“Cushy” Doesn’t Always Equal Christianpost from the blog, Building Bridges, Building Hope, by Susie Tierney
Mark 8:31-38
Mark 8:31 He began teaching them that the Son of Man had to endure much suffering and be rejected by the elders, the head cohanim and the Torah-teachers; and that he had to be put to death; but that after three days, he had to rise again. 32 He spoke very plainly about it. Kefa took him aside and began rebuking him. 33 But, turning around and looking at his talmidim, he rebuked Kefa. “Get behind me, Satan!” he said, “For your thinking is from a human perspective, not from God’s perspective!”
34 Then Yeshua called the crowd and his talmidim to him and told them, “If anyone wants to come after me, let him say ‘No’ to himself, take up his execution-stake, and keep following me. 35 For whoever wants to save his own life will destroy it, but whoever destroys his life for my sake and for the sake of the Good News will save it. 36 Indeed, what will it benefit a person if he gains the whole world but forfeits his life? 37 What could a person give in exchange for his life? 38 For if someone is ashamed of me and of what I say in this adulterous and sinful generation, the Son of Man also will be ashamed of him when he comes in his Father’s glory with the holy angels. (Complete Jewish Bible)
***
One of the Gospel readings this Lent was Jesus sharing with the Disciples that he was going to be rejected, killed, and then rise again. When Peter firmly objects, Jesus admonishes him with one of the more prominent lines in the Gospels, “Get behind me, Satan!” This leads to two of the most difficult lines in all of scripture for the Disciples and for many of us today, “If any of you want to become my followers, you must deny yourself, take up your cross and follow me. For those who want to save their life will lose it, and those who lose their life for my sake and the sake of the Gospel, will save it."
“Cushy” Doesn’t Always Equal Christian by Susie Tierney in Building Bridges, Building Hope, News & Press
From the Center for Social Ministry’s blog, Building Bridges, Building Hope –
Mark 8:31-38
Mark 8:31 He began teaching them that the Son of Man had to endure much suffering and be rejected by the elders, the head cohanim and the Torah-teachers; and that he had to be put to death; but that after three days, he had to rise again. 32 He spoke very plainly about it. Kefa took him aside and began rebuking him. 33 But, turning around and looking at his talmidim, he rebuked Kefa. “Get behind me, Satan!” he said, “For your thinking is from a human perspective, not from God’s perspective!”
One of the Gospel readings this Lent was Jesus sharing with the Disciples that he was going to be rejected, killed, and then rise again. When Peter firmly objects, Jesus admonishes him with one of the more prominent lines in the Gospels, “Get behind me, Satan!” This leads to two of the most difficult lines in all of scripture for the Disciples and for many of us today, “If any of you want to become my followers, you must deny yourself, take up your cross and follow me. For those who want to save their life will lose it, and those who lose their life for my sake and the sake of the Gospel, will save it.”
First, let me point out that Jesus’ teachings are constantly holding up the paradoxes that define our faith and our call to follow him. “If you want to be first, you have to be last” (Mt. 20:16). “If you want to be great, you have to become a servant of all” (Mt. 23:11). “If you want to have wealth, then you have to give everything away” (Mt. 19:21). And, today’s reading, “If you want to save your life, you have to lose it” (Mark 8:35).
I think these and other paradoxes accentuate three ideas for us today. First, following Jesus is counter-cultural at nearly every level. Jesus makes it very clear throughout his life that God’s love and what it means to be his followers will often clash with cultural norms. God’s love is always above and beyond even our best attempts at being a loving, forgiving and compassionate human community.
Second, we can never truly know the mind of God, so trust in God is absolutely essential if we intend to live a relatively “anxiety-free” life. I often say to myself, “Right hunch; wrong interpretation.” What this means is: I have forgotten that, ultimately, God gets to be the interpreter of my life. When I try to do it myself, I’m almost always just off the mark.
Lastly, we’re in trouble, folks; especially those of us that live in the U.S. and claim to be Christians! There is nothing more unnerving for me then the “prosperity Gospel” theology that is embraced by many Christians in the U.S. Those who are proponents of the prosperity Gospel interpretation of scripture believe the more wealth you have, the more you’ve been blessed by God; that monetary wealth is a blessing God has chosen to bestow on some, and if you just have faith God might bestow this blessing on you, too. In my mind, the problem with this theology is two-fold. The first is this: the number of scripture passages that actually talk about the dangers of wealth and greed, and how wealth, more often than not, gets in the way of our relationship with others and with God. (See Mt. 6:19-21; Mt. 6:24, Mt. 19:16-30; Mt. 25:31-46; Mark 12:41-44; Luke 12:13-15; Luke 12:16-21; Luke 16:19-31; Luke 18:18-23; Luke 19:45-48 – just to name a few.) It’s one thing to have wealth and be incredibly thankful to God for it, and generous with it. It’s a whole other thing to think you are somehow blessed (more than others) because of it.
