NEW YEAR 2017: THE POWER OF NONVIOLENCE

     The first day of every year is, for us Christians, the Solemnity of the Motherhood of Mary and International Day of Peace. I wish to share with you, the Message of Pope Francis.

     On January 1, 1968 Blessed Pope Paul VI inaugurated the year with the First Message of the World Day of Peace on The Day of Peace. On January 1, 2017 Pope Francis continued the fruitful tradition by celebrating the Fiftieth World Day of Peace with a powerful message entitled Nonviolence as a Style of Politics for Peace. Hereafter, I wish to present and reflect on this wonderful invitation of Pope Francis to all to be peacemakers through nonviolence.

     Why did Pope Francis select nonviolence as a peaceful style of life? Because violence continues to abound in our hearts and in our world. Unfortunately, we live in a “broken world,” in a “horrifying world” where war is fought piecemeal. Pope Francis cries out that there is “piecemeal violence” of different kinds and levels: “War in different countries and continents; terrorism, organized crime and unforeseen acts of violence; and the devastation of the environment” (2017 Message 1). There are weapon traffickers, and vast amounts of resources are spent for weapons of war while young and old people suffer terrible hardships. In our world, there are domestic violence and abuse of women and children (nos. 2, 4, 5).

     How may we fight violence nonviolently? Violence is fought and healed not by more violence but by active nonviolence.  Active nonviolence does not mean surrender, or lack of social involvement, or passivity. It overcomes the temptation to retaliate. Active nonviolence is a quality of authentic human and Christian love, which presupposes justice and respects truth.

     How to achieve fuller and wider peace in our world? Our common humanity and our faith command us to be peacemakers. One starts by acquiring internal and external personal peace. To be instruments of peace, we have to banish violence “from our hearts, words and deeds” (no. 7). We work for social peace by practicing equality, love and solidarity; by witnessing and promoting integral ecology, which means human dignity and rights, freedom, justice, truth and peace, and the integrity of creation.

     Is it hard to be peacemakers in our families, in our communities, in our world? We have amazing models to follow. Jesus, the model, proclaims nonviolence by his life and message. He walks the path of loving nonviolence “to the very end, to the cross, where he became our peace and put an end to hostility” (3). He preaches the unconditional love he lives, a love which shares with the needy and forgives all, including enemies. The Gospel of Jesus focuses on the Sermon on the Mount and the Good News of nonviolent love, on the eight Beatitudes: Blessed are the meek, the merciful, the peacemakers…

     Pope Francis mentions other well-known models of active nonviolence: St. Francis, St. Therese of the Child Jesus, and Saint Mother Teresa of Kolkata; Gandhi, Martin Luther King Jr, Leymah Gbowee and women. Pope Francis underlines the essential role of the family in promoting peace and nonviolence: “An ethics of fraternity and peaceful coexistence” starts in the family. All religions contribute to peace in the world. Pope Francis says that “no religion is terrorist, peace alone is holy, not war.”

     The Pope from Argentina recalls the example of St. Therese and invites us to practice her “little way of love, not to miss out on a kind word, a smile or any small gesture which sows peace and friendship” (5). He brings to our attention the example and words of Saint Mother Teresa who says: “We in our family don’t need bombs and guns to destroy, to bring peace – just get together, love one another… And we will be able to overcome all the evil that is in the world” (3). Indeed, there is no way to peace, peace is the way (Gandhi). Hence, “We adopt the means of nonviolence because our end is a community at peace with itself” (Martin Luther King Jr).

     Pope Francis points out the forceful messages on loving and peaceful nonviolence of popes Paul VI, John Paul II and Benedict XVI. Who does not remember the piercing words of Blessed Paul VI at the United Nations in New York (October 4, 1965): “No more war! War never again! It is peace which must guide the destinies of peoples and of all mankind.” St. John Paul II proclaims: “Justice and forgiveness are essential to healing”; “May people learn to fight for justice without violence, renouncing class struggle in their internal disputes and war in international ones” (no. 4).  Pope Francis quotes from the teachings about nonviolence of Pope Benedict XVI, who says:“For Christians, nonviolence is not merely tactical behavior but a person’s way of being, the attitude of one who is convinced of God’s love and power that he or she is not afraid to tackle evil  with weapons of love and truth alone. Love of one’s enemies constitutes the nucleus of the Christian revolution” (3). I remember well the powerful statement of the Philippine Bishops just a few days before the EDSA peaceful revolution: “We insist, our acting must always be according to the Gospel of Christ, that is, in a peaceful, nonviolent way” (CBCP, February 14, 1986).

