Suffering, Remaining & Witness

I was delighted to see that Nancy Schreck, OSF drew upon the work of Shelly Rambo in her 2014 LCWR Keynote address.  I have been reading (and re-reading) Rambo's Spirit and Trauma: A Theology of Remaining (2010 Westminster John Knox Press) these days. I first used Rambo's book for a paper I wrote on the ministry of reconciliation with trafficked persons. I'm now using it as part of my thesis work (today in fact .... it sits open before me as I procrastinate in my research with this blog post!)

It was interesting to read Schreck apply Rambo's work on trauma to the place where women religious find themselves today.

This shifting within religious life and in world events has taken us to what I call a middle space. We find ourselves in this place of both creativity and disorientation. Much of what was is gone, and what is coming is not yet clear. ... 

I am greatly helped in this next section by the work of Shelly Rambo and her book Spirit and Trauma: A Theology of Remaining. Rambo speaks about a theology of remaining in difficult places because "when you enter certain worlds, they do not let you go."  

Though her work is with trauma survivors and in no way do I want to diminish the aspect of trauma, I do think some parallels with or experience can be drawn. ... 

The task of "remaining" in this uncertain place is to pay attention to the reality that does not go away. In this experience all of our theological categories are re-defined: concepts like love, divine presence, incarnation, and world view are reshaped. Knowledge, truth, and experience of our world are transformed, placed on much more fragile terrain because of the radical disruption ... 

What we try to do in the middle space is to describe events that shatter all that one knows about the world and the familiar ways of operating within it. What if from this place we simply witness to and provide testimony about this experience, with special attention to truths that often lie buried and are covered over. ... 

In this middle space that is what we do: we call attention to things, things others might bury, or are afraid to face. That is why I say, however long the night we will be faithful and we will speak about what we are learning in the middle space. We trust Holy Mystery revealed in our midst. (Excerpt, Schreck, pages 7-10)

I need to think and pray into that some more, especially as it relates to my experience as a woman religious.

I've certainly been thinking and praying with a heavy heart today about the immense (human induced) suffering in our world today. And I mean, quite literally, today. A friend recently posted a very poignant list she's been carrying around with her these days: "Ferguson (police state, Black Man Walking), Gaza, Ukraine, Malaysian Air Flt 17, Refugee kids fleeing violence in Central America, Yazidi's fleeing the Islamic State, The Islamic State, Syria, Afghanistan, Ebola ..." No doubt you have your own (similar) list. It seems to be growing by the day.  So much violence, oppression, death, and trauma being caused to human beings by other human beings. One can feel paralyzed, helpless, or even complicit.  Our globalized media savvy reality means that we are present to this suffering on one (superficial/virtual) level, even though the vast majority of us are removed in our privileged spaces of comfort and safety. In my case, I think that's at the root of much of my own sense of being uncomfortable in my own skin as human induced suffering rages on and seemingly spreads. Removed as I/we are from the reality of suffering, I worry that it becomes easier to ignore or fail to act against it, thereby fueling more suffering.

Which is where I find Shelly Rambo's work so helpful:

In our current world, we are witnessing ongoing atrocities and different manifestations of suffering. The invisible forces of global capital and the undetectable effects of new wars and their justifications demand that theological accounts of suffering attend to the elisions constituting traumatic suffering. Although some may say that all 'suffering is suffering,' there are different expressions of that suffering and its effects that press for renewed theological articulation. I understand this as the increased invisibility of suffering and the power of its erasure. The discourse of trauma engages these invisible realities, continually calling attention to what falls outside the lines of what is, or can be, represented. The challenge of theological discourse is to articulate a different orientation to suffering that can speak to the invisibility, gaps, and repetitions constituting trauma.... 

A theology of the middle Spirit can help us rethink the theological discourse about suffering, given its new unique dimensions in trauma. Bessel van der Kolk acknowledges that one of the primary effects of trauma is a crisis of the human spirit. This crisis refers to a complete loss of meaning and trust in the world. ... How does a theology of the Spirit meet this crisis of spirit? ... 

I have started to envision practices patterned after this testimony, practices of tracking and sensing that propel us to recognize suffering amid its multiple elisions. .... 