The second issue I have with the prosperity Gospel is the paradox Jesus shares in this particular reading and the other paradoxes I mention above: being followers of Jesus does not mean living comfortably; it demands becoming servants, living simply and taking up our cross. If today’s Gospel reading is our guide, living a “cushy” lifestyle does not equal a Christian lifestyle. Or, in the words of Arthur Simon, author of How Much Is Enough: Hungering for God in an Affluent Culture, “The contrast between American abundance and the poverty I saw (in other countries) gave me anguish, because I sensed a connection between empty stomachs on one continent and empty lives on another.”
My hope for all of us Christians in the U.S. is that simplicity and generosity will eventually outweigh our desire for wealth, power and control. Only then, will we understand that losing our lives for the sake of the Gospel – stripping away all that separates us from God and one another – will actually be what saves us and many others in the process.
Continued Lenten blessings,
Susie Tierney
Susie Tierney is the Director of Organizing for JustFaith Ministries and the Executive Director of the Center for Social Ministry in Des Moines, Iowa.Read the rest of the blog post here.
Last April, just before Easter, Pope Francis was writing to the Archbishop of Chicago expressing his sadness regarding the reality of violence in the city. He concluded his letter urging…
all people, especially young men and women, to respond to Dr. King's prophetic words and know that a culture of nonviolence is not an unattainable dream, but a path that has produced decisive results. The consistent practice of nonviolence has broken barriers, bound wounds, healed nations…
JFM’s newest program, Cultivating Nonviolence, Harvesting Peace, offers participants a concrete way to build this dream! Gather a group, learn and pray together, take action, and transform our culture. To learn more about our program, visit our page.
New This Year: Promotion Kits!
JustFaith Ministries has developed Promotion Kits for all our programs! Promotion Kits include nearly everything needed to promote one of our programs. EngagingSpirituality, GoodNewsPeople, and all JustMatters module Promotion Kits are available on the program pages of our JFM website. JustFaith and JustFaith Catholic Promotion Kits will be available in mid-March.
Join us for a webinar on March 20th at noon EDT
Learn about the partnership of JustFaith with Maryknoll Lay Missioners through Friends Across Borders (FAB). Learn about an experience that will help you deepen and enrich your understanding of Laity in mission. You will have the opportunity to learn about services in the areas of Education and Leadership Training, Faith Formation and Pastoral Care, Healthcare and Health Promotion, Justice and Peace and Sustainable Development. Two JustFaith Grads will share their own stories of participation in the FAB trip.
Register for the webinar today!
Upcoming JFM Graduate Immersions with Maryknoll
BOLIVIA, August 9 – 19, 2018
Deadline for signups: April 9, 2018
EL SALVADOR, November 30 – December 9, 2018
Deadline for signups: July 30, 2018
See flyer for more details.
Opportunity for Tax Free Giving
When you make a gift to support JustFaith Ministries, you grow a movement of faithful action for peace and justice in our world. Thank you!
Did you know that now you can make a gift through your retirement account? Congress reinstated a law that allows you to make a tax-free gift to JustFaith Ministries through aqualified charitable distribution. If you meet the criteria under the law, you may move any amount up to $100,000 from a qualified retirement account to an eligible charity, such as JustFaith Ministries, without having to pay income taxes on the money.
If you would like to make a gift of this kind or would like to learn more, please speak with your financial advisor.
Donate to JustFaith Ministries today!
One of the Gospel readings this Lent was Jesus sharing with the Disciples that he was going to be rejected, killed, and then rise again. When Peter firmly objects, Jesus admonishes him with one of the more prominent lines in the Gospels, “Get behind me, Satan!” This leads to two of the most difficult lines in all of scripture for the Disciples and for many of us today, “If any of you want to become my followers, you must deny yourself, take up your cross and follow me. For those who want to save their life will lose it, and those who lose their life for my sake and the sake of the Gospel, will save it."
“Cushy” Doesn’t Always Equal Christian by Susie Tierney in Building Bridges, Building Hope, News & Press
From the Center for Social Ministry’s blog, Building Bridges, Building Hope –
Mark 8:31-38
Mark 8:31 He began teaching them that the Son of Man had to endure much suffering and be rejected by the elders, the head cohanim and the Torah-teachers; and that he had to be put to death; but that after three days, he had to rise again. 32 He spoke very plainly about it. Kefa took him aside and began rebuking him. 33 But, turning around and looking at his talmidim, he rebuked Kefa. “Get behind me, Satan!” he said, “For your thinking is from a human perspective, not from God’s perspective!”
