The Culture of Peace Wears the Clothes of Justice
The clothes of justice are woven with patience and compassion, the help of the Master Weaver. The color of each thread is vibrant in its own right but together the threads take on the radiant glow of wholeness. Each color has what it needs to be strong and healthy and completely itself. Because they live side by side woven together in harmony, they enrich the beauty of each other. The clothes made of this fabric drape easily on the Body of Christ.
Master Weaver, we ask for your patience, compassion and imagination as we seek to weave with you the clothes of justice and create a culture of peace.
Columban Mission Education, http://www.columban.org/missioned
'It is good for us to feed the hungry...'
Mindful of the commandment of the good Lord, my unworthy self declares to you that it is good for us to feed the hungry and the homeless with the fruits of our labor . . . If God’s grace does not uphold and nourish us through the poor, what should we do with all our works?
St Theodosius of Kiev (+1074)
Levity
A characteristic of the great saints is their power of levity. Angels can fly because they can take themselves lightly.
G.K. Chesterton, Apologist (29 May 1874 – 14 June 1936)
Guidelines for liberating nonviolence:
- It starts with consciousness rather than action.
- It involves respect for the opponents.
- There must be appropriation of suffering rather than escape from it.
- It provokes tension but controls it so that it does not develop into a situation where nonviolence is needed.
- It is made possible by spiritual discipline rather than a political theology.
Bishop Bienvenido S. Tudtud of Marawi (22 March 1931 – 26 June 1987)
Surrender
Look up joyfully and say to the Lord in words or the desire of the heart: that which I am I offer to you Lord for you are it, and think nakedly, fully and boisterously that you are who you are without any questioning.
'Human ecology is an imperative'
‘It is good to remember that before all else, the person comes first. Humanity, to whom God has entrusted the stewardship of nature, cannot be dominated by technology and become its subject. This awareness should lead states to reflect together on the short-term future of the planet, given their responsibilities with regard to our lives and technology. Human ecology is an imperative.’
Pope Benedict to six new ambassadors to the Vatican, 9 June 2011.
Grasping pain so that the dove of peace can descend
One of the most beautiful symbols of non-violence is one we had embroidered on our Mass-stoles. It is that of a human hand grasping the barbed wire, absorbing the pain of the barbs, so that the dove of peace can find a place. So it is in the spiral of anger and violence and killings: someone must be the first to stop; someone must grasp the sharp barbs with their naked hand so that the dove of peace can descend. And if you think for a moment, you will see that this is just what Christ did.
Seeds of Injustice, Fr Niall O’Brien (2 August 1939 – 27 April 2004) Father Niall was the founding editor of Misyon.