Dialogue Lived Out

By Marta Sauret

An interfaith panel and the Luminosa Award for Unity

There are many kinds of awards recognizing achievements that stem from heartfelt passions—such as the Nobel and Pulitzer prizes, in such fields as science or literature—and the award recently given to Cardinal Theodore McCarrick of Washington, D.C., is no exception. It is an award created to recognize the “passion” for unity of people whose lives and works contribute to the building of relationships that lead to universal brotherhood. The granting of the award—the 18th annual Luminosa Award for Unity—brought 400 people together on June 25, 2006 in one of the Focolare’s 35 worldwide little cities, Mariapolis Luminosa, located in Hyde Park, New York.

People from different areas of the country and the world, coming from various cultures and religious traditions, gathered to celebrate Cardinal McCarrick for his “tireless dedication to dialogue on all fronts and his promotion of unity in diversity.”

The day arrived with many feeling ready for what promised to be a joyful reunion of old friends and new encounters with those who share the Cardinal’s passion for unity.

Interspersed with interludes of music and dance, the program began with a panel discussion on “God as Love,” sponsored by the Focolare’s Center for Education in Dialogue. The four panelists, a rabbi, an imam, a Christian theologian and a Buddhist scholar, presented interesting and different perspectives (see page 18).

The exchange and discussion that followed in the question and answer session was a beautiful example of unity in diversity that left many with much more than an intellectual understanding of the topic. As Dr. Don Mitchell, Purdue University professor and panel moderator, commented, “it moved the dialogue to another level, and tapped into the common humanity that we all share in terms of dealing with the same problems in our families and our communities and trying to live our faith, to live this ideal of God’s love in our daily life.”

The Cardinal arrived early in the afternoon, welcomed by a receptive audience. The Luminosa Award presentation ceremony opened with a message sent by Chiara Lubich, founder of the Focolare Movement. “Cardinal McCarrick,” the message read, “has always exuded intelligence and dedication not only for the Catholic Church, but also towards building a better world together with all. With a heart open wide by the love of God, he has continually searched for paths of collaboration with Christians of various denominations, members of the world religions, and persons active in the field of civic and political commitment, as the presence among you of reputable representatives of these various realities goes to show.”

The Cardinal was introduced by Andrea Bartoli, leader of the Community of Sant’Egidio in the U.S., as a “friend and servant.” After receiving the award, Cardinal McCarrick began by acknowledging Chiara for offering ways for lay people to be more active in the Church 20 years before the Vatican Council convened and developed this idea.

“That is why I have promoted the Focolare and all the other movements,” the Cardinal said, “because that is what the Holy Spirit is doing in our world today.” He then quoted Pope John Paul II: “Lay people are called to holiness, to a wonderful holiness, to a holiness that can change the world. That’s their job!”

He echoed Chiara’s advice on how to truly achieve love and unity: “We’ll make this world better if we don’t just live for ourselves, but invite others to join us in loving, in dialogue, in cooperating and collaborating.” He said, “This call to unity, to the unity that Jesus calls us all to, that special unity will never come unless we begin working together, for all the good causes, to care for the strangers, the poor, the needy, getting healthcare and a decent life for everybody, taking care of babies in their mother’s wombs…. Unless we are deeply, deeply in love with God, we’re not going to accomplish anything, because we must first realize that he is deeply, deeply in love with us.”

At the end of the day, the words of Chiara’s message resonated in the hearts of everyone: “Let us go forward together, with our hearts full of love, in the paths that God will show us.”

—with Clare Zanzucchi