34 Then Yeshua called the crowd and his talmidim to him and told them, “If anyone wants to come after me, let him say ‘No’ to himself, take up his execution-stake, and keep following me. 35 For whoever wants to save his own life will destroy it, but whoever destroys his life for my sake and for the sake of the Good News will save it. 36 Indeed, what will it benefit a person if he gains the whole world but forfeits his life? 37 What could a person give in exchange for his life? 38 For if someone is ashamed of me and of what I say in this adulterous and sinful generation, the Son of Man also will be ashamed of him when he comes in his Father’s glory with the holy angels. (Complete Jewish Bible)
***
“Cushy” Doesn’t Always Equal ChristianOne of the Gospel readings this Lent was Jesus sharing with the Disciples that he was going to be rejected, killed, and then rise again. When Peter firmly objects, Jesus admonishes him with one of the more prominent lines in the Gospels, “Get behind me, Satan!” This leads to two of the most difficult lines in all of scripture for the Disciples and for many of us today, “If any of you want to become my followers, you must deny yourself, take up your cross and follow me. For those who want to save their life will lose it, and those who lose their life for my sake and the sake of the Gospel, will save it.”
First, let me point out that Jesus’ teachings are constantly holding up the paradoxes that define our faith and our call to follow him. “If you want to be first, you have to be last” (Mt. 20:16). “If you want to be great, you have to become a servant of all” (Mt. 23:11). “If you want to have wealth, then you have to give everything away” (Mt. 19:21). And, today’s reading, “If you want to save your life, you have to lose it” (Mark 8:35).
I think these and other paradoxes accentuate three ideas for us today. First, following Jesus is counter-cultural at nearly every level. Jesus makes it very clear throughout his life that God’s love and what it means to be his followers will often clash with cultural norms. God’s love is always above and beyond even our best attempts at being a loving, forgiving and compassionate human community.
Second, we can never truly know the mind of God, so trust in God is absolutely essential if we intend to live a relatively “anxiety-free” life. I often say to myself, “Right hunch; wrong interpretation.” What this means is: I have forgotten that, ultimately, God gets to be the interpreter of my life. When I try to do it myself, I’m almost always just off the mark.
Lastly, we’re in trouble, folks; especially those of us that live in the U.S. and claim to be Christians! There is nothing more unnerving for me then the “prosperity Gospel” theology that is embraced by many Christians in the U.S. Those who are proponents of the prosperity Gospel interpretation of scripture believe the more wealth you have, the more you’ve been blessed by God; that monetary wealth is a blessing God has chosen to bestow on some, and if you just have faith God might bestow this blessing on you, too. In my mind, the problem with this theology is two-fold. The first is this: the number of scripture passages that actually talk about the dangers of wealth and greed, and how wealth, more often than not, gets in the way of our relationship with others and with God. (See Mt. 6:19-21; Mt. 6:24, Mt. 19:16-30; Mt. 25:31-46; Mark 12:41-44; Luke 12:13-15; Luke 12:16-21; Luke 16:19-31; Luke 18:18-23; Luke 19:45-48 – just to name a few.) It’s one thing to have wealth and be incredibly thankful to God for it, and generous with it. It’s a whole other thing to think you are somehow blessed (more than others) because of it.
The second issue I have with the prosperity Gospel is the paradox Jesus shares in this particular reading and the other paradoxes I mention above: being followers of Jesus does not mean living comfortably; it demands becoming servants, living simply and taking up our cross. If today’s Gospel reading is our guide, living a “cushy” lifestyle does not equal a Christian lifestyle. Or, in the words of Arthur Simon, author of How Much Is Enough: Hungering for God in an Affluent Culture, “The contrast between American abundance and the poverty I saw (in other countries) gave me anguish, because I sensed a connection between empty stomachs on one continent and empty lives on another.”
My hope for all of us Christians in the U.S. is that simplicity and generosity will eventually outweigh our desire for wealth, power and control. Only then, will we understand that losing our lives for the sake of the Gospel – stripping away all that separates us from God and one another – will actually be what saves us and many others in the process.
Continued Lenten blessings,
Susie Tierney
Susie Tierney is the Director of Organizing for JustFaith Ministries and the Executive Director of the Center for Social Ministry in Des Moines, Iowa.Read the rest of the blog post here.
all people, especially young men and women, to respond to Dr. King's prophetic words and know that a culture of nonviolence is not an unattainable dream, but a path that has produced decisive results. The consistent practice of nonviolence has broken barriers, bound wounds, healed nations…
JFM’s newest program, Cultivating Nonviolence, Harvesting Peace, offers participants a concrete way to build this dream! Gather a group, learn and pray together, take action, and transform our culture. To learn more about our program, visit our page.
JustFaith Ministries has developed Promotion Kits for all our programs! Promotion Kits include nearly everything needed to promote one of our programs. EngagingSpirituality, GoodNewsPeople, and all JustMatters module Promotion Kits are available on the program pages of our JFM website. JustFaith and JustFaith Catholic Promotion Kits will be available in mid-March.
Learn about the partnership of JustFaith with Maryknoll Lay Missioners through Friends Across Borders (FAB). Learn about an experience that will help you deepen and enrich your understanding of Laity in mission. You will have the opportunity to learn about services in the areas of Education and Leadership Training, Faith Formation and Pastoral Care, Healthcare and Health Promotion, Justice and Peace and Sustainable Development. Two JustFaith Grads will share their own stories of participation in the FAB trip.
Register for the webinar today!