     In his fourth Message for the World Day of Peace (2017), Pope Francis makes a strong plea: “I plead for disarmament and for the prohibition and abolition of nuclear weapons.” The Pope adds: “Nuclear deterrence and the threat of mutual assured destruction are incapable of grounding” an ethics of “fraternity and peaceful coexistence between individuals and among peoples.” This ethics “cannot be based on the logic of fear, violence and closed-mindedness, but on responsibility, respect and sincere dialogue” (5).

     Active violence is also creative nonviolence: it actively creates new ways and methods and activities to achieve peace nonviolently in different situations and places. The world-wide movement of nonviolence relies radically on a deep spirituality which helps nonviolent peacemakers answer nonviolently any provocation. Nonviolence, a product of justice, truth and love is also, Pope Francis tells us, prayerful nonviolence: “Nothing is impossible if we turn to God in prayer. Everyone can be an artisan of peace” (7).  The reigning Pope stresses the need of prayer to witness nonviolence in our life, to make nonviolent love the style of life.

     We celebrate today the Motherhood of Mary: Mary, the Mother of God. This is how she is called through the first centuries of Christianity. Mary is the Mother of Jesus, who is the Son of God and the Son of Mary: “She conceived, brought forth and nourished Christ; presented Him to the Father in the temple, and was united with Him in suffering as He died on the cross” (LG, 61). Mary is, certainly, the Mother of the Child Jesus, and also the Mother of the Crucified and Risen Lord. May Mary, the Mother of God and our Mother, the Queen of Peace (Regina pacis) help us all be committed to peace in our world – a world that longs for peace here, there and everywhere!

     In closing, two inspiring texts that come to mind: First keep yourself in peace and then shall you be abler to bring others to peace (Kempis). Acquire inner peace and thousands around you will find liberation (St. Seraphim).

(Fausto Gomez OP, Jan 1, 2017)

CHRISTMAS NIGHT (2016)

We are celebrating the Nativity of the Lord that takes place at about midnight when nature sleeps. It takes place tonight in our hearts and in our community as we re-live liturgically that first and glorious night.

The sacred readings inspire us. The prophet Isaiah cf. Is 9:1-6): “For a child is born to us, a son is given us… They name him Wonder-Counselor, God-Hero, Father-Forever, and Prince of Peace.” (It is also inspiring to listen to the Messiah of Handel) Saint Paul (Tit 2:11-14): “The grace of God has appeared saving all … The appearance of our great God and savior Jesus Christ.” St. Luke (Lk 2:1-14): (Angel to shepherds): “You will find an infant wrapped in swaddling clothes and lying in a manger.”

We all know the meaning and the mystery of Christmas: “God so loved the world that He gave us his only Son.” Tonight and through the Christmas Season, we contemplate the Child Jesus in the crib. Let me share with you a few pointers that might be helpful to you as they are to me.

A Christmas Carol from Belgium tells us something truly moving: The shepherds go to offer gifts to the Child Jesus: cheese, honey, a lamb… One shepherd goes with empty hands. Why do you come to adore the little Child without any gift? The shepherd answers: “I only bring my surprise!” Every Christmas brings us believers an unimaginable surprise: “And the Word was made flesh and dwelt among us.” What a sublime surprise, what an amazing grace! What incomparable beauty. St. John of God loved to repeat: “If you wish to see and contemplate beauty on earth, ask the Lord to give you: eyes to see a young girl with a little child on her arms in a portico of Bethlehem. There is nothing more beautiful.” Blessed Angelico painted the crib and St. Dominic kneeling before the Child Jesus contemplating the mystery of Christmas, mystery of our faith: “He became what we are that we might become what He is” (St. Athanasius). How can this be?  