The tracking and sensing, then, not only unearth and give theological significance to the unknown and unutterable within human experience, but these practices also testify to something of who we understand God to be. The work of the witnesses is to track the undertow and to sense life. But this witness is, as well, a testimony that runs deeper than we might imagine, to the nature of divine love. In the middle, divine love is witnessed in its remaining. ...The work of tracking and sensing is sanctifying work, the work of making love visible at the point where it is most invisible. 

If we read this sacred story as a story of survival, we are pressed to think about what it means to remain in the aftermath of a death that escapes our comprehension. To witness this sacred story is also to receive it for the truth that it tells: love remains, and we are love's witnesses. ... 

From this space, a different vision of life can be glimpsed. It is life as remaining. This transformation, this redemption in the abyss of hell, is not about deliverance from the depths but, instead, about a way of being in the depths, a practice of witnessing that sense life arising amid what remains. The middle story is not a story of rising out of depths, but a transformation of the depths themselves. 

(Excerpt, Shelly Rambo, Spirit and Trauma: A Theology of Remaining, 169-172)

A lot of words, many of them big theology words. But really, if I am even beginning to understand their power, I think it is summed up best by these two contrasting photos that have come out of Fergusson:

Top: Violence, suffering, and trauma.
Bottom: Witness, remaining, and healing.

Resisting Evil ... Forging Hope

The liturgical readings for this Saturday seem tailor made for our present news cycle.

From the prophet Micah, we hear:

Woe to those who plan iniquity,and work out evil on their couches; In the morning light they accomplish it when it lies within their power. They covet fields, and seize them; houses, and they take them; They cheat an owner of his house, a man of his inheritance.

The Psalmist writes:

Why, O LORD, do you stand aloof? Why hide in times of distress? Proudly the wicked harass the afflicted,who are caught in the devices the wicked have contrived. 
For the wicked man glories in his greed, and the covetous blasphemes, sets the LORD at nought.The wicked man boasts, “He will not avenge it”;“There is no God,” sums up his thoughts. 

And then in Matthew's Gospel: 

The Pharisees went out and took counsel against Jesusto put him to death. When Jesus realized this, he withdrew from that place. Many people followed him, and he cured them all, but he warned them not to make him known.

Our present news cycle is filled with the consequences of evil planned on couches. Peoples are plotting against other peoples or closing their hearts and doors to compassion and our common humanity. There are good news stories to be sure as well, but those do not get the air time. Instead, we are submerged in woe.

Jesus could have been submerged in woe. People were literally planning his death. And what does he do? He withdraws from the place ... he was a man of deep prayer. Yet when people followed him, he did not ignore them or push them away, but ministered to them.

At our last CSJP Congregation Chapter, we wrote these words in our Chapter Act: "We live in a society marked strongly by the violence of war, violence to people through poverty and a sense of powerlessness and alienation, violence to earth, sea, and sky--violence that is truly cosmic."  Those words would also fit our present news cycle! As a community pursuing justice and seeking God's peace, how did we respond in our Chapter Act? "In response we commit ourselves to grow more deeply toward a nonviolent way of being and acting as peacemakers." Like Jesus, our call is to withdraw (resist) and to respond in hope.

A few months ago I read something by the great liberation theologian Gustavo Gutiérrez regarding hope. I'd like to end this Saturday morning reflection with his words:

Hope is, in the first place, a gift from God. Accepting this gift opens followers of Jesus to the future and to trust … God’s gift is not an easy hope. But as fragile as it may seem, it is capable of planting roots in the world of social insignificance, in the world of the poor, and of breaking out and remaining creative and alive even in the midst of difficult situations. Nonetheless, hope is not waiting; rather it should lead us actively to resolve to forge reasons for hope.

No matter what the news, let us resolve to forge reasons for hope.

Peace and Nonviolence in 2014

The start of a new year. A time to stop and take stock. A time to pray for peace. A time to commit to being a person of peace and nonviolence. At least in my book.

The Catholic Church celebrates New Year's Day as the World Day of Peace. In his first World Day of Peace Message, Pope Francis calls each of us to recognize that we are kin, all God's children, even across borders and differences.

A lively awareness of our relatedness helps us to look upon and to treat each person as a true sister or brother ... All men and women enjoy an equal and inviolable dignity. All are loved by God.

