"I Can't Go On. I'll Go On"

Contemporary art allows us to get under each other's skin.

Through often thought provoking work, it encourages us the viewer to think more deeply about critical issues, and sometimes just pisses us off.

In the permanent collection of artist-run Chiostro del Bramante gallery here in Rome is a work by Chilean artist Alfredo Jaar: "I Can't Go On. I'll Go On". The large neon work is just around a corner and confronts the viewer as they make their turn with what the gallery describes as "colourful and unexpected visual checkpoints, creating multiple levels of reading of space...in dialogue with the viewer".

Moving into our last week of the Ecumenical and Interfaith Dialogue class, this art-work seems like a good lens to reflect on classroom presentations particularly on the 'why' portion of dialogue. For me, this class has been a fantastic experience and I will exit it with so much to reflect on as I continue my studies at Regis/St.Mike's, especially having met so many wonderful people.

The importance of Ecumenical and Interfaith Dialogue (especially the Interfaith part) for me is clear, as I choose to be a graduate student in Spirituality and the Arts at a Catholic College to deepen my own understanding of spiritual practice within the Catholic faith, a tradition which informed much of western art for millennia. I am therefore a willing participant in dialogue because of my own specific research and art-practice interests, but mostly because I like hearing other people's stories.

It's a curious thing for myself and older family I love, as we've gotten older we have become much less interested in our own voices and much more in the voices of others. Interpersonal conversations and dialogue is the key, with person-to-person conversation becoming an important part of listening and discovering.

But what about big dialogues? Dialogues which move beyond ourselves and simple one-on-one conversations and are tiered up to large conversations between organized religions?

From a Jewish perspective "I can't go on - I must go on" echos memories of past problems between Christians and Jews ('I can't go on with this conversation' because of our history) but the reality is Jews 'must go on with the conversation' because we have no other option: self preservation demands we show up to the table.

I'm not being critical of the Church's motivation in dialogue, but history and the contemporary world demand a healthy skepticism. Fingers-crossed dialogue will continue to foster deepening trust and friendship, but regardless Jews have no other options: 'we must go on with the dialogue'. Our future depends on it.

Comments

The Messengers: Prophets, Martyrs, Saints and Us - and Palm Trees

Reflecting on Messengers as the Sun Sets Yesterday's lecture about Islam provoked me to think deeply on the idea of messenger. We often hear the phrase, "don't shoot the messenger" and may even use it ourselves. Sometimes we don't want to hear the message. It may be inconvenient, controversial or contrary to our own understanding. It can challenge and provoke us and be unsettling. We do have a choice, and can act or not act according to the message. I found myself reacting to the teaching from Islam that describes the Prophet as the last messenger, but after considering the course in its entirety - many faiths believe different things about their messengers. In Christianity we do not agree on many of the qualities that define prophets, martyrs and saints. As those participating in faith, we are all messengers. How we are remembered as those messengers is more about those that follow after our time. Persons of Faith 'Remembered' in Bronze Our Tour of th...

Walking on Holy Land

Basilica di Santa Clemente (Matteo Carboni) The other day I visited Basilica Di Santa Clemente al Laterano. Santa Clemente is an 11th century church built on top of a 4th century church named after St. Clement of Rome who was the Pope between 88 and 99 CE. It is likely that the site had been used as a house church since the 2nd century CE, then transformed into a large church complex in the 4th century. Beside the 4th century church there was a temple of Mithras that had been used since the 2nd century CE. Underneath the church and the temple, excavators found Roman households destroyed by the fire of Nero in 64 CE. I think Santa Clemente is one of the coolest sites I have visited in Rome. It has been a neighborhood church for nearly 2000 years and has only needed one upgrade! The physical relationship between the two churches has given me much to ponder. The foundations of the 4th century church was used as a blueprint for the 11th century church. One the one hand, this is ...

18 Synagogues, all Orthodox, is Unsettling

Visiting the Great Synagogue of Rome was unsettling. It's a beautiful building with a fascinating history, which amazingly survived both Fascist Mussolini and Nazi occupation remaining intact for 120 years. The building's interior is unlike any other synagogue I've seen before, with its fantastic museum and centuries old collection of Judaica (including textiles) only contributing to its beauty and spiritual significance. There's also a small Sephardic Synagogue located in the basement, roped off, where only Jews are permitted access (according to another group's guide). I was unsettled. During the building tour our group was brought up to men's section of the main synagogue, where Maureen asked a wonderful question about tradition practiced in the synagogue and was told they were Orthodox, and neither Ashkenazi nor Sephardic (even though there was a Sephardic Temple in the basement) but practice their own historic rite. A further question followed about other ...

Rome Ecumenism Course 2024

Search This Blog