A large family in a rural town goes to the Christmas Midnight Mass, except a young man who stays home because he cannot believe that God became man. This is – he said – impossible! There was that night a raging snow storm; it was windy and freezing. From the window of his room, he sees a flock of birds in the backyard: the birds are looking for shelter. He tries to help them by opening the door of the barn, but the birds are afraid and do not follow him to the barn. He puts bread crumbs along the way leading to the barn. No dice. He tries to befriend the birds by walking and raising his arms as if flying. Once again, no dice. Then he realizes something: “If only I could be a bird for a moment, perhaps I could save them.” At that very moment, the story goes, he hears the church bells ringing the Glory of Christmas and became aware of the mystery of the Incarnation:  “Now – he says – I see why God has to become one of us, to save us” (from Louis Cassels). Jesus was born and died to save us and to show us the way to salvation and happiness – the way of love.

Sometime ago, little children presented a Play of the Nativity. All the teachers of the elementary and the parents of the children were present and eagerly waiting for the play to start. The angels came, the shepherds followed, and then Mary – very close to give birth – and Joseph. They were looking for a place to stay – and Mary, to give birth to Jesus. Mary and Joseph knocked at the door of the inn, and a little child of six opened the door. They asked him: “Please can we have a room for the night?” The boy innkeeper answered: “Sorry, there is no room in the inn.” But immediately the innkeeper changed his mind and said (and this he invented): “Hang on! Don’t go away. You can have my room” (from Margaret Silf).

“May Jesus have my room – my heart? May he have yours? “Each one of us is an innkeeper who decides if there is room for Jesus” (Max Maxwell). And, as we know – and as we feel by just imagining the real crib , the crib of Bethlehem -, a room for Jesus today means to be truly sensitive towards the needy – to a few concrete people who are in need in our midst.

This comment moved me to meditate: “Christ is always with us, always asking for room in our hearts…  I’m sure that the shepherds did not adore and then go away to leave Mary and her Child in the stable; but somehow found them room, even though what they had to offer might have been primitive enough. If we hadn’t got Christ’s own words for it, it would seem raving lunacy to believe that if I offer a bed and food and hospitality for Christmas – or any other time, for that matter – …my guest is Christ…” (Dorothy Day). On the background of the real manger we can read these invisible words from Jesus, the preacher:   “What you do to the least of my brothers and sisters you do it to me.” I am not trying to put too much seriousness on the joy and beauty of Christmas as a family feast. I am – aren’t we all? -for a joyful and beautiful and sweet Christmas. But true joy and beauty and sweetness are qualities of true happiness that only comes from solidarity with others and compassion to the needy – and God’s grace, which is always available to us. The real enemy of Christmas – of my happiness – is my selfishness, my “fat ego.” Therefore I am in need of “un-selfing.” Are you? Jesus is here to help us do what we can and pray for what we cannot.

And yes, by all means, “Glory to God in the highest and peace to all men and women.” My dear sisters and brothers: How do we respond to the unique surprise of the mystery of the birth of Jesus? How? By striving – I suggest – to celebrate Christmas with the right attitude. We celebrate the Birth of Christ in this Liturgy, that is, we re-live the birth of Jesus in the Liturgy and in our lives. We celebrate this Holy Eucharist with hopeful faith, joyful gratitude, and, above all, with an attitude of humble adoration.

Adoration means recognizing our radical dependence from God and from his grace. Humble adoration is the attitude of Christmas: it is the attitude of Mary and Joseph, who adore the child Jesus in awe and amazement; the attitude of the shepherds, who kneel before the crib with faith and humility; the attitude of the Magi, who present their gifts to the child as a symbol of their veneration of the Child.

May we all, lovers of Jesus, have a Blessed Christmas, that is, may Jesus continue growing in our hearts and may those around us notice it by the way we treat them with kindness and compassion.

Dear Mary, Mother of the Son of God and our Mother, help us all to have and live this blessed or happy Christmas. Amen.

(Fausto B. Gómez, St. Dominic Priory, Dec 24, 2016)