Catholics Should Join In on Iftar Celebrations of Ramadan with our Muslim Friends

Iftar is one of the religious observances of Ramadan and is often done as a community, with people gathering to break their fast together. Iftar is taken right after Maghrib time, which is around sunset. Traditionally but not mandatory, three dates are eaten to break the fast in emulation of the Prophet Muhammad, who broke his fast in this manner. Many Muslims believe that feeding someone iftar as a form of charity is very rewarding and that such was practised by the Prophet Muhammad.Often in may places worldwide, Muslims invite their non-Muslim friends to join them for Iftar.

Catholics involved in respectful dialogue and cooperation with our Muslim brothers and sisters is actually an important form of evangelization. Pope Paul VI said, “For the Church, evangelizing means bringing the Good News into all the strata of humanity, and throug its influence transforming humanity from within and making it new.” (On Evangelization in the Modern World, 14). Pope John Paul spoke more broadly that this evangelization can be understood in three areas: directed to those who are not of our faith, what we call today the new evangelization and the renewal of faith in places where the sense of faith is weakening, and the pastoral care of Catholics in our parishes.

In 1964 Pope Paul VI wrote in ON THE CHURCH – generally considered the magna carta of the Catholic sense of dialogue in its various forms – that the Church must be a people in dialogue with the world. Riding on the coattails of the newly published Vatican II document: Declaration of the Relation of the Church with Non-Christian Religions, Catholic relationships with Muslims are characterized thus: Part three of the document goes on to say that the Catholic Church regards Muslims with esteem, and then continues by describing some of the things Islam has in common with Christianity and Catholicism: worship of One God, the Creator of Heaven and Earth, Merciful and Omnipotent, Who has spoken to men; the Muslims’ respect for Abraham and Mary, and the great respect they have for Jesus, whom they consider to be a Prophet and not God. The synod urged all Catholics and Muslims to forget the hostilities and differences of the past and to work together for mutual understanding and benefit.

Pope John Paul II moved forward the important work of dialogue with our Muslim friends in two major documents: DIALOGUE AND PROCLAMATION and his mission encyclical, REDEEMING MISSION. He said: “As far as the local churches are concerned, they must commit themselves in the this direction, helping all the faithful to respect and to esteem the values, traditions and convictions of other believers. At the same time they must promote a solid and suitable religious education of the Christians themselves so that they know how to give convinced witness to the great gift of faith. No local church is exempt from this duty…” John Paul II affirmed the important tension between dialogue and proclamation. He said, “Dialogue becomes witness, and true evangelization is accomplished by respecting and listening to one another.”

At the end of Ramadan the Holy See issues a special letter to Muslims world wide. Click here to see the letter of 2012.

Let us build a world of meaningful dialogue, collaboration and trust with all of humanity. CC