He comes to the radical yet simple conclusion that recognition of this kinship (or "fraternity") is the "foundation and pathway of peace."

I received word today that the Leadership Team of my congregation, the Sisters of St. Joseph of Peace, have endorsed the new Campaign Nonviolence, an effort of Pace e Bene. It is no coincidence that they announced this at the new year, on the occasion of the World Day of Peace, when we are called to recognize each other as kin and to act with love and respect that honors that God given relationship.

We are called to be women and men of peace, but we must respond, act, and commit to taking this relationship and call seriously.

That's where Campaign Nonviolence comes in. As we begin this new year, consider taking the Campaign Nonviolence Pledge. Click here to learn more!

Blessings of Peace!

Margaret Anna Fridays

Most Fridays I am going to share some words of wisdom from the founder of my religious community, Margaret Anna Cusack, known in religion as Mother Francis Clare. Today's Installment is from her Book of the Blessed Ones written in 1874:

Let us begin to-day, let us begin now. We may expect many failures, we shall meet with many difficulties; but our failures will not become less by waiting nor our difficulties less by delay. Let us also have courage, and persevere. At first the rude or unthankful answer will come out, but remember a first step is gained if we see
even afterwards that we have been rude, or unthankful, or uncourteous. It is a great step. It is a step to thank God for, and to make us take courage. According as we correspond with one grace, our dear Lord will give us another. We ascend the height of sanctity by steps, and a step gained is worth more to our poor souls than if the whole wealth of earth were poured fourth at our feet.
-M.F. Cusack, Book of the Blessed Ones

Romero on Why We Must Speak

Sunday will be the 33rd anniversary of the assassination of Archbishop Oscar Romero. This week, I'm sharing some of his words on the blog, courtesy of this online version of some of Oscar Romero's writings.

To try to reveal Christ
is our great pastoral task.
If I speak of earthly matters or political questions,
it is to guide our reflection towards Christ.
I would like you to understand me well
so as not to have a wrong idea of these Masses.
Far from being political gatherings,
they mean to draw the people toward Christ,
toward God.
Thus they are understood in many testimonials I receive.
It gives me great comfort to know
that people come to church on Sunday to look for Christ.
Even in the criminal realities of our land
Christ is present,
rejecting all that crime.
This is why we must speak of it here.

The picture is from my trip to El Salvador in 2007. This is the crypt of Monsenor Romero, in the basement of the cathedral in El Salvador. In front of the tomb is an altar, where (quite fittingly) a lively and boisterous mass is celebrated each Sunday. We visited his tomb, and then participated in the Sunday liturgy. It was an amazing end to our pilgrimage.

Romero on the call of the Church

Sunday marks the 33rd anniversary of the assassination of Archbishop Oscar Romero. This week, I'm sharing some of his words on the blog, courtesy of this online version of some of Oscar Romero's writings.

The church is calling to sanity,
to understanding,
to love.
It does not believe in violent situation.
The church believes in only one violence,
that of Christ,
who was nailed to the cross.
This is how today's gospel reading shows him,
taking upon himself all the violence
of hatred and misunderstanding,
so that we humans might forgive one another,
love one another,
feel ourselves brothers and sisters.

The picture is from my trip to El Salvador in 2007. This "San Romero" sign is on the grounds of the library in El Sitio Cencinero, a village where many former refugees from the civil war have resettled.

Praying With Romero

Sunday will mark the 33rd anniversary of the assassination of Archbishop Oscar Romero. During my novitiate, I was able to make a pilgrimage of sorts to El Salvador. We visited the places where our CSJP Sisters ministered during the civil war, and where they serve the people of El Salvador today. I was so incredibly touched by my ten days in El Salvador - you can read some of my reflections here courtesy of the way back machine that is this blog.

A while back I discovered a free e-book of some of Oscar Romero's writings.  This week, I'd like to share some of the wisdom of this 20th Century holy man on the blog.  Today's installment:

Let us not tire of preaching love;
it is the force that will overcome the world.
Let us not tire of preaching love.
Though we see that waves of violence succeed in drowning the fire of Christian love,
love must win out; it is the only thing that can.

