Tag Archives: Nonviolence
The Commandment for Peace
The Sermon on the Mount The Commandment for Peace Thursday, July 22, 2021 Feast Day of St. Mary Magdalene My good friend, the life-long peacemaker John Dear, has recently founded The Beatitudes Center for the Nonviolent Jesus. Today he expounds on Jesus’ surprising commandment to “love your enemies,” calling it “the climax of the Sermon… Continue Reading The Commandment for Peace
Contemplation and Action Summary: Weekly Summary
Contemplation and Action Summary Saturday, January 2, 2021 Summary: Sunday, December 27, 2020—Friday, January 1, 2021 When we experience the reality of our oneness with God, others, and creation, actions of justice and healing naturally follow. If we’re working to create a more whole world, contemplation will give our actions nonviolent, loving power for the… Continue Reading Contemplation and Action Summary: Weekly Summary
Love at the Center
Being Peaceful Change Love at the Center Friday, July 31, 2020 Blessed are the peacemakers: they shall be recognized as children of God. —Matthew 5:9 Today many think we can achieve peace through violence. The myth that violence solves problems is part of the way we think and is in direct opposition to all great religious teachings. Our need for immediate… Continue Reading Love at the Center
Nonviolence: A Spiritual Superpower
Being Peaceful Change Nonviolence: A Spiritual Superpower Tuesday, July 28, 2020 Be the change you wish to see in the world. —Gandhi My good friend, John Dear, is a devoted student of Mohandas Gandhi and has dedicated his life to the promotion of nonviolence through his activism and writing. John writes: In his search for… Continue Reading Nonviolence: A Spiritual Superpower
Inner Unity
Being Peaceful Change Inner Unity Sunday, July 26, 2020 Before you speak of peace, you must first have it in your heart. —Francis of Assisi Generations of Christians seem to have forgotten Jesus’ teachings on nonviolence. We’ve relegated visions of a peaceful kingdom to a far distant heaven. We hardly believed Jesus could have meant… Continue Reading Inner Unity
Mysticism and Nonviolence
Contemplative Activists Mysticism and Nonviolence Thursday, July 16, 2020 Dorothee Soelle (1929–2003) is an example of a contemplative who finds she must take action. I met her once in Germany at the Kirchentag (an assembly sponsored by the German Evangelical Church) and was deeply impressed. She was a first-rate scholar and noted theological author. I’ve… Continue Reading Mysticism and Nonviolence
Making Peace Like St. Francis
Franciscan Way: Part Two Making Peace Like St. Francis Friday, October 11, 2019 My Franciscan brother Fr. Louie Vitale, who has been a peace activist for almost 40 years, tells how St. Francis was working for peace even at the end of his life. At the time, Bishop Guido of Assisi excommunicated the mayor of… Continue Reading Making Peace Like St. Francis
Francis and the Wolf
Franciscan Way: Part Two Francis and the Wolf Sunday, October 6, 2019 Carlo Carretto (1910–1988) was a member of the Little Brothers of Jesus, a community of contemplatives based on the spirituality of St. Francis of Assisi and founded by Charles de Foucauld (1858–1916). Carretto’s life, like that of Francis, was a combination of action… Continue Reading Francis and the Wolf
Peacemakers: Weekly Summary
Peacemakers Summary: Sunday, September 15—Friday, September 20, 2019 Much of Christianity seems to have forgotten Jesus’ teachings on nonviolence. We’ve relegated visions of a peaceful kingdom to a far distant heaven, hardly believing Jesus could have meant we should turn the other cheek here and now. (Sunday) Nonviolence is not ineffective, passive, weak, utopian, naïve,… Continue Reading Peacemakers: Weekly Summary