Upcoming JFM Graduate Immersions with Maryknoll
BOLIVIA, August 9 – 19, 2018
Deadline for signups: April 9, 2018
EL SALVADOR, November 30 – December 9, 2018
Deadline for signups: July 30, 2018
See flyer for more details.
When you make a gift to support JustFaith Ministries, you grow a movement of faithful action for peace and justice in our world. Thank you!
Did you know that now you can make a gift through your retirement account? Congress reinstated a law that allows you to make a tax-free gift to JustFaith Ministries through aqualified charitable distribution. If you meet the criteria under the law, you may move any amount up to $100,000 from a qualified retirement account to an eligible charity, such as JustFaith Ministries, without having to pay income taxes on the money.
If you would like to make a gift of this kind or would like to learn more, please speak with your financial advisor.
Donate to JustFaith Ministries today!
shared by our partners at Bread for the World
2018 Offering of Letters LaunchedJoin us in this church or small group activity to help hungry people.
Download the information flyer and group leader’s toolkit.
New to Bread for the World?
Bread for the World has done an annual Offering of Letters on a key legislative hunger “ask” for more than forty years. People write letters, usually as a group, and present them as an offering to God before mailing them to Congress. Hundreds of Offerings of Letters are held each year, resulting in tens of thousands of letters to Congress. Supported with prayer, these letters are a bold witness to God’s justice and mercy. They have, and continue to have, a significant impact on the decisions made in Congress. For more information, click here.
Looking Through Your Lens
shared by our partners at MaryknollMy name is Brother John Barth. I’ve been Catholic all my life and I have been a Maryknoll Brother for all of my adult years. I had made all sorts of decisions and formed opinions on all sorts of things without deep thought until my overseas experiences made me conscious of my decision-making criteria, what I like to call my “lens.”
While I was working with a ministry in Guatemala I was routinely stopped by soldiers and frisked for weapons. This unsettling experience made me ask myself for the first time, “Why am I in Guatemala?” I wasn’t there as a solder or tourist or business person or even as a U.S. citizen.
I was there as a missioner, sent by Jesus Christ and the Catholics of this country. I realized that in my ministry and daily life, as I made decisions and formed opinions, I needed to ask myself “What is my ‘lens’ through which I am seeing the world and forming opinions?”
Being aware of my lens has made me more conscious of myself both in Guatemala and in the United States, where I have joined many different ministries and participated in discussions on many issues. When discussing differences in culture or work style or politics, I realize I need to define terms. What means one thing to one person may not be so to another.
Today, Maryknoll sponsors short-term programs overseas to offer people the opportunity to share their faith with others around the world. Coordinators of these programs help participants to reflect on their “lens” that they bring with them and also to try to look through the lens of a new culture to see the local reality. Visit Maryknoll Mission Trips to learn more.
JustFaith Ministries Seeks Executive Director
This year, JustFaith Ministries will be transitioning to new leadership that will move the organization forward in dynamic new ways. We are grateful to Jane Walsh for her five years of service as our Executive Director. She will leave JFM in late summer to join the staff of a local homeless shelter. The Board of Directors is seeking qualified applicants for Executive Director. Read more about the position, the application, and review the job description below.
ED Job Announcement
ED Job Description
For more JustFaith Ministries stories, visit our blogs:
Mosaic: a blog by Cory Lockhart
Still in the Storm: a blog by Joe Grant
In the Storm Still: a companion blog by Joe Grant
***
"From Wreckage to Construction: Building the Beloved Community" JustFaith Ministries in Louisville, Kentucky, United States - Latest issue of JustNews - February 20, 2018
February 20, 2018
From Wreckage to Construction:
Building the Beloved Communitypost from the blog, Mosaic by Cory Lockhart
On Ash Wednesday, on Valentine’s Day, another white young man walked into another school and started shooting, killing 17 people, injuring 14 more. It was the 18th school shooting in 2018.
Read the rest of the blog post here.
From Wreckage to Construction: Building the Beloved Community by Cory Lockhart in Mosaic, News & Press
On Ash Wednesday, on Valentine’s Day, another white young man walked into another school and started shooting, killing 17 people, injuring 14 more. It was the 18th school shooting in 2018.
On Ash Wednesday and the days that have followed, new memes, new Tweets, new articles, renewed discussions about gun violence, mental illness and mental health care, poor parenting and poor discipline, more metal detectors, armed guards in schools, more restrictive gun legislation, and warning and reprimands about not discussing any of the above until later, have sprung up.
On Ash Wednesday and the days that have followed, stories and pictures of children and adults saved and physically safe but emotionally bleeding out despair, anger, grief, fear; stories of people injured and killed, sometimes in the act of saving another; stories of the lives they lived before 2:30 PM on February 14, 2018; stories of a young man who saw shooting and killing others as the best way to express his pain, have emerged.
What do we do with all of this?
Also on Ash Wednesday, on Valentine’s Day, Archbishop William E. Lori of Baltimore released a pastoral letter entitled “The Enduring Power of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.’s Principles of Nonviolence.”