The picture is from my trip to El Salvador in 2007. This one is a banner hanging at a retreat center in El Despertar, a poor neighborhood of El Salvador where our Sisters lived for a time during the war and where Fr. Octavio Ortiz and four young men attending a youth retreat had been killed in that same house by government troops who claimed it was a guerrilla training camp.

Merton on Peace: Spirituality & Practice of Nonviolence

Facing our spiritual and moral crisis, Thomas Merton sought authentic spiritual roots for a Christian spirituality of nonviolence.  He found them in the Sermon on the Mount in Matthew's Gospel:

“The chief place in which this new mode of life is set forth in detail is the Sermon on the Mount." (Blessed are the Meek: the Christian Roots of Nonviolence)

“The Beatitudes indeed convey a profound existential understanding of the dynamic of the Kingdom of God—a dynamic made clear in the parables of the mustard seed and the yeast.  This is the dynamism of patient and secret growth, in belief that out of the smallest, weakest, and most insignificant seed the greatest tree will come. This is not merely a matter of blind and arbitrary faith. The early history of the Church, the record of the apostles and martyrs remains to testify to this inherent and mysterious dynamism of the ecclesial ‘event’ in the world of history and time  Christian nonviolence is rooted in this consciousness of faith.”  (Blessed are the Meet: the Christian Roots of Nonviolence).                                

He was profoundly challenged by some acts of resistance to the Vietnam war which he felt went too far in the wrong direction away from this alternative vision of the Beatitudes.  In particular he was shaken when Roger Laporte, a former Cistertian novice, poured gasoline to burn himself in front of the US mission to the UN.  No doubt this led to some deep prayer and soul searching.  What resulted were 7 conditions that Merton felt were required for honesty in the practice of Christian Nonviolence:

1. “Nonviolence must be aimed above all at the transformation of the present state of the world . . .”
2. For Christians in powerful nations, nonviolent resistance “will have to be clearly not for [themselves] but for others, that is the poor and underprivileged.”
3. Given the threat of nuclear war, “above all nonviolence must avoid a facile and fanatical self-righteousness and refrain from being satisfied with dramatic self-justifying gestures.”
4. “[T]he Christian humility of nonviolent action must establish itself in the minds and memories of [the] modern [human person] not only as conceivable and possible, but as a desirable alternative.”
5. “The absolute refusal of evil or suspect means is a necessary element in the witness of nonviolence.”
6. “This mission of Christian humility in social life is not merely to edify, but to keep minds open to many alternatives.”
7. “Christian hope and Christian humility are inseparable.  The quality of nonviolence is decided largely by the purity of the Christian hope behind it.”
   (Blessed are the Meek: The Christian Roots of Nonviolence)

[This is the fourth post in a series.  Click on these links for the first, second and third posts.]

Margaret Anna Fridays - nonviolent language

Most Fridays I'm going to share a quote from the founder of my religious community, Margaret Anna Cusack, known in religion as Mother Francis Clare.

Let us learn then, from the example of Jesus, how to order our words aright.  The Catholic owes an especial duty to the world in this, for the world cannot understand patience under injury, silence under calumny, or gentle and courteous language to one who has done so deadly injustice.  Yet these are the lessons which Jesus came to teach us, and the lessons of which he gave Himself the example, 'Friend, where to art thou come?'~Book of the Blessed Ones, MF Cusack, 1874

I am always amazed when I return to Margaret Anna's writings how spot on she was and is.  Daily these days we seem to have proof that the world cannot understand patience under injury or gentle and courteous langauge to the one who has done so deadly justice.  And yet this is the call of Jesus, as she often names is, our "practical Christianity." The path to peace starts in our very hards, our very words, our very relationships big and small.

Violence of our thoughts and words

In Today's Gospel (Matthew 5), Jesus tells his disciples (and us):  "You have heard that it was said to your ancestors, You shall not kill; and whoever kills will be liable to judgment. But I say to you, whoever is angry with his brother will be liable to judgment, and whoever says to his brother, 'Raqa,' will be answerable to the Sanhedrin, and whoever says, 'You fool,' will be liable to fiery Gehenna."

Woah. Serious stuff. I think we can all agree that killing people is not ok. But Jesus calls us to a powerful nonviolent love that is so much harder. Beyond refraining from physical violence, we are also called to refrain from violent thoughts and words about other people.

