Father John Dear recently published his latest book, The Gospel of Peace, in which he offers commentary on Jesus’ mission of nonviolence. In it, he analyzes the words and actions of Jesus from a lens that magnifies Christ’s role and purpose as the Prince of Peace. Father Dear, world-renowned speaker, author, and peace activist from the Diocese of Monterrey, California, will be in Kansas City on Saturday, March 2, at 10:00, to speak at Saint Therese Little Flower Church, 5814 Euclid, about his mission to spread Our Lord’s message of peace—a message that is often misunderstood by many Christians.
God’s message through Jesus began, of course, with His birth as one like us: helpless, innocent, reliant, and pure. It began, again, decades later, with His Sermon on the Mount, which starts with the Beatitudes. The Beatitudes give us a blueprint for peace. They expound upon His mother’s Magnificat, her prayer for a reversal of fortune among the poor, lowly, humble, obedient, outcasts who follow the ways of God. Jesus and Mary lived in an occupied state in which their backwoods Jewish community was oppressed by the conquering Roman Empire. Their rights and freedom were limited, and they were reminded daily of their subservient position. In the Sermon on the Mount, He challenges oppressed citizens to respond to personal injustice not by cowering to bullies but through creative actions that expose the wrongdoing of oppressors and inspire conversion.
Mohandas Gandhi studied Christ and the Beatitudes, which helped him embrace an active nonviolent response to suffering which led to the end of colonial rule in India. The Reverend, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. studied Gandhi; and that inspired him to promote similar resistance that created a Civil Rights Movement which exposed an oppressive American culture that demeaned and persecuted black citizens. Through dignity and integrity, they redirected their societies toward peace and love while unveiling bigotry and hatred. From Leo Tolstoy to Susan B. Anthony, Dorothy Day to Thich Nhat Hanh, Albert Schweitzer to Nelson Mandela, Joan Baez to Oscar Romero, others also carry standards of peace and nonviolence through various ages and cultures. They teach us that nonviolence is strong not weak, active not passive, wise not ignorant, creative not sterile, liberating not oppressive.
Many contend that peace is inseparable from justice. I think that is because “peace” connotes more than the absence of conflict or violence; it connotes the presence of God and love. Similarly, “justice” gets misunderstood in our modern culture because we so often associate it with getting even in legal court through judges or juries or getting even in the streets through gang retaliation or settling the score with an enemy. But “justice” in the biblical sense has little to do with getting even—rather, it has a lot to do with getting right. When we get right with God, with one another, and with ourselves, we discover true justice. Turning the other cheek, giving the second garment, or going the extra mile, are examples by which Jesus instructs targeted people not to be doormats that get walked on but rather to turn the tide, shame the oppressor, and open the eyes and mind of a society that tends toward regressive patterns if we drift from principles of peace and justice.
As we annually honor the life of Dr. King in the first month of our year, it is a good reminder to redirect subsequent months to the message he preached. In urban faith communities, it is often a powerful segue to Lent and the central message Jesus taught while making His way to Jerusalem. Perhaps we can, in some fashion, dedicate the year ahead to becoming more peaceful people. You don’t need to make a reservation for the March 2 event. I hope you will join us. I suspect you will be impacted by the message of peace and nonviolence brought to us by the words and works of John Dear.