Scrolling down the webpage of the pastoral letter, the first words one sees, even before the archbishop’s letter begins, are from Dr. King:
Time is cluttered with the wreckage of broken communities which have surrendered to hatred and violence. For the salvation of our nation and the salvation of [human]kind, we must follow another way. This does not mean we abandon our righteous efforts… but we shall not, in the process, relinquish our privilege and obligation to love… This is the only way to create beloved communities.
How do we clean up “the wreckage of broken communities which have surrendered to hatred and violence” when so many people in our communities don’t even realize they’ve made that surrender? How do we do it when we (I must include myself here) see and call out the hatred and violence of others without the introspection that helps us see the places and ways violence lives within ourselves? How do we do it when we separate ourselves from “them” instead of living into the very difficult “privilege and obligation to love”?
I don’t know the answers to these questions, I only have some ideas that I will offer incompletely and superficially here. I do know that the answers are not simple. I do know that there are many answers, not just one, for each question. I do know that introducing more violence, whether overt physical violence or the verbal, emotional, and spiritual violence of hatred, intimidation, domination, and dehumanization, will not decrease violence (this seems obvious, and yet also necessary to state), though they may produce a temporary sense of release, relief, power, or victory for those who express themselves that way.
I do know that the many, many tweets, posts, debates, and discussions I’ve seen rarely acknowledge that we live in a culture permeated by violence, a culture that often glorifies violence and even lifts it up as remedy, a culture that doesn’t even recognize its own violence, except in its physical forms, denying that violence is also verbal, emotional, and spiritual. I’ve noticed that addressing root causes of violence is not part of the discussion. Using nonviolence to address root causes of violence is mentioned even less. I’ve seen mostly band aid strategies that may cause temporary reprieve for some, but ultimately leave the cyclical and structural patterns of violence in place.
Archbishop Lori writes, “For, if in God’s grace we are to create the just, peaceful and compassionate society that Dr. King envisioned, we must undergo a lasting conversion of heart and mind and make a firm commitment to teach, learn and practice nonviolent direct action for social change.”
He describes the conversion this way: “Let us be clear: Dr. King’s principles are meant to change us and in changing us to change our society. They are addressed first and foremost to the heart, calling us to conversion, a conversion that leads to a different way of thinking, speaking and acting. They urge us to leave behind ‘business as usual’ and instead to find ways not only to come together but to stay together for the long haul, in peaceful dialogue and cooperation for the sake of each person’s dignity and for the common good… we will not be content to camouflage our problems but rather be spurred into action; we will be moved to address and resist injustice in our community.”
The work of nonviolence begins in our own hearts and extends outward. It begins with the recognition of our own worth, the worth of every other person and part of Creation, and our interconnection.
We must consider the conditions of others in our web of connection. As Archbishop Lori, writes, “Not to be ignored are conditions which create despair and spawn violence in our neighborhoods: lack of education, unemployment, a dearth of decent and affordable housing; a proliferation of illegal weapons; drug abuse and gangs; the disintegration of the family; homelessness; and so much more. These deep and systemic problems do violence to the dignity of real human beings created in the image and likeness of God. Even worse is the tendency on the parts of many who see continued decline as inevitable and who react to these harsh realities with indifference or jaded cynicism.”
Archbishop Lori reminds us that Dr. King’s principles are “prophetic words of hope that can light the path forward.” Even as we see so many unmet needs, we must remember that those conditions are not the whole picture, that within dire circumstances, people are persevering, people are honoring interconnection, and strengthening the bonds of community as they work together. Archbishop Lori writes, “Without denying or minimizing the tragic problems that beset our community, we need to abstain from a narrative of hopelessness that fails to see the good that is going on all around us. We need to acknowledge and actively support the efforts of many in the government, faith communities, education and non-profit communities to improve conditions, not to mention the heroic efforts and witness of many good people who live in our most underserved neighborhoods. When we fail to heed these voices and acknowledge their good work, we weave a story of despair, a self-fulfilling prophecy that only makes things worse. Hopelessness, as much as violence, destroys people and their communities.”
And so let us live into the tension between despair from seeing cluttered wreckage of broken communities—seeing the sick and the hinderers, the defilers and the destroyers—and hope from witnessing the moments of manifestation of beloved community even in the rubble— recognizing the healers and the helpers, the cleaners and the menders. Let us entertain the notion that we all have the potential for, and maybe even the experience of, embodying each of the above roles, whether destructive or constructive. Let us wonder with genuine curiosity and openness how we can facilitate our own and others’ living into the more constructive roles.
The work of construction begins in community. Whether we like it or not, we are bound together in a tapestry of interconnection. Practicing community is not always easy and we won’t do it perfectly, but we must try to honor and live into our connectedness.
The work of construction requires, as any good work does, a strong foundation. When we feel grounded and steady on the foundation, we may begin building up. Dr. King’s six principles, listed briefly below and explored more deeply in the pastoral letter and here, offer such a foundation:
Principle One: Nonviolence is a way of life for courageous people.
