February 21, 2023

The Interfaith Peace Project continues its ongoing observance of the International Day of Peace, September 21, by sending out a reflection on the twenty-first of every month. We invite you to share in this effort by sending any articles or information that you would like to share to:

Thomas P. Bonacci, C.P
[email protected]
925-787-9279

DISARM THE HEART
Continuing to Honor
The International Day of Peace
by Thomas P. Bonacci, C.P.

The beloved teacher and advocate for non-violence, John Dear, reminds us to “disarm our hearts.”  Non-violence is more than the absence of violence, weapons, or hostile attitudes. The making of peace is the practice of peace in all the affairs of our lives. We must pause from time to time to examine our hearts. Today we renew our commitment to being people of peace, understanding, and compassion.

Examining Searching the Heart

Can I remember or identify any time in my life when I enjoyed the desire to react with violence in any thought, word, or deed?

We become aware of how instinctive the tendency to violence is.

Even in our religious practice, we can entertain the idea of violence, a god who punishes or a people who damn others. Should we not think of God (or, at least, the higher consciousness of ourselves) in transformative terms?

Once we realize the potential violence within our hearts, we can decide how we might act and who we want to be. 

Teaching

“The texture of our universe is one where there is no question at all but that good and laughter and justice will prevail.” “God is biased, horribly in favor of the weak. The minute an injustice is perpetrated, God is going to be on the side of the one who is being clobbered.”

Archbishop Desmond Tutu
Time, October 11, 2010, p. 42