BECOMING PEACEMAKERS
Quoting that most wonderful Hindu-Christian Mystic, Mohandas Gandhi , “Peace has to be the path to peace. Violence will never be the path to peace”. Jesus said “ Love thine enemy! “. And The Compassionate Buddha said that hatred will never put an end to hatred. Only love and nonhatred can stop the violence and greed both in our own hearts and in those of others.
As disciples of The Prince of Peace we are called forth to renounce all war-making as an affront to the God of Creation, and we must reject the false gods and religion of the Empire that dominates our national spirit. We call on all our brothers and sisters, we call on our Church, and we call on our nation to join in repenting for the violence that we have cause both at an individual and national level.
At this critical point in our history, when we are facing unending wars, nuclear perils, occupations, economic collapse, when human life and creation has become so devalued and killing has become the norm; when greed, exploitation of the poor and marginalized, when racism and discrimination are at the heart of SOCIAL INJUSTICE, when our earth and environment is endangered as never before; we must recommit ourselves to the God of Creation, that calls us to revere all life as sacred and to resist the way of violence, oppression and greed.
As the U.S. government continues it’s immoral and illegal occupation of Afghanistan and questionably Yemen, Pakistan , Liberia and some Latin America countries, while our government continues it’s drone attacks, especially in Pakistan, if we stop and listen we can hear the cries of the suffering and the poor in our country and around the world and we must demand that our resource must not be used for death, violence and destruction, but spent to meet the urgent needs of all human beings.
In the name of our Lord, who calls us all to love unconditionally and be peacemakers, we call on all followers of Jesus to embrace and Practice the Gospel of NON-VIOLENCE and we appeal and plead to our nation, to the political, military and economic power structure to,
1. End all wars and military interventions
2. Stop all drone attacks
3. End the U.S. backed Israeli occupation of Palestine
4. Disarm all nuclear, biological chemical and conventional weapons
5. Convert our war-based economy to one centered on serving the common good, alleviating poverty and protecting the environment
6. Work to reverse climate change
7. And finally, end the “war on the poor” by abolishing the death penalty, ending the practice of “mass imprisonment” and to provide housing, adequate food and health care for ALL..
Let us commit ourselves to help create the BELOVED COMMUNITY where all Gods people can live together in peace and justice..
Arthur Mark Lerner, M.D., OBL. OSB.