Now anyone who knows any other people knows that there is no way you will never be angry at someone or think bad thoughts about them. They are human. We are human. Enough said.

But as Christians it is not enough to leave it at that, but instead to invite the awesome power of God's light and love into our hearts, lives, relationships and eventually the whole world.

Is the nonviolent path easy? No. It takes hard work, deep intention,  humor to laugh at yourself when you make mistakes, willingness to brush that failure off and to try again. And again. And again. Because we are human beings dealing with other human beings, which means we'll get lots of practice.

Jesus teaches us the way.  Choose love. Your heart will be transformed and eventually you might just help change the world. May God's kingdom come, God's will be done.

Love.

Family, Home, Church and Nonviolent Love

Those of you who've followed my story here on the blog know a bit about my own experience of Church. The two second version:  I was raised Catholic and attended 12 years of Catholic school in a post-Vatican-II Church. In high school during the 1980s, I started to wonder about the relevance of a Church that focused so narrowly on certain social issues in the midst of a world that seemed to be falling apart.  As a young woman, I also didn't feel particularly welcomed.  And so I left for a 10 year "vacation."  In mid my late 20s, my desire for a deeper relationship with God and God's people led me to search for home.  Quaker? Nope.  Buddhist? Nope. Catholic ... yep, with all the assorted baggage that comes with family.  This is my family, my home, my Church. So I came back, as a friend recently said, "in a big way."  These 13 or so years back as an active Catholic have been filled with blessings and gifts for me, as I've come to know God more deeply and found ways to be Church and follow Jesus in community.

Did all my wonderings go away?  Nope.  They're still there, but I have a more nuanced understanding of the human community that is the Church, seeking to follow the divine call that comes from Jesus.  For those of you who have challenging family issues but still love your family, that is a good metaphor for my own relationship with Church.

A few times in recent weeks I've had people who are facing their own struggles, either from within the Church or without, ask me the following question in various forms:  Why do you stay?  How do you stay?

I'd like to reframe those questions and ask myself ... how can I not be a part of this Church?  The Roman Catholic Church is in my blood, literally, coming from a long line of Catholics including at least one other Catholic Sister. My experience of God makes the most sense mediated through this faith community, with the rhythm and power of our rituals and sacraments.  I was steeped in a Catholic world view, seeing the goodness of God in all of creation.  When I work for peace and justice within this framework, not only do I make more sense but the world makes more sense.  In the face of hopelessness, I find hope.  In the life, ministry, death and resurrection of Jesus, I find faith in our shared story and a belief that all will be one and love will prevail.  This enables me to keep on keeping on and to participate in the small ways I can to the building of God's reign.

Is it easy?  As I said, the wonderings are still there, as are the human elements of the Church.  We've got division on some key issues, and even more division on issues that I'd guess Jesus would be a little exacerbated to find us spending so much time and energy on in the midst of the cries of people who are poor and marginalized.  But the Holy Spirit is ever present, calling us forward, inspiring us, working as one of my Sisters loves to say in "sneaky ways."

More and more, I have experienced my life in and for the Church as a nonviolent act of love.  This is my family, my home, my Church.  This is the family, home and Church of the global Church.  Millions of Catholics across the globe live out their faith in this same context.  How beautiful is that?

And so I pray.  I recently came across a beautiful prayer for "Frustrated Catholics" by Fr. James Martin, SJ.  I'd like to end this post with end of his prayer.

Help me to remember all your saints.  Most of them had it a lot worse than I do.  They were frustrated with your church at times, struggled with it, and were occasionally persecuted by it.  Joan of Arc was burned at the stake by church authorities.  Ignatius of Loyola was thrown into jail by the Inquisition.  Mary MacKillop was excommunicated.  If they can trust in your church in the midst of those difficulties, so can I.  Give me courage.

Help me to be peaceful when people tell me that I don’t belong in the church, that I’m a heretic for trying to make things better, or that I’m not a good Catholic.  I know that I was baptized.  You called me by name to be in your church, God.  As long as I draw breath, help me remember how the holy waters of baptism welcomed me into your holy family of sinners and saints.  Let the voice that called me into your church be what I hear when other voices tell me that I’m not welcome in the church.  Give me peace.

