Notes from John Dear's 'Henri Nouwen and Peacemaking'

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Blessed are the peacemakers, for they are the children of God. Matthew 5:9

Our task, in these dark times, is simple: to speak the truth, resist war and injustice, practice nonviolence, walk with the poor, love everyone, say our prayers, and uphold the vision of a new world without war, poverty or nuclear weapons.
We are called to follow the nonviolent Jesus on the road to peace.
If we can be faithful to the God of peace and the Way of nonviolence, we will be greatly blessed.
John Dear

The key to changing the world and pursuing justice and disarmament is to allow the God of peace to disarm our hearts, make us instruments of peace and lead us together on the road to peace. 
John Dear

John Dear is an American Catholic priest, Christian pacifist, author and lecturer, and a former member of the Society of Jesus. He has been arrested over 75 times in acts of nonviolent civil disobedience against war, injustice and nuclear weapons. Wikipedia

John spoke at the Henri Nouwen Society's 'The Way of the Heart Conference' on June 11th, 2016 at the University of Toronto's Mississauga Campus.
For more about John Dear click on: Father John Dear

• Henri Nouwen - a great peace activist
• He spoke against the war in Iraq
• Dan Berrigan never talked about Jesus
• Henri was putting stuff together 
• Activism begins with prayer
• Currently there are 35 wars going on
• The world has 16000 nuclear warheads
• Our culture is addicted to violence
• The journey for peacemaking is a hard one.
• Nobody can be a Christian without being a peacemaker
• Making peace is about surviving about the future, we are all part of peace
• L'Arche is where we go once we get beyond war
• the time for killing one another is over

Peacemaking has become the most important task

1. Peacemaking begins with prayer - prayer is a relationship - talk to God the way you'd talk to someone you love 
2. Peacemaking builds community - he saw L'Arche as that community
3. You have to stand with the poor to be a peacemaker - peace is to be blessed by the poor
4. Peacemaking means weakness, powerless, vulnerability - peace is found in weakness - peace does not come down through power, empire
5. Peacemaking requires non-violence - every one is your brother and sister - all creatures - standing up against death. - you don't kill anyone anymore - simultaneous - non violent to yourself, non violent against all creation, part of the grassroots peace working
6. Peacemaking requires public witness, resist all the powers of war and destruction, non co-operation with evil - how do you say no to war? By saying no to racism, sexism, climate change - public resistance to things that are wrong - engage in public action
7. Peacemaking requires racial justice - Selma to L'Arche - combat all injustice
8. Peacemakers follow Jesus - I protest for Jesus because that is his way - 'the only people who don't see Jesus was non-violent are Christians - do you see Jesus as a peacemaker?
9. Peacemakers claim as their core identity they are sons and daughters of God - blessed are peacemakers - you are the children of God; love your enemies and you are really the sons and daughters of God - not saying that is false humility
10. Peacemakers practice gratitude / tell everyone how grateful you are

• Where are you on the road to peace?
• It is the narrow path - the path of peace
• 'Blessed are the meek', Merton understood to mean: 'blessed are the non-violent'
• Jesus never used the word hope
• If you want to be hopeful you have to do hopeful things
• Non-violence works
• Have faith in the God of peace
• It is not courage, it is the kingdom of God that is the hope
• This is doable
• Trump is total fascism 
• Going to prison clarifies your relationship with the government 
• Vote every day for Jesus - we are citizens of the kingdom of God
• Have others around you to continue this work for peace and justice
• "Our apologies, good friends, for the fracture of good order, the burning of paper instead of children..." Daniel Berrigan from the Trial of the Catonsville Nine (The burning of the draft records occurred on May 17, 1968. The trial occurred on October 5–9, 1968.)
• You get more done with community
• The church is the place you go from - MLK
• The meaning of Hope - first time he spoke 
• Hope is the final refusal to give up