RECONCILIATION: A WAY OF DOING MISSION IN MYANMAR

Description: 

"The dissertation argues reconciliation as a way of doing mission in Myanmar. The see-discern-act method of research is used. The study has three parts. First, the study critically reflects on the context of reconciliation by diagnosing the present reality and situation of the country. Related information and data are collected from different fields of study. The research identifies the main obstacles to peace, harmony, and reconciliation as civil war, socio-ethnic conflict, religious violence, militarism, political unrest, fragmentation, poverty and corruption. Second, the research discerns and evaluates the challenge of reconciliation. It accesses the research problem from interreligious and multicultural perspectives in search of the possible solutions. If Myanmar will not have a future without reconciliation, the Church must be part of working on reconciliation in order to build that future. The research finds out that mission as reconciliation is possible by upholding spiritual ideals, which are found in Myanmar, such as harmony, nonviolence, peace, truth, justice, forgiveness, and healing. Mission is promotion of the spiritual ideals for reconciliation. Third, the dissertation proposes reconciliation as mission. Apart from the traditional scope of human-God-nature reconciliation this study extends a new frontier of spirits-ancestors-cultures-religions reconciliation. The research proves that reconciliation is more a mission, a religious act, and a spiritual virtue than a strategy, a political program, a secular concern, and a civic project. Therefore, the Church must do mission as ministry of reconciliation in many areas, at various levels, and according to its capacity. When reconciliation is adopted as a way of doing and being in mission the Church walks the path to a new way of being Church as communion through reconciliation.....ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS: To pay homage to God, Dharma, Sangha, Teachers, and Parents is the fivefold Burmese socio-religious teaching (annandaw annanda nga pa) which the researcher is deeply obliged to fulfill for the accomplishment of his research. Fr. Edgar G. Javier, SVD his professor and advisor, first and foremost, fully deserves this homage in a special way for his great enlightenment and accompaniment. Gratefulness goes to Dr. Mike Lambino for editing this dissertation and for his kind corrections to the text. Professors who teach the student in the doctoral class deserve the greatest gratitude for all their noble gift of Dharma of intellectual support which surpasses all other gifts. Archbishop Paul Zinghtung Grawng (Archbishop emeritus of Mandalay), Bishop Philip Lasap Za Hawng (Bishop of Lashio), and Cardinal Charles Maung Bo (Archbishop of Yangon) deserve this homage for their various helps in conducting this research. Colleagues and friends of the student are given “a big thanks” for their critiques, suggestions, and insights in the process of this research writing. All the personnel of Institute for Consecrated Life in Asia (ICLA), and the librarians of Loyola School of Theology (LST), St. Vincent School of Theology (SVST), Myanmar Council of Churches (MCC), Myanmar Institute of Theology (MIT) and St. Joseph Major Seminary (SMS) are fully acknowledged for the academic support in this research. Special gratitude is due to the Institute of Missiology Missio e.V. (MWI) for the scholarship for this study. Likewise, the anonymous supporters are graciously thanked for their generosity..."

Creator/author: 

Maung John

Source/publisher: 

Maung John

Date of Publication: 

2016-03-18

Date of entry: 

2021-11-13

Grouping: 

  • Individual Documents

Category: 

Language: 

English

Local URL: 

Format: 

pdf

Size: 

2.8 MB (289 pages)

Resource Type: 

text

Text quality: 

    • Good