Most of all, help me to place all of my hope in your Son.  My faith is in Jesus Christ.  Give me only his love and his grace.  That’s enough for me.
Help me God, and help your church.
Amen.

Margaret Anna Fridays

Every Friday, I’m going to share a quote from the founder of my groovy sisters, Margaret Anna Cusack, known in religion as Mother Francis Clare. This week’s installment …

Even if we considered the matter from a temporal point of view, gentle words serve us best, for it is far easier to move by love than fear, and we are far more likely to gain others to our interests by doing a kindly action than by treating them with indifference and coldness. (Book of the Blessed Ones)

How to Train Your Dragon (Nonviolence)

Yesterday I had a bit of free time and decided to treat myself to a movie ... How to Train Your Dragon. I had a movie gift card lying around (awesome gifts for folks in religious life by the way) so I decided to splurge and treat myself to the 3D version.

I was expecting a pleasant story and 90 minutes in an imaginary world. What I wasn't expecting was an approachable story about the principles of nonviolence. (Warning, the rest of this post contains plot info from the movie, so read with caution if you plan to see the movie).

Nonviolence you ask? In a kids movie about slaying dragons? Well yes. Hiccup, the main character, is the son of the chief Viking in his village, a village that is plagued by attacking fire-breathing dragons that steal their livestock and destroy their homes. The goal of every man (and it seems woman) in the village is to become a successful dragon killer. It's the joie de vivre of village life. Which is a problem for hiccup, because unlike most Vikings he is skinny and slight and mild mannered.

To make a long story short though, he also discovers that he has a knack not for killing dragons, but for approaching them with compassion. By remaining open to the dragons and taking risks, he finds that everything the villagers know about dragons is wrong. The dragon with the ferocious bite .... he's afraid of snakes. The fire breathing dragon really likes it when you rub his tummy, and if you hit just the right spot he'll lie down helpless. As he continues his courageous journey of trust and vulnerability, he discovers that the dragons themselves are operating out of fear of something even scarier. And, in the end, he leads his community on a journey of nonviolence which turns their world upside down and leads to a time of peaceful coexistence and prosperity unimagined at the beginning of the movie.

Really ... it may be a cartoon, but it's deep. And enjoyable. Later, reflecting on the movie, I realized what a great analgoy even the premise and title of the movie is ... what is the journey of nonviolence if not an ongoing effort to train our own inner dragon?

Gospel of Nonviolence

Today Jesus tells his disciples (and us):

To you who hear I say, love your enemies,

do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you,

pray for those who mistreat you.

To the person who strikes you on one cheek,

offer the other one as well,

and from the person who takes your cloak,

do not withhold even your tunic. ...

Love your enemies, and do good to them,

and lend expecting nothing back;

then your reward will be great

and you will be children of the Most High,

for God is kind to the ungrateful and the wicked.

Be merciful just as also your Father is merciful.

Challenging. The way to nonviolence is certainly a positive "soul force" as Ghandi called it. (By the way, did you know he read the Sermon on the Mount every day twice a day for most of his life?). But it's not easy. Every day is a day to follow the nonviolent Jesus.

Solidarity

Last night I attended a candlelight vigil for the situation in Iran. It was a moving experience, one of being in solidarity not only with the brave people of Iran continuing to voice their desire for fair elections but also in solidarity with the diaspora - Iranians living in this country worried about their loved ones at home. Last year I was living in community with one of my Sisters who is from Kenya, as the post-election violence and turmoil took place in her country. We were able to be there for her at that time, but I know it was so painful for her to be so far away.

Please join me in praying for peace in Iran and around the world and for the safety, strength and courage of all people committed to social change and justice through nonviolent action.

Another take on Holy Thursday

I shared my Holy Thursday reflections on the blog last week. John Dear shared his lived reflection on Holy Thursday in his column in NCR:

On Holy Thursday, at 3 p.m., fourteen of us walked on to the Creech Air Force Base near Indian Springs, Nevada (about an hour northwest of Las Vegas) to pray and speak out against the U.S. unmanned drones which take off every two minutes in practice runs for bombing raids in Central Asia. After three hours, we were arrested, put in handcuffs and chains; then jailed for the night in Las Vegas.

