An interfaith dialogue was held at Monastery Church Pilar Goa on the theme ‘Rooted in Faith, be the Channels of Peace”, recently
Father Hilario Fernandes welcomed one and all and specified the purpose of the meet.
Brother Armaan Sheikh (JIHGOA) Mr. Madhav Bhide ( Ashram for spiritual health and religious mission) and Fr. Jesuino Almeida represented, Islam,Hinduism and Christianity respectively.
Brother Armaan Sheikh while presenting Islamic perspective began with the recitation of the very 1st chapter of the Holy Quran which is more of a prayer for guidance from All Mighty God to lead us on to the straight path.
There after enlightening the audience with his talk and
Quoting the verse from the Holy Quran chapter 49 verse 13 he said the differences in division between nations and tribes is just for recognition of human beings and as the children of same grand parents we are all brothers and sisters.
And a Golden rule as said by the messenger of peace Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) for Human Relationship “ Like for your brothers what you like for yourselves” was the central idea to attain peace with your self and piece with neighbor’s.
He said the Holy Book and the life of Prophet can be a great inspiration for mankind.
Highlighting few of the teachings from Holy Quran and sayings of messenger of peace Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) he made it a point how we can be channels of piece by being deeply rooted to our faith. He expressed the need to understand one and another’s rights and fulfill them in order to spread peace on this land.
at the end in short he mentioned the 3 principal’s of Islamic faith
1. Oneness of God.
2. Prophet hood and
3. Concept of Life after Death.
He said every Human Being is a responsible creature and accountable to his Creator. Only by keeping in mind the consequences of the hereafter life it is possible for a person to strive for peace. At the end he prayed to the God All Mighty to bestow His Blessings and accept the efforts of all who strive to spread the message of piece and harmony.
Mr. Madhav Bhide recited the Shlok from Shree Bhagwat Gita which meant “ He who is free from lust and anger and is stable minded is a model of peace” in his speech he urged all to read all the scriptures and get the best out of all which could be implacable. He said though Bhagvat Gita is mythology but the ideal teachings can be implemented in ones life.
Fr. Jesuino Almeida in his speech said that “ Loving mankind is loving God”
He said all top religious leaders on a higher level should come along and pray together for peace and prosperity. he brought forward the life of Venerable Fr. Agnel De Souza and his contributions towards uniting the different communities .Fr. Hilario Fernandes concluded the session by reminding the golden rule quoted by Brother Armaan “ Like for your brothers what you like for your selves” and thanking all the attendees (around 130) and the guest speakers for enlightening the session with their religious perspective on the theme “ Rooted in faith, be the channels of Peace”
