“They were overjoyed at seeing the star, and on entering the house they saw the child with Mary his mother. They prostrated themselves and did him homage. Then they opened their treasures and offered him gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh. And having been warned in a dream not to return to Herod, they departed for their country by another way.” Mt. 2:10-12
I’ve felt a need to start a blog for a while. The last words of this morning’s gospel gave me the title I’ve been seeking. You might call it an epiphany.
By another way… is about a nonviolent path of seeking peace, not through the avoidance of conflict but by creating right relationships and seeking justice. Nonviolence is not pacifism but the use of moral force to stand up against evil and injustice. Gandhi called it soul force…satyagraha.
I hope to communicate the struggles I have with this path.
I am a first born white male born into the American culture of the late 20th century raised on the myths of redemptive violence. I was raised in an all white suburb in Bergen County, NJ to be a Goldwater Republican. Our family was an early part of the Irish exodus (white flight) from the South Bronx. I was 2 years old. (Future posts will explain why after so many years of absence I spent two of the last four days in the Bronx again as part of seeking another way.)
An awakening of sorts began as a college freshman and prospective seminarian at Seton Hall University in the fall of 1970. I read some books by the brothers Berrigan and heard the gospel in ways never preached in my home church. I had a whole lot of new theology, some new actions like marching to protest nuclear weapons, but theology alone doesn’t create peace.
I left the seminary in 1977 started a family and worked as a carpenter. I lived the axiom that when you’re a hammer everything looks like a nail. I swung hard, ate and drank hard and worked long hours with no regard for the physical tolls each took.
After some hospitalizations I began to revaluate; call it a mid-life crisis. In 2003 I was offered a fresh start after the kids were all off to college. Out of necessity I began to pray anew. Finding ‘God’s will’ for my life was important and offered some surprises. My bride offered me a sabbatical to get out of the business I was in (by this time a high end kitchen and bath designer) to find more meaningful work. I went to work for Family Promise, as Director of the Just Neighbors program; we spent three intensive years doing and then leading Just Faith and we joined the Sisters of St. Joseph of Peace as Associates. We have a small faith community that meets in our home.
My reawakening to nonviolence was sparked by Fr. John Dear’s challenge to the CSJP community at our Chapter in 2008. “Become prophets, mystics and teachers of peace and nonviolence.” And so my journey continues… this year with a Pace e Bene program to train agents of nonviolent change.
The wise men of this morning’s gospel followed a distant star on a long journey to find the Prince of Peace. This blog will witness to the experiences and people I meet on my own journey to that Peace.It’s not too early to think about bringing my own journey Home. My road has not been a straight one, nor do I expect it to be be. Being a peacemaker does not come naturally. What I share may be counter cultural, or at least it ought to be. (Unfortunately.) But there are lights to follow and I count myself undeserving to have met, worked with, and loved some of them.
I can’t close this first entry without giving a shout out to one of those gentle stars on her birthday. Happy Birthday Mom, rest in the peace you so richly deserve. We miss you.