“Discover the others in order to understand yourself”

July 18, 2021

Over the last several years, we, as Canadians, have either witnessed or have heard of events of Islamophobia, events that gave rise to the Black Lives Matter and Asian Hate movement, and now the heartbreaking news of Residential Schools. These events present us with a question of our understanding and respect for other religions and systems of belief.  This question has to be approached in an urgent manner and in a very comprehensive way. The interaction among Canadians, including us, as Ukrainian Orthodox Christians, directs our attention to the commonalities of Canadian life, which is rightly defined by the contemporary thinkers as a “dialogue of life”.  In fact, the entire question leads us towards the understanding of humanity which is a unifying link for future inter-religious interaction which is a necessity of living with others within our Canadian society.  Without a comprehensive approach and the acceptance of others, we, as Christians, will find ourselves isolated and marginalized.  The disengagement of the Church from the life of our Canadian society would be irresponsible and reckless for Christianity in general.  This is not a question of accepting other beliefs as our own, but enlarging the scope of our faith within our environment. In order to be engaged in this kind of approach, there is a need for a solid theological knowledge of our own faith, foundation and Church tradition.  There is also a necessity to comprehend other religions and beliefs as we know that vague familiarity creates a negative illusion and perception.  In order to be ready to accept the possibility for dialogue, there is a requirement for peace, humility, respect, and honesty when approaching the mystery of the “other human beings”.  The “white colonialism” of the past, as presented in the atrocious pictures of the unmarked graves of the Residential Schools, portrays an image of what we should not and cannot repeat.  This approach is a living relationship that continually evolves. An honest approach requires a mature attitude with the ability to be perceptive of contemporary arguments without oversimplification and compromise.

This kind of dialogue in general towards those of different faiths and beliefs is detrimental not only for a peaceful existence within Canada, but it is also crucial for our own internal understanding of who we are.  The ability to be engaged with others forces us to look beyond what we know and what we were told in the past.  It is the ability to find God in the current and multifaceted reality of Canada.  We have to realize that God is not only Father of the past, but our God is always present in any given reality or environment.  This is also our own society, where we want to find our own understanding of God in our own personal lives.  If we want to be faithful to the past and authentic to our own calling in today’s world, we have to take this task seriously.  The enormity of this task should not scare us but give us hope for a better tomorrow.  God is with us always, regardless of societal changes or political instability: “And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.” (Matthew 28:20).  The assurance of God’s constant presence with us presents us with the assurance that we are not alone in the landscape of Canadian society.  The only question remains, how will we understand ourselves in a new reality and accept others as a gift of God: “Or is He the God of the Jews only? Is He not also the God of the Gentiles?  Yes, of the Gentiles also…” (Rom: 3:29).