By — John Dear — January 22, 2021 Today is the day the United Nation’s Treaty on Nuclear Weapons goes into effect. It is the long planned but seemingly impossible day millions—billions—of people have waited for since Hiroshima day, August 6, 1945. Today, the UN treaty declares that the manufacture, possession, use or threat to...

As we process through Lent toward Holy Week, it may be helpful to recall Jesus’ testimony in court before Pontius Pilate, the representative of the Roman Empire. For me, these words sum up the Christian life of peace and nonviolence: My kingdom does not belong to this world. If my kingdom did belong to this...

In the name of the God of peace, the nonviolent Jesus, and the Holy Spirit of love. Welcome. Let’s begin by taking a moment and turning to those around us and introducing ourselves.. I invite you to take a deep breath and relax, to notice how you are feeling today, and to enter into the...

God of peace, thank you for being gentle, loving, compassionate, and nonviolent! You are so nonviolent that you do not force yourself upon us, but gently call us to your wisdom and way of nonviolence. You give us the freedom to do as we will. Help us to do your will of peace, to choose...

For me, the great question as a Christian is: “How do we follow the nonviolent Jesus more faithfully in this culture of violence and war?” I think about this question morning, noon and night. And I always come back to the basic three steps—contemplative, active and prophetic nonviolence. More than ever, in the age of...