...becoming acquainted with other people and other cultures always is always good for us, it makes us grow.
And why does this happen? It is because if we isolate ourselves we have only what we have, we cannot develop culturally; but, if we seek out other people, other cultures, other ways of thinking, other religions, we go out of ourselves and start that most beautiful adventure which is called “dialogue”.
Dialogue is very important for our own maturity, because in confronting another person, confronting other cultures, and also confronting other religions in the right way, we grow; we develop and mature.
There is of course a danger. If during dialogue someone closes himself in and grows angry he may start a fight; there is the danger of conflict and this is not good, because we talk to each other to find ourselves and not in order to quarrel.
And what is the deepest approach we should have in order to dialogue and not quarrel? Meekness, the ability to encounter people, to encounter cultures peacefully; the ability to ask intelligent questions: “But why do you think like this? Why does this culture do this?”. Listening to others and then speaking. First listening, then speaking. All this is meekness. And if you do not think in the same way as I do — but you know... I think in a different way than you, and you do not convince me — and yet we are friends, I have understood how you think and you have understood how I think.
And do you know something, something important? This dialogue is what creates peace. It is impossible for peace to exist without dialogue. All the wars, all the strife, all the unsolved problems over which we clash are due to a lack of dialogue. When there is a problem, talk: this makes peace. This is what I hope for you in this journey of dialogue: that you come to know how to dialogue; how does this culture think? How lovely that is! I don’t like this — but in dialogue. This is how we develop. This is my wish for you and I also wish you a good visit in Rome.
--Pope Francis, Address to Students and Teachers, 21 August 2013
http://www.vatican.va/holy_father/francesco/speeches/2013/august/documents/papa-francesco_20130821_collegio-saitama-giappone_en.html
Dialogue and meekness
Gossip an enemy of meekness
"Meekness in the community," is a somewhat ‘forgotten virtue’. Meekness is stigmatized, it has "many enemies”, the first of which is gossip.
“When we prefer to gossip, gossip about others, criticize others- these are everyday things that happen to everyone, including me – these are the temptations of the evil one who does not want the Spirit to come to us and bring about peace and meekness in the Christian community". "These struggles always exist" in the parish, in the family, in the neighborhood, among friends”. Instead through the Spirit we are born into a new life, he makes us “meek, charitable."
First, "do not judge anyone" because "the only Judge is the Lord." Then "keep quiet" and if you have something to say, say it to the interested parties, to those "who can remedy the situation," but "not to the entire neighborhood." "If, by the grace of the Holy Spirit – concluded Pope Francis - we succeed in never gossiping, it will be a great step forward" and "will do us all good".
--Words in quotes from Pope Francis, Homily, 9-Apr-2013
http://www.news.va/en/news/pope-the-struggle-to-reject-gossip
WHAT MEEKNESS MEANS
“Meekness”: the Greek text uses here the word “praütes”, the same word that appears in the Beatitudes: “Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth” (Mt 5:5). And in the Book of Numbers, the fourth Book of Moses, we find the affirmation that Moses was the meekest man in the world (cf. Num 12:3) and in this sense he was a prefiguration of Christ, of Jesus, who said of himself: “I am gentle and lowly in heart” (Mt 11:29). So this word “meek”, or “gentle”, is also a Christological word and once again implies imitating Christ in this manner. For in Baptism we are configured to Christ so we must configure ourselves to Christ, we must discover this spirit of being meek, without violence, of convincing with love and kindness.
--Benedict XVI, Address to Seminarians of Rome, 2011
7 DALETH. Quiesce in Domino et exspecta eum;
noli aemulari in eo, qui prosperatur in via sua,
in homine, qui molitur insidias.
8 HE. Desine ab ira et derelinque furorem,
noli aemulari, quod vertit ad malum,
9 quoniam qui malignantur, exterminabuntur,
sustinentes autem Dominum ipsi hereditabunt terram.
10 VAU. Et adhuc pusillum et non erit peccator,
et quaeres locum eius et non invenies.
11 Mansueti autem hereditabunt terram
et delectabuntur in multitudine pacis.
7 Be still before the LORD, and wait patiently for him;
fret not yourself over him who prospers in his way,
over the man who carries out evil devices!
8 Refrain from anger, and forsake wrath!
Fret not yourself; it tends only to evil.
9 For the wicked shall be cut off;
but those who wait for the LORD shall possess the land.
10 Yet a little while, and the wicked will be no more;
though you look well at his place, he will not be there.
11* But the meek shall possess the land,
and delight themselves in abundant prosperity.
(Psalm 37:7-11)