Principle Two: Nonviolence seeks to win friendship and understanding.
Principle Three: Nonviolence seeks to defeat injustice not people.
Principle Four: Nonviolence holds that suffering can educate and transform.
Principle Five: Nonviolence chooses love instead of hate.
Principle Six: Nonviolence believes that the universe is on the side of justice.
The work of construction requires, as any good work does, the right tools and training. I cannot provide the tools and training here. Are resources available in your city or town? Are they available in your church? If you’d like to begin an exploration of nonviolence in your church, go here to learn more about JustFaith Ministries’ new 8-week program, Cultivating Nonviolence, Harvesting Peace.
The work of nonviolence is long work. It is not always easy, and often very difficult. It can be demoralizing, vulnerable, and isolating. It can also be life-affirming, dignity-raising, and community-building; these are gifts that violence doesn’t offer. And in the affirming, raising, and building, it can be joyful, creative, and healing.
What do we do to respond to violence like the Parkland school shooting? We cannot change what happened. But we can work so that it doesn’t happen again. We can look within and without and make changes—personal, interpersonal, communal, legal, national, global, so that other tools besides violence are both known and available to address conflict and pain.
We can respond with nonviolence.
Is not this the kind of fasting I have chosen:
to loosen the chains of injustice
and untie the cords of the yoke,
to set the oppressed free
and break every yoke?
Is it not to share your food with the hungry
and to provide the poor wanderer with shelter—
when you see the naked, to clothe them,
and not to turn away from your own flesh and blood? (Isaiah 58:6-7)
Many Christians associate the period of Lent with fasting. The prophet Isaiah reminds us that the kind of fasting God sees favorably includes acts of liberation, acts of justice, and acts of care for the other. JFM’s JustMatters modules offer the perfect opportunity for your community to spend this Lenten season reflecting on those acts and how you can combine fast and change.
Looking for help in forming your small group?
“Promotion Kits” are now available on our website for Exploring Migration; Hunger for Change; Cultivating Nonviolence, Harvesting Peace; and GoodNewsPeople. Other program Promotion Kits are coming soon.
www.justfaith.org
Hear from JF program grads who participated in a Maryknoll immersion trip! Hold the date for the webinar, March 20th at noon ET.
Church of Second Chances registration will only be available until June 30th, 2018. Register now!
In 2018, we're offering GoodNewsPeople with no registration fee! All materials are available in our bookstore.
Our new nonviolence module launched February 1st,Cultivating Nonviolence, Harvesting Peace.
Just Faith: The deliberate and necessarily long practice of giving our attention to what God is about - loving, healing, restoring, reconciling sharing, welcoming.
Let’s grow this loving presence and compassion action in the world. Join us today.
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Help the Maryknoll Sisters End Human Trafficking
shared by our partners at Maryknoll
Slavery is no longer legal anywhere in the world, but nevertheless, the U.N.’s International Labour Organization estimates that there are some 21 million people being held in forced labor in the world…including 60,000 right here in the United States.
Maryknoll Sister, Sr. Janice McLaughlin, M.M. first arrived in the southern African nation of Zimbabwe in the 1970’s. For years, she worked with refugees and people displaced or endangered by the political and social strife in that region. Now, her efforts are focused on helping to end the terrible scourge of human trafficking in Zimbabwe.
With your prayers and support, advocates and activists like Sister Janice can continue fighting against these thieves of freedom and dignity. To learn more on how you can help click here.
"From Wreckage to Construction: Building the Beloved Community" JustFaith Ministries in Louisville, Kentucky, United States - Latest issue of JustNews - February 20, 2018
From Wreckage to Construction:
Building the Beloved Communitypost from the blog, Mosaic by Cory Lockhart
On Ash Wednesday, on Valentine’s Day, another white young man walked into another school and started shooting, killing 17 people, injuring 14 more. It was the 18th school shooting in 2018.
Read the rest of the blog post here.
From Wreckage to Construction: Building the Beloved Community by Cory Lockhart in Mosaic, News & Press
On Ash Wednesday, on Valentine’s Day, another white young man walked into another school and started shooting, killing 17 people, injuring 14 more. It was the 18th school shooting in 2018.
On Ash Wednesday and the days that have followed, new memes, new Tweets, new articles, renewed discussions about gun violence, mental illness and mental health care, poor parenting and poor discipline, more metal detectors, armed guards in schools, more restrictive gun legislation, and warning and reprimands about not discussing any of the above until later, have sprung up.
On Ash Wednesday and the days that have followed, stories and pictures of children and adults saved and physically safe but emotionally bleeding out despair, anger, grief, fear; stories of people injured and killed, sometimes in the act of saving another; stories of the lives they lived before 2:30 PM on February 14, 2018; stories of a young man who saw shooting and killing others as the best way to express his pain, have emerged.
What do we do with all of this?
Also on Ash Wednesday, on Valentine’s Day, Archbishop William E. Lori of Baltimore released a pastoral letter entitled “The Enduring Power of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.’s Principles of Nonviolence.”
