FAUSTO GOMEZ OP
For many human beings, various groups and different religions, nonviolence is the appropriate ethical path open to them to attain justice and peace. For believers, Jesus is the suffering servant of the prophet Isaiah (cf. Is chapters 42-53). Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount (cf. Mt chaps 5-7) represents his central message on active nonviolence: “You have heard that it was said, ‘an eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth’. But I say to you: Do not resist an evil doer” (Mt 5:38-39);
On January 1, 2017, Pope Francis inaugurated the year with a powerful message – still very relevant today – entitled Nonviolence as a Style of Politics for Peace. The Argentine Pope says: we live in a “broken world,” in a “horrifying world” where war is fought piecemeal… There is “piecemeal violence” of different kinds and levels: “War in different countries and continents; terrorism, organized crime and unforeseen acts of violence, and the devastation of the environment.” There are, the Pope goes on, “weapon traffickers, and vast amounts of resources are spent for weapons of war while young and old people suffer terrible hardships.”
Certainly, “Violence is unworthy of man; violence is a lie” (John Paul II, Address in Ireland, Sept. 29, 1979); “Violence leads to more violence, hatred to more hatred, death to more death. We must break this cycle which seems inescapable.” Sadly, “Every violent death diminishes us as people” (Fratelli Tutti 227).
Human and Christian style of life is nonviolent love. How may we fight violence nonviolently? Violence is fought and healed not by more violence, but, by active nonviolence.
Nonviolence literally means no to violence, or negation of violence as a path to social change, justice and peace. It does not mean passive resistance to social evil or withdrawal from the world, but active nonviolence as a way to say no to violence by peaceful and courageous words and deeds. Active nonviolence does not mean surrender, or lack of social involvement, or passivity. It does not return evil for evil. It is a quality of authentic human and Christian love, which presupposes justice and respects truth and freedom. Pope Benedict XVIsaid: “For Christians, nonviolence is not merely tactical behavior but a person’s way of being, the attitude of one who is convinced of God’s love and power.”
Vatican II helped develop the growing movement of nonviolence in the Church. The Fathers of Vatican II: “Motivated by this same spirit, we cannot fail to praise those who renounce the use of violence in the vindication of their rights and who resort to methods of defense which are otherwise available to weaker parties too, provided that this can be done without injury to the rights and duties of others or of the community itself” (GS, 78).
Gandhi, Martin Luther King, Jr, St. Oscar Arnulfo Romero – apostles of nonviolence – propose and followed the way of nonviolent love. Gandhi’s words: “Conquer hatred by love, untruth by truth, violence by suffering”; “Nothing but organized nonviolence can check the organized violence of government.” Martin Luther King, Jr.: “We will not obey unjust laws or submit to unjust practices. We will do this peacefully, openly, cheerfully, because our aim is to persuade. We adopt the means of nonviolence because our end is a community at peace with itself.” St. Oscar Arnulfo Romero: “We have never preached violence, except the violence of love, which left Christ nailed to a cross, the violence that we must each do to ourselves to overcome our selfishness and the cruel inequalities among us.”
The way of nonviolence towards positive personal and social change may be walked through different strategies and tactics, such as protest marches, demonstrations, picketing, boycotts, strikes – including the hunger strike -, prayer rallies, civil disobedience, etc. Which strategy is better? The one that is according to truth and prudence, and is practiced in love of all neighbors.
As can be seen in different countries, massive public demonstrations usually begin peacefully, but do not go on peacefully for a long time. Certainly, the way of continuing non-violence is not easy at all: suffering is part of the journey. In fact, collective endurance is the most difficult element of successful nonviolent strategies towards justice and peace. For continuing endurance, the nonviolent demonstrators need – as it is clear in the life of the iconic witnesses of nonviolence – a deep spirituality, which implies a forgiving and loving attitude, purification of the soul, and a pure motivation.
As always, prayer is helpful through the process of nonviolent struggles. In the perspective of Christian faith, nonviolence is prayerful nonviolence. We remember Jesus’ words: Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who abuse you (Lk 6:27-28).
A few days before the exemplary Philippine EDSA Revolution (February 1986) that brought down the dictatorship of then President Ferdinand E. Marcos, the Catholic Bishops’ Conference issued a prophetic Post-Election Statement in which the Philippine bishops rejected, on one hand, social apathy, and on the other, violent means: “The way indicated to us now is the way of nonviolent struggle for justice. This means active resistance of evil by peaceful means – in the manner of Christ … We insist: our acting must always be according to the Gospel of Jesus Christ, that is, in a peaceful, nonviolent way.”
Words to ponder from Pope Francis: “I invite the ecclesial communities living in such contexts, under the guidance of their Pastors, to work for dialogue, always in favor of dialogue, and in favor of forgiveness, reconciliation” (Angelus, September 13, 2020).
Thus, we end our reflection on peace. Our peaceful journey had four important and interconnected stops: the meaning of peace (1), its kinds and four columns, plus one (2), its main obstacle, wars (3), and the medicine against violence and wars, namely, nonviolent love (4).
We shall have another opportune occasion to present a recipe for practicing peace in our troubled but hopeful world.
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