As a member of the Peace and Justice Committee of Franconia & Eastern District Conferences, I was one of those who planned the 2007 Winter Peace Retreat, held at Spruce Lake Retreat on Feb. 9-11. As we discussed names of people we'd like to invite to speak at the retreat, I nominated Father John Dear, a Jesuit priest who speaks and writes extensively on nonviolence. I knew of him primarily through having his papers at the peace archives/library where I work, and thought that perhaps that connection would help in convincing him to come for a minimal honorarium. Without a lot of hope I invited him and was very pleased when he immediately said yes, with the caveat that he could only be with us one day because of a speaking tour in Australia that was to start soon after. We decided that his theme would be "Jesus and the Road to Peace: A Spirituality of Gospel Nonviolence." Grant Rissler, Peace and Justice Coordinator for Mennonite Central Committee (East Coast), agreed to lead the youth sessions at the retreat on "The Path Is Made For Walking: Discipleship and Skills for Peacemaking."
About 65 adults, 20 youth and 8 children attended the retreat. It's always a pleasure to be together at this yearly event with people of like mind from our Mennonite conference, to have fun together, to worship together, and to share with each our struggles with being peacemakers in our churches and beyond. But what I will particularly remember this time is the impact of what John Dear shared about nonviolence.
John (he doesn't wish to be called Father Dear, for obvious reasons) is a soft-spoken man, with great charisma, who has been involved in the peace movement for over twenty years, leading marches, spending months in jail for hammering on an aircraft carrier (of bombs), living among the poor. He was asked to step down from his latest parish in New Mexico because of his controversial peace witness. His "heroes" are Mahatma Gandhi, Dorothy Day, Martin Luther King Jr., Joan Baez, Henri Nouwen, and the Berrigan brothers. John's stories are personal and funny, a good antidote to the serious subject of his life's witness, that of nonviolence. Mel Esh likens John Dear to a good salesman who tells a joke, to which we nod and laugh, and once we are disarmed, lays out the rest of the deal without our quite understanding its implications; only later do we realize that we cannot take so lightly what we've agreed to.
I've read (and filed) many of the transcripts of John's talks over the past years, and he covers pretty much the same territory in them all. Frankly, I wasn't expecting to be much moved or challenged anew by his words to us at the retreat. But it soon became apparent to me that I hadn't given enough credit to the excellence of his oratory, the insight he has into the Scriptures, the power of his stories that show that he "walks the talk," or -- most importantly -- to how the Holy Spirit was working through him. I hadn't even planned to bother taking notes on what John said, but I soon found myself digging for paper to write down things that struck me. I'm glad now that I did because there was much that I feel called to ponder and pray about and, I hope, allow to mold me into a more faithful disciple of Jesus.
The following are a few points from John's three meditations on nonviolence, including how the Beatitudes / Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 5) are the guide to following the nonviolent Jesus:
Jesus was the incarnation of nonviolence. We too are "chips off the old block," the beloved of God, in love with the world. This should be our core identity, with a spiritual vision that every person on the planet is our sister or brother, loved entirely by God. So, we can never be silent when the U.S. has 25,000 nuclear weapons, when 50,000 children die of hunger every year, etc. When we are passionate about justice for the poor and the oppressed, the blessing promised to us is that we will begin to see God in everyone and in all around us.
Violence is not just in the world around us, but is within each of us too. John joked that we should establish Violence Anonymous groups, where we would have to confess "I am addicted to violence." He gave two helpful exercises that we can do to help us in disarming our hearts of this inner violence:
Finally, John shared some steps that we should all be taking on the road to peace. May we prayerfully take these to heart and together follow Jesus on this road:
I am 38 and a new Mennonite Christian in the beginning of my peace journey. I can't share big sophisticated words or any biblical theology with you but I can share what my heart is singing. When God puts people in my life to help motivate me on my journey, I am overjoyed and grateful.
I grew up within Roman Catholicism. After my confirmation, I didn't attend church regularly or have a relationship with God. My family and community always agreed that war is necessary to protect our freedom. Growing up I thought this didn't seem right, yet I never heard otherwise. I dismissed the thought and went on with my life figuring I was fine as long as I didn't have to kill anyone or actually see anyone being killed. It became normal not to question it.
You can imagine my shock at age 36 when the Lord of Peace revealed to me that I am the Beloved Daughter of God. I was led to a nurturing, healing Mennonite church, a huge leap for me considering I had never heard of a Mennonite before. Ever since I have been hungry for Jesus' teachings and studying Anabaptist ways.
Recently, I attended the annual Peace Retreat at Spruce Lake to hear Father John Dear speak about active nonviolence. It was music to me. These are the clear messages that I heard as essential for peacemaking: The Sermon on the Mount should not be only read and studied but taken literally and actively. We should engage in intimate prayer with God, form community, and become fearless. We should not be afraid to speak in a passionate manner, tell we are followers of Jesus, and that all acts of violence on any of God's children is wrong and is not Jesus' way.
As brothers and sisters we're all in this together. We might be from different religions, ethnic backgrounds, or at different places on the peace path, but we are in this world together. We are all needed to help with the everyday struggles against violence, even when it is unpopular. Simple pacifism is not good enough anymore. We need to unite for God's same purposes.
Father John talked about making time to listen to what God wants us to do and simplifying our lives so that we are not distracted. Between our jobs and accumulating possessions we're so busy that we get off the path of peace. Gandhi used to meditate an hour in the morning and at night. I have been practicing giving my fears to God so that I am able to hear what God asks of me.
One of our small group sessions raised this question: Where are you going and how far are you willing to go on your peace journey? I used to have my life all planned out, but those days are over. The day I was baptized at Alpha Mennonite Church, at age 37, was one of my most life changing experiences. That was the day I said, "I am yours Lord; do with me as you please." Now I live one day at a time, lovingly embraced by God, and willing to follow the Lord wherever he leads.