Texas and guns

Doesn't this image startle you? It seems to be the image many Texans endorse with the prospective law (in the Texas Senate) that concealed weapons may be carried by students and professors on university campuses. More than half the members of the Texas House have signed on as co-authors of a measure directing universities to allow concealed handguns. And probably most of those members of the Texas House are "Christians."

Christians or not, it is ridiculous and stupid to allow students and professors to carry weapons on campus (and elsewhere). For protection? Or for a "final say" in a dispute? Adolescent fury coming forth at the drop of a hat?

It doesn't help that Texas has a governor who likes to shoot off his mouth and guns.

In this April 15, 2010 file photo, Texas Republican Gov. Rick Perry fires a six shooter filled with blanks as NASCAR driver Colin Braun looks on at an event in downtown Fort Worth, Texas. Texas is preparing to give college students and professors the right to carry guns into their classrooms, adding momentum to a national campaign to open up another prominent part of society to firearms. (AP Photo/Fort Worth Star-Telegram, Rodger Mallison, File)

"University of Texas President William Powers has opposed concealed handguns on campus, saying the mix of students, guns and campus parties is too volatile.

"Guns occupy a special place in Texas culture. Politicians often tout owning a gun as essential to being Texan. Concealed handgun license holders are allowed to skip the metal detectors that scan Capitol visitors for guns, knives and other contraband.

"Guns on campus bills have been rejected in 23 states since 2007, but gun control activists acknowledge it will be difficult to stop the Texas bill from passing this year. "Things do look bleak," said Colin Goddard, assistant director of federal legislation for the Brady Campaign Against Gun Violence, who was in Austin recently to lobby against the Texas bills."

Go here for the rest of the article.

Also, Dating God blog has a more inspirational take on "Guns and Christianity."

What difference does it make?

by Judy Horacek

Thanks to Thomas at Living Next Door to Alice and to Sherry who pointed me to Thomas' blog.

Compassion--worth watching!

Thank you to Choralgirl.

How to help in the world we live in??

Father John Dear has an excellent column about nonviolence today.

"Dorothy Day concluded her biography of Thérèse by comparing the power of Thérèse's Little Way with the atomic bomb. "Is the atom a small thing? And yet what havoc it has wrought. Is her 'Little Way' a small contribution to the life of the Spirit? It has all the power of the Spirit of Christianity behind it. It is an explosive force that can transform our lives and the life of the world, once put into effect." According to Thérèse of Lisieux and Dorothy Day of New York, the smallest act of willing love, united to the God of love, is more powerful than the atomic bomb itself, more explosive than a nuclear weapon. It is a spiritual explosion of love that disarms, heals, transforms, and reconciles."

Dorothy Day by Robert Lentz, OFM

Go here to read the entire article!

Jose Hobday

Father John Dear writes about "The Simple Life Of Jose Hobday" for his weekly column in the online National Catholic Reporter.

He wrote:

"Sister José was one of the great spiritual teachers of our times. Born in Texas to a Seneca-Iroquois mother and a Southern Baptist father, José was both a Seneca elder and a Franciscan nun. She became a full time lecturer and for decades gave workshops across the country on prayer and spirituality."

The last time he spoke with her on the telephone (before she died on April 5, 2009), she told him this:

“I’ve been thinking of you,” she said, “and I have something for you to do. About twenty times a day, I want you to stop what you’re doing, and empty yourself completely. Let go of everything inside you that is not of God, that is not the Holy Spirit, that is not loving and peaceful. Then, ask the Holy Spirit to fill you from head to toe. Do that twenty times a day and you will be filled with peace and joy. Gotta go.”

Think of what would happen to each of us if we followed her advice and "let go of everything inside you that is not of God, that is not the Holy Spirit, that is not loving and peaceful" 20 times each day! What would happen in our family, our community, our nation, our world??

Jose Hobday was an amazing woman, and I've only just learned about her! There's much to learn, which starts with reading John Dear's column about her.

Who would Jesus torture?

This says it all. It's from LesEnrages.org, and I do hope you'll go and read this piece posted on Nov. 12, 2008.

Please urge newly-elected President Obama to issue an executive order by endorsing the Declaration of Principles for a Presidential Executive Order to Ban Torture.

Also, spend some time looking at the website National Religious Campaign Against Torture.

Old, Fat, Naked Women for Peace!

From a dear blogging friend:



And I am an old, fat, (not) naked woman for peace!

More about "welcome"

New website I've discovered: The Center for Non-Violent Communication. Marshall Rosenberg founded this center; Sebastian Moore in his amazing book The Contagion of Jesus cites him.

What an interesting site. I am most struck (at the moment) by "Spiritual Basis of Non-Violent Communication." From that web page, comes these quotes about what it means to give of ourselves:

"To me, giving of ourselves means an honest expression of what’s alive in us in this moment. It intrigues me why every culture asks upon greeting each other, “How are you?” It’s such an important question. What a gift it is to be able to know at any given moment what is alive in someone.

"To give a gift of one’s self is a manifestation of love. It is when you reveal yourself nakedly and honestly, at any given moment, for no other purpose than as a gift of what’s alive in you. Not to blame, criticize, or punish. Just “Here I am, and here is what I would like.” This is my vulnerability at this moment. To me, that is a way of manifesting love.