Scrolling down the webpage of the pastoral letter, the first words one sees, even before the archbishop’s letter begins, are from Dr. King:
Time is cluttered with the wreckage of broken communities which have surrendered to hatred and violence. For the salvation of our nation and the salvation of [human]kind, we must follow another way. This does not mean we abandon our righteous efforts… but we shall not, in the process, relinquish our privilege and obligation to love… This is the only way to create beloved communities.
How do we clean up “the wreckage of broken communities which have surrendered to hatred and violence” when so many people in our communities don’t even realize they’ve made that surrender? How do we do it when we (I must include myself here) see and call out the hatred and violence of others without the introspection that helps us see the places and ways violence lives within ourselves? How do we do it when we separate ourselves from “them” instead of living into the very difficult “privilege and obligation to love”?
I don’t know the answers to these questions, I only have some ideas that I will offer incompletely and superficially here. I do know that the answers are not simple. I do know that there are many answers, not just one, for each question. I do know that introducing more violence, whether overt physical violence or the verbal, emotional, and spiritual violence of hatred, intimidation, domination, and dehumanization, will not decrease violence (this seems obvious, and yet also necessary to state), though they may produce a temporary sense of release, relief, power, or victory for those who express themselves that way.
I do know that the many, many tweets, posts, debates, and discussions I’ve seen rarely acknowledge that we live in a culture permeated by violence, a culture that often glorifies violence and even lifts it up as remedy, a culture that doesn’t even recognize its own violence, except in its physical forms, denying that violence is also verbal, emotional, and spiritual. I’ve noticed that addressing root causes of violence is not part of the discussion. Using nonviolence to address root causes of violence is mentioned even less. I’ve seen mostly band aid strategies that may cause temporary reprieve for some, but ultimately leave the cyclical and structural patterns of violence in place.
Archbishop Lori writes, “For, if in God’s grace we are to create the just, peaceful and compassionate society that Dr. King envisioned, we must undergo a lasting conversion of heart and mind and make a firm commitment to teach, learn and practice nonviolent direct action for social change.”
He describes the conversion this way: “Let us be clear: Dr. King’s principles are meant to change us and in changing us to change our society. They are addressed first and foremost to the heart, calling us to conversion, a conversion that leads to a different way of thinking, speaking and acting. They urge us to leave behind ‘business as usual’ and instead to find ways not only to come together but to stay together for the long haul, in peaceful dialogue and cooperation for the sake of each person’s dignity and for the common good… we will not be content to camouflage our problems but rather be spurred into action; we will be moved to address and resist injustice in our community.”
The work of nonviolence begins in our own hearts and extends outward. It begins with the recognition of our own worth, the worth of every other person and part of Creation, and our interconnection.
We must consider the conditions of others in our web of connection. As Archbishop Lori, writes, “Not to be ignored are conditions which create despair and spawn violence in our neighborhoods: lack of education, unemployment, a dearth of decent and affordable housing; a proliferation of illegal weapons; drug abuse and gangs; the disintegration of the family; homelessness; and so much more. These deep and systemic problems do violence to the dignity of real human beings created in the image and likeness of God. Even worse is the tendency on the parts of many who see continued decline as inevitable and who react to these harsh realities with indifference or jaded cynicism.”
Archbishop Lori reminds us that Dr. King’s principles are “prophetic words of hope that can light the path forward.” Even as we see so many unmet needs, we must remember that those conditions are not the whole picture, that within dire circumstances, people are persevering, people are honoring interconnection, and strengthening the bonds of community as they work together. Archbishop Lori writes, “Without denying or minimizing the tragic problems that beset our community, we need to abstain from a narrative of hopelessness that fails to see the good that is going on all around us. We need to acknowledge and actively support the efforts of many in the government, faith communities, education and non-profit communities to improve conditions, not to mention the heroic efforts and witness of many good people who live in our most underserved neighborhoods. When we fail to heed these voices and acknowledge their good work, we weave a story of despair, a self-fulfilling prophecy that only makes things worse. Hopelessness, as much as violence, destroys people and their communities.”
And so let us live into the tension between despair from seeing cluttered wreckage of broken communities—seeing the sick and the hinderers, the defilers and the destroyers—and hope from witnessing the moments of manifestation of beloved community even in the rubble— recognizing the healers and the helpers, the cleaners and the menders. Let us entertain the notion that we all have the potential for, and maybe even the experience of, embodying each of the above roles, whether destructive or constructive. Let us wonder with genuine curiosity and openness how we can facilitate our own and others’ living into the more constructive roles.
The work of construction begins in community. Whether we like it or not, we are bound together in a tapestry of interconnection. Practicing community is not always easy and we won’t do it perfectly, but we must try to honor and live into our connectedness.
The work of construction requires, as any good work does, a strong foundation. When we feel grounded and steady on the foundation, we may begin building up. Dr. King’s six principles, listed briefly below and explored more deeply in the pastoral letter and here, offer such a foundation:
Principle One: Nonviolence is a way of life for courageous people.
