[What follows is the first of two bulletin inserts our Pax Christi group prepared for our church bulletins this past weekend and next weekend. Today, let us pray that such a savage use of WMDs will never again occur.]

August 6, 2007 marks the 62nd anniversary of the dropping of the atomic bomb on Hiroshima. August 9 marks the same anniversary of the dropping of the plutonium bomb on the Catholic city of Nagasaki. The purpose of this newsletter is to help the parishioners of St. William and Immaculate Heart of Mary better understand the teachings of Jesus and the Church related to war and the use of weapons of mass destruction. Theses anniversaries mark the first use of weapons of mass destruction on civilian populations. Continue reading →

[We are all called to be prophets.]

I heard the gentle whisper—
“Speak out!”
Speak out? I know not what to say. Continue reading →

We are wont to readily condemn Muslims for waging holy war and rightly so. The very word “jihad” strikes terror in our fearful hearts; however, we often overlook the fact that Christians too have engaged in holy wars for centuries. It is ironic that the church that was founded by the nonviolent Jesus of Nazareth came to sanction, condone and even bless holy war. Calling these wars crusades does not make them any less warlike. Continue reading →

Continue reading →

Preparing for the Day of Reflection last Saturday gave me some information I want to share with you. We are well aware that the early church embraced the nonviolence of Jesus until 313 when Constantine and the empire recognized the church. In 313, you could not be a soldier if you were a Christian. One hundred years later, you could not be a soldier unless you were a Christian. The cross morphed into the sword. Continue reading →

The Vatican has cleared the way for beatification of Franz Jagerstetter. Franz was an Austrian who refused military service under Hitler and was beheaded. He had a wife and three children. The Pope Benedict has declared him to be a martyr. He will soon be Blessed Franz Jagerstetter. This is a strong affirmation of peacemaking and nonviolence. Continue reading →

Jesus curses the fig tree, cleanses the Temple, finds the fig tree withered and gives his disciples hope for the future. Jesus said to them in reply, “Have faith in God.
Amen, I say to you, whoever says to this mountain,
‘Be lifted up and thrown into the sea,’
and does not doubt in his heart
but believes that what he says will happen,
it shall be done for him.
Therefore I tell you, all that you ask for in prayer,
believe that you will receive it and it shall be yours.
When you stand to pray,
forgive anyone against whom you have a grievance,
so that your heavenly Father may in turn
forgive you your transgressions.” (Mk 11: 22-26) Continue reading →

Jesus arrives near Jerusalem and wept saying, “If only you knew what makes for peace.” Think about it. Let it sink in. Jesus, the nonviolent liberator, the rebel who challenged oppressive earthly authority, wept. He wept because they had missed the point. They had not understood his mission.
For Jesus, peace was not some abstract concept. Continue reading →

Jesus said to his disciples:
“If the world hates you, realize that it hated me first.
If you belonged to the world, the world would love its own;
but because you do not belong to the world,
and I have chosen you out of the world,
the world hates you. (Jn 15: 18-19)

These words sound strange to us today. We usually do not think of ourselves as being hated by the world. Continue reading →

I stumbled across a wonderful movie, Amazing Grace. It is the story of William Wilberforce who worked tirelessly as a Member of Parliament for the abolition of slavery. Wilberforce was a passionate Christian and a committed reformer. He also wanted to improve conditions for factory workers and society in general.
Wilberforce suffered from a stomach aliment which debilitated him at times. This had to be due in part to the fact that he internalized the things he was reforming. He was tormented at times by visions and dreams of chained slaves. Continue reading →