Many similarities exist between the Muslim holy month of Ramadan and the Christian liturgical season of Lent. During Ramadan, Muslims are called to fast, participate more actively in prayer and increase charitable giving, as Catholics and other Christians are asked to do during Lent. In an uncommon alignment of calendars, Ramadan and Lent overlap this year, each falling mostly in the month of March. As the Vatican’s Dicastery for Interreligious Dialogue stated in its annual “Message for the Month of Ramadan,” “This proximity … offers us a unique opportunity to walk side-by-side, Christians and Muslims, in a common process of purification, prayer, and charity.”

Muslims and Catholics in Chicagoland took advantage of this confluence by coming together in a spirit of solidarity and harmony for the annual Muslim-Catholic iftar meal at the Muslim Community Center of Morton Grove on March 4 (See photos on page 4). Marking the end of a fast day for the Muslim community with this dinner, Catholics prepared for their Lenten fast beginning the following day, Ash Wednesday.

The evening’s theme, “Bridges of Hope: The Power of Prayer and Fasting in our Traditions,” was rooted in the Catholic observance of the 2025 jubilee year, “Pilgrims of Hope.” Each speaker on the program invited participants to consider how they could become living “bridges of hope” in their communities.

Admitting that we live in challenging times beset by war, divisiveness and hostility, Cardinal Cupich encouraged attendees “to look around this room tonight and see hope, grateful for the unity that is ours and the commitment that we have to one another’s well-being. May our fasting and prayers,” he continued, “bind us in a common pursuit of justice for all. May these practices lead us into deeper relationship with God and with each other, so that we more clearly see our common humanity, rooted in the image of God found in each of us.”

The Muslim plenary speaker for the evening, Imam Hassan Aly, implored guests to continue to tell the truth about injustices we encounter in the world and to always act on behalf of those most in need. Recalling some of his travels with MedGlobal, an international humanitarian organization, Imam Aly said that he is often confronted with the devastating impact of war and poverty. Rather let those challenges lead us into despair, he asked the iftar participants to shine a light on the power we have when we act together to advocate for the poor, hungry, unsheltered and marginalized.

The Catholic plenary speaker, Dominican Sister Barbara Reid, president of Catholic Theological Union, traced the biblical roots of both jubilee years and fasting in the Catholic Christian tradition. This reflection reminded us of the scriptural foundations of Catholic practices, in addition to the Jewish origins of these ancient Christian traditions. To conclude, Sister Barbara reminded participants that these practices are not just historical or biblical timepieces, but ways in which we are called to enact solidarity and justice, thereby infusing a hurting world with hope.

Perhaps the best way to capture the evening’s theme is through a story shared by a friend and longtime Catholic practitioner of interreligious dialogue. As he and his wife were set to leave the iftar gathering, a woman in a hijab and full Bosnian dress called them by name and asked, “Do you remember me?” Puzzled at first, they were shocked when she shared her name. They immediately remembered that in the mid-1990s they and a few others from their parish had helped a young woman and her husband adjust to their new country as Bosnian refugees in Chicago.

They kept in touch with this couple for a year or two, but eventually lost touch. It was a joy for them to learn that this Muslim family are now members of the mosque that hosted the iftar meal. The Bosnian woman shared that she has chosen a career in refugee resettlement.

This brief but remarkable encounter, three decades in the making, illustrates well the power of seeing one another as human beings created in God’s image who require accompaniment in times of need. We can better attune our eyes to recognize God’s presence in one another when we are informed and nourished within our respective traditions through prayer, fasting and almsgiving. As we do so, Muslims and Catholics alike can more easily spread hope and healing to a world in desperate need of both.