From the opening prayer renewing our Vow of Nonviolence to sharing nonviolence resources as we closed the day, the Pax Christi Massachusetts spring retreat was a time of education, reflection, challenge, and conversation on Gospel nonviolence.

Marie Dennis, a woman on an ever-deepening journey to the heart of gospel nonviolence, led us on a day of prayer and reflection at Mary, Mother of Hope Parish, in Springfield.

Reminding us of the Pope’s claim that “Peace is unarmed (i.e., not through strength) and disarming” (reaching out to the ‘enemy’), and his Easter message that “The power of the Resurrection is completely nonviolent,” she led us through a consideration of living in an era of contagious violence, where we invest in weaponry that allows violence and death to pound people all over the world.

She called us to consider personally, “What does violence look like in my life?” As we contributed such aspects as bombs and drones, abuses of power, food deserts, lack of health care, gun violence, language that minimizes or demonizes others, she added some other facets to consider: fear orchestrated to drive society to a more violent place; emotional deprivation, especially of a child, is violence whose effects last a lifetime; cultural violence, such as racism—both personal and structural—rampant in our society.

She then challenged us to ask ourselves, “What is nonviolence to you, where do you see it most regularly?” After sharing in our small groups, she added some other ideas: the “neighborism” seen in Minneapolis’ response to ICE raids: bringing food to people too afraid to leave their homes, towing cars that were abandoned by people grabbed by ICE, accompanying children to and from school to ensure they arrive safely because their parents are unable to; the Global Sumud Flotilla, bringing supplies and hope to the people of Gaza at deep personal risk; a simple sign at the entrance to a farm in the West Bank, proclaiming “We refuse to be enemies.”

Another challenge Marie put to us was “How can we be more effective in countering violence?” which elicited many personal histories and experiences of participants’ growth in nonviolence. Under Pope Francis, and now Pope Leo, we are seeing a shift in the way the church talks about peace and nonviolence, she said. Peace is both a spirituality and a way of life. We can learn it through nonviolent communication and mediation techniques that help people deal with conflict without resorting to violence, be it personal, societal, and geopolitical.

“Nonviolence is at the heart of the gospel,” she claimed, “in Jesus’ example, way of life, words and actions.” Nonviolence is not the same as pacifism, she reminded us. It is NOT passive. It IS engaging with the violence in the world to try and stop it. It “interrupts or stops violence, reaching out to the perpetrator(s) with recognition of our common humanity,” recognizing that this person, too, is a beloved child of God. Nonviolence is the only way forward.

“Courage is acting in spite of our fear,” to confront the powers that be, not alone but with others, based on faith. Community is important; we “catch” courage from others. In another large-group sharing, various members offered the following reflections:

• “When we seek the humanity of the other and invite them with friendship, we let go of our own [preconceived] vision of the outcome.”
• “We need to [truly] see each other, and let others see us. This allows people to risk.”
• “Is violence our nature or an aberration?”
• “[We need to] look at things with a resurrection perspective, ‘Resurrection Politics’.”
• “It takes courage to be active in nonviolence. It’s challenging. But we step up to the challenges and thrive.”
• “The work of nonviolence is not safe. There is no guarantee we won’t be harmed,” physically, emotionally, economically, with jail time.

We considered “What is power and how do we use it for the good? Why are nonviolent movements so threatening to those in power?”In terms of nonviolent action, we must remember that most of us stand in a place of privilege, as white, middle-class, North Americans. Civil disobedience is not the apex of nonviolent action, because the costs to different sectors of society are different. The details of what is “effective” nonviolence are as various as the societies we live in—it will look different in Detroit than in New Mexico, than in Congo, than in Asia. We need to be faithful in doing it.