When we were released on Good Friday morning, we did what any normal Christian would do: we went back to the scene of the crime and continued to pray and speak out for an end to U.S. war making. (Read more...)

Nonviolence - so what does it mean?

Over the past few days, I've been sharing our Chapter Act on Nonviolence - (click here for the beginning of this series). Why? Because it's something I've really been reflecting a lot on since the summer and trying to integrate into my own life.

I firmly believe that peace is possible, peace will come. That belief is hard to have when violence is so prevalent in our world, or when I sit helplessly and observe communities explode into armed conflict and hundreds or thousands of civilians die in their own homes. But yet, Jesus promises us his peace.

"Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give it to you." (John 14:27).

What did he mean? People have been trying to figure that out for 2,000 years. As a Sister of St. Joseph of Peace, I have been trying to figure out what that means for me. What does it mean to be in a community of people seeing peace through justice. What does it mean to wear my peace cross each day, as a public symbol of my commitment to the Peace Jesus promises?

It seems to me that if it means anything, it means a commitment to look at the ways in my own life that I am not of peace. Where is the violence in my own being? How can I grow in nonviolence and be a seed of peace?

That's where I'm at, recognized my own violence as I pray each day for the Prince of Peace to be with me on my/our journey to be people of peace. For the most part, I've just noticed how not non-violent I am, but the desire is there, and that must count for something. The picture says "envision peace." For me, these days, I guess it's more about if/how I/we can "embody peace." It is very cool to be on this journey with my CSJP community ... for the next 6 years. Because we're not going to figure it out over night!

PS - If you - like me - find yourself at a loss about what you can do as a global (or American) citizen about the current violent crisis in Gaza, visit the Pax Christi USA website for resources.

Nonviolence - Our Chapter Act (Part Four)

Over the next few days I will be sharing our CSJP Congregation Chapter Act, "Seeds of Peace: Growing in Nonviolence." Here is the fourth and final installment of the Chapter Act itself (click here for the beginning of this series):

We call ourselves to prayer.
* Congregational weekly peace prayer
* Examination of Consciousness related to non-violence
* Regular reflection on the Beatitudes/Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 5-7) and Constitutions

We call ourselves to study.
* History and people of non-violence
* Constitutions and writings of Margaret Anna Cusack and community members, read through the lens of non-violence
* Contemporary resources for practice of non-violence

We call ourselves to action.
* Practice non-violence in all relationships, with self, one another, Earth, and Cosmos
* Stand in solidarity with those who are poor and respond to injustice with creativity, passion and non-violence
* Practice non-violence in communication, reconciliation and forgiveness
* Live non-violence in our choices as citizens and consumers
* Practice non-violence in collaboration with others to heal the violence in our world
* As individuals, we will discern if we are called to take a vow of non-violence

Practical guides for prayer, study and action will be developed and shared throughout the Congregation.

Coming up .... what does this mean?

Nonviolence - Our Chapter Act (Part Three)

Over the next few days I will be sharing our CSJP Congregation Chapter Act, "Seeds of Peace: Growing in Nonviolence." Here is part 3 (click here for the beginning of this series):

Sowing the Seeds of Peace
“You will hope, if God blesses your work, to sow the seeds of peace in modern society.” (Bishop Bagshawe at profession of first Sisters of Peace, January 7, 1884).

The lens of non-violence brings new insights and commitments to all aspects of our lives together. We commit to look with eyes of compassion, to relate with openness and hospitality, and to act from a center of contemplative prayer, peace and passion. Our prayer and study lead us to actions which “make our own the concerns of the human family … especially those who are poor and oppressed.” (C 55).

More to come ...

Nonviolence - Our Chapter Act (Part Two)

Over the next few days I will be sharing our CSJP Congregation Chapter Act, "Seeds of Peace: Growing in Nonviolence." Here is part 2 (if you missed part 1, click here):

Commitment
“The very name Sisters of Peace will, it is hoped, inspire the desire of peace and a love for it.” (Margaret Anna Cusack in the original 1884 Constitutions)

As people of peace, we commit ourselves:

* to non-violence grounded in contemplative prayer and reflection
* to non-violence practiced in our daily lives and ministries
* to non-violence in the protection of all life
* to active non-violence as we resist the reality of evil

More to come ...