond all violence, prayer is the strongest bond, because it goes through God. It is the shortest way between humans, because God is the one who is nearest to us.”[1] It is striking that a spokesperson of the Sufi community in Tibhirine, Algeria, told the Trappists of Our Lady of Atlas that the Sufis wanted to meet for shared prayer. “We do not want,” he said, “to engage in a theological dialogue with you, for it has often raised barriers which are man-made. Now we feel called by God to unity. So we have to let God invent something new between us. This can be done only through prayer.”[2]
As a Christian, I am convinced that, being attuned to God’s presence in my own life, I will gladly open myself for God’s presence in my Muslim brothers and sisters. When I truly try to live my Christian faith on a deep mystical level, I easily open my heart for other believers. Hence, I very strongly believe that disciples of Jesus have to familiarize themselves with their very own rich mystical traditions and walk the mystical path. Karl Rahner said that the Christian of the future will be a mystic, or he or she will not exist at all. Maybe I can add that human beings of the future will be mystics or they won’t exist at all. Unfortunately, as Sebastian Painadath writes: “Most Christians cannot sit quietly in meditation even for a short period of time. In the formation of priests and religious a disciplined initiation to contemplative pursuits is weak. The laity often looks for gurus in spirituality outside the Church. […] In contemplative silence all religions meet at the depth level.”[3] And is maybe only at this level that humanity will be able to create a lasting peace.
This article seeks to explore some aspects of Christian and Islamic mysticism, and their importance for the future of humanity. First, I will discuss the Jesus Prayer. Then I will describe the Islamic practice of dhikr, or the unceasing repetition of God’s name. Finally, I will point out that a continuous recollection of God can contribute to peace in the world.
The Jesus Prayer