Interculturality – The Language of the heart

We may have different religions, different language, different coloured skin, but we all belong to one human race”-Kofi Annan.

We are born cultureless but born with a capacity to learn cultures. Thomas Aquinas says in his famous and well-known Summa Theology, “God loves and blesses diversity, because it belongs to his creation.” The beauty of the world lies in the diversity of its people. The very fact of living peacefully in a multicultural setting is the fruit of authentic inculturation and represents a significant step forward “in the lived experience of vowed religious.” Dealing with differences within an Intercultural Community means, we have to be able to live with differences. Today in the increasingly pluralistic world, the religious multicultural and international communities are called to become intercultural communities.

 It was on 17th February 2024, I got a pretty chance to initiate my journey on giving classes on Interculturality with the sisters from eight different congregations, who are in Inter Congregational Juniorate (ICJ) Bhopal, M.P along with them I had the opportunity to involve the postulants and novices of Tanmaya province too.

It was an enriching session, interaction and created in them curiousity and interest to know, learn and understand the Interculturality well. They were enlightened and encouraged to apply their learning in order to live this interculturality in communities in a more enhancing manner.

 It was a great chance and the appropriate time for me to reach out to these young ones and share my knowledge with them and thus mould them.

And through their dialogue, group discussions and sharing among the trainees, I realized that even though it is a challenge but we can work together for a better tomorrow. It's really a faith filled response to build and work together and live together to bring God's Kingdom.

 Interculturality is a language of the heart, let us consciously learn this language and let it flow smoothly in our journey of life as we are living in the midst of varieties of cultures that bloom like flowers in the same garden of the Earth. Let the fragrance of love flow and spread all over the world.

Sr. Shalini/Tanmaya Province

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