Principle Two: Nonviolence seeks to win friendship and understanding.
Principle Three: Nonviolence seeks to defeat injustice not people.
Principle Four: Nonviolence holds that suffering can educate and transform.
Principle Five: Nonviolence chooses love instead of hate.
Principle Six: Nonviolence believes that the universe is on the side of justice.
The work of construction requires, as any good work does, the right tools and training. I cannot provide the tools and training here. Are resources available in your city or town? Are they available in your church? If you’d like to begin an exploration of nonviolence in your church, go here to learn more about JustFaith Ministries’ new 8-week program, Cultivating Nonviolence, Harvesting Peace.
The work of nonviolence is long work. It is not always easy, and often very difficult. It can be demoralizing, vulnerable, and isolating. It can also be life-affirming, dignity-raising, and community-building; these are gifts that violence doesn’t offer. And in the affirming, raising, and building, it can be joyful, creative, and healing.
What do we do to respond to violence like the Parkland school shooting? We cannot change what happened. But we can work so that it doesn’t happen again. We can look within and without and make changes—personal, interpersonal, communal, legal, national, global, so that other tools besides violence are both known and available to address conflict and pain.
We can respond with nonviolence.
to loosen the chains of injustice
and untie the cords of the yoke,
to set the oppressed free
and break every yoke?
Is it not to share your food with the hungry
and to provide the poor wanderer with shelter—
when you see the naked, to clothe them,
and not to turn away from your own flesh and blood? (Isaiah 58:6-7)
Many Christians associate the period of Lent with fasting. The prophet Isaiah reminds us that the kind of fasting God sees favorably includes acts of liberation, acts of justice, and acts of care for the other. JFM’s JustMatters modules offer the perfect opportunity for your community to spend this Lenten season reflecting on those acts and how you can combine fast and change.
- Cultivating Nonviolence, Harvesting Peace.
- Loosen the chains of injustice!
- Exploring Migration: A Faith Journey.
- Provide the poor wanderer with shelter!
- Hunger for Change.
- Share your food with the hungry!
- Church of Second Chances.
- Set the oppressed free!
- The Sultan and the Saint.
- Don’t turn away from your own flesh and blood!
“Promotion Kits” are now available on our website for Exploring Migration; Hunger for Change; Cultivating Nonviolence, Harvesting Peace; and GoodNewsPeople. Other program Promotion Kits are coming soon.
www.justfaith.org
Church of Second Chances registration will only be available until June 30th, 2018. Register now!
In 2018, we're offering GoodNewsPeople with no registration fee! All materials are available in our bookstore.
Our new nonviolence module launched February 1st,Cultivating Nonviolence, Harvesting Peace.
Let’s grow this loving presence and compassion action in the world. Join us today.
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Help the Maryknoll Sisters End Human Trafficking
shared by our partners at Maryknoll
Slavery is no longer legal anywhere in the world, but nevertheless, the U.N.’s International Labour Organization estimates that there are some 21 million people being held in forced labor in the world…including 60,000 right here in the United States.
Maryknoll Sister, Sr. Janice McLaughlin, M.M. first arrived in the southern African nation of Zimbabwe in the 1970’s. For years, she worked with refugees and people displaced or endangered by the political and social strife in that region. Now, her efforts are focused on helping to end the terrible scourge of human trafficking in Zimbabwe.
With your prayers and support, advocates and activists like Sister Janice can continue fighting against these thieves of freedom and dignity. To learn more on how you can help click here.
During this Lent, Stand with Immigrants! shared by our partners at Bread for the WorldAct Now: Call (800-826-3688) or email your Senators. Tell them to protect Dreamers by passing bipartisan legislation. Any final bill must include a pathway to citizenship, keep families together, and address the root causes of migration.
Fast and Pray for Immigrants: Join with Bread for the World in Fasting on Feb. 21 - seewww.bread.org/fast for more information - and in Praying for immigrants and refugees.
“When a foreigner resides among you in your land, do not mistreat them. The foreigner residing among you must be treated as your native-born. Love them as yourself, for you were foreigners in Egypt. I am the LORD your God. Lev. 19:33-34 (NIV)
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Deadline for signups: April 9, 2018
EL SALVADOR, November 30 – December 9, 2018
Deadline for signups: July 30, 2018
See flyer for more details.
JustFaith Ministries Seeks Executive Director
This year, JustFaith Ministries will be transitioning to new leadership that will move the organization forward in dynamic new ways. We are grateful to Jane Walsh for her five years of service as our Executive Director. She will leave JFM in late summer to join the staff of a local homeless shelter. The Board of Directors is seeking qualified applicants for Executive Director. Read more about the position, the application, and review the job description below.
ED Job Announcement
ED Job Description
For more JustFaith Ministries stories, visit our blogs:
Mosaic: a blog by Cory Lockhart
Still in the Storm: a blog by Joe Grant
In the Storm Still: a companion blog by Joe Grant
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