Trinitarian Paradigm for Dialogue

Abstract

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1515/pepsi-2016-0007

A dialogue as a social reality consists, first and foremost, in communication between those who realize that they are called to notice and to accept the other and to treat him or her with proper respect. Such a dialogue may be motivated either by the desire to share the good or by the willingness to avoid conflict. The aforementioned approaches are marked by distinctly different attitudes, which are not only rooted in two different methodologies and have two different aims, but they also encompass two diverse procedures. More importantly, engaging in dialogue may also be motivated by realizing one’s own mission in life, i.e. acting in harmony with the spiritual nature of the human being, who is a relational being. Upon realizing his or her likeness to the Triune God, i.e. the inseparable communion of the Divine Persons, a Christian discovers that the Holy Trinity constitutes the model and source for his or her own involvement in maintaining relationships with other people.

Chiara Lubich, the founder of the Focolare Movement was a contemporary thinker, who had realized and creatively developed the human vocation for unity in the likeness of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit. This movement, founded by Lubich, has both lay and consecrated members who are devoted to building the culture of unity based upon promoting dialogue as a tool for interpersonal communication. The aim of this article is to present the spiritual experience of Chiara Lubich, which marks the origin of this new concept of a dialogue rooted in the mystery of Divine unity.