"And the other way we give of ourselves is through how we receive another person’s message. To receive it empathically, connecting with what’s alive in them, making no judgment. Just to hear what is alive in the other person and what they would like. So Nonviolent Communication is just a manifestation of what I understand love to be."

~~Marshall Rosenberg

This reminds me of my little posting about lectio about the word "welcome" and how that is paying attention--and "connecting with what's alive in them, making no judgment" as written above.

War Immemorial Day

by Bill Quigley

"Memorial Day is not actually a day to pray for US troops who died in action, but rather a day set aside by Congress to pray for peace. The 1950 Joint Resolution of Congress, which created Memorial Day, says, "Requesting the President to issue a proclamation designating May 30, Memorial Day, as a day for a Nation-wide prayer for peace." (64 Stat.158).

"Peace today is a nearly impossible challenge for the United States. The US is far and away the most militarized country in the world and the most aggressive. Unless the US dramatically reduces its emphasis on global military action, there will be many, many more families grieving on future Memorial Days.

"The US spends over $600 billion annually on our military, more than the rest of the world combined. China, our nearest competitor, spends about one-tenth of what we spend. The US also sells more weapons to other countries than any other nation in the world."

Read the rest of the article here.

John Dear's "Persistent Peace"

I heard John Dear talk at a Pax Christi meeting in San Antonio two years ago. He was funny, real, and inspirational. He told us NOT to call him "Father Dear" but "Father John." I still remember his story about making his decision to enter the priesthood after being at the chapel on the Mount of Beatitudes in Israel with bombers flying very near.

John Dear wrote:

"Then right after graduation and before I entered the Jesuits, I decided to go see where Jesus lived. I backpacked by myself for several months through Israel. The day I left, Israel invaded Lebanon and I ended up seeing war, and it scared the daylights out of me.

"I was camping out at the Sea of Galilee and saw jets dropping bombs on the border of Lebanon. I'm there reading the gospel, and I thought, if I'm going to be an authentic Christian, I have to commit myself to the Sermon on the Mount and do what I can to stop war. I have to love my enemies. That's what I've been trying to do ever since, to be part of the peace movement and to live according to the Sermon on the Mount."

Golden Rule

Native Spirituality
We are as much alive as we keep the Earth alive.
Chief Dan George

Sikhism
I am a stranger to no one; and no one is a stranger to me. Indeed, I am a friend to all.
Guru Granth Sahib, pg. 1299

Christianity
In everything, do to others as you would have them do to you; for this is the law and the prophets.
Jesus, Matthews 7:12

BaHa'I Faith
Lay not on any soul a load that you would not wish to be laid upon you, and desire not for anyone the things you would not desire for yourself.
Baha'ullah, Gleanings

Judaism
What is hateful to you, do not do to your neighbour. This is the whole Torah; all the rest is commentary.
Hillel, Talmud, Shabbat 31a

Buddhism
Treat not others in ways that you yourself would find hurtful.
Udana-Varga 5.18

Islam
Not one of you truly believes until you wish for others what you wish for yourself.
The Prophet Muhammad, Hadith

Taoism
Regard your neighbour's gain as your own gain, and your neighbour's loss as your own loss.
T'ai Shang Kan Ying P'ien, 213-218

Hinduism
This is the sum of duty: do not do to others what would cause pain if done to you.
Mahabharata 5:1517

Confucianism
One word which sums up the basis of all good conduct...loving kindness. Do not do to others what you do not want done to yourself.
Confucius, Analeets, 15.23

Jainism
One should treat all creatures in the world as one would like to be treated.
Mahavira,Sutrakritanga

Unitarianism
We affirm and promote respect for the interdependent web of all existence of which we are a part.
Unitarian principle

Zoroastrianism
Do not do unto others whatever is injurious to yourself.
Shayast-na-Shayast, 13.29

Your Tax Dollars at Work: The Video

As Quaker Dave wrote:

Brought to you by the nice folks at the

American Friends Service Committee.

(PS: If you have a blog on your own, feel free to post this at your place. Help spread the word. Thanks.)

And thank you, Dave!

Prayers for Peace

The following photographs to the left of the prayers are of statues and icons in The Peace Abbey.

		1. THE HINDU PRAYER FOR PEACE: Oh God, lead us from the unreal to the Real. Oh God, lead us from darkness to light. Oh God, lead us from death to immortality. Shanti, Shanti, Shanti unto all. Oh Lord God almighty, may there be peace in celestial regions. May there be peace on earth. May the waters be appeasing. May herbs be wholesome, and may trees and plants bring peace to all. May all beneficent beings bring peace to us. May thy Vedic Law propagate peace all through the world. May all things be a source of peace to us. And may thy peace itself, bestow peace on all, and may that peace come to me also.
		2. THE BUDDHIST PRAYER FOR PEACE: May all beings everywhere plagued with sufferings of body and mind quickly be freed from their illnesses. May those frightened cease to be afraid, and may those bound be free. May the powerless find power, and may people think of befriending one another. May those who find themselves in trackless, fearful wildernesses - the children, the aged, the unprotected - be guarded by beneficent celestials, and may they swiftly attain Buddhahood.
		3. THE JAIN PRAYER FOR PEACE: Peace and Universal Love is the essence of the Gospel preached by all the Enlightened Ones. The Lord has preached that equanimity is the Dharma. Forgive do I creatures all, and let all creatures forgive me. Unto all have I amity, and unto none enmity. Know that violence is the root cause of all miseries in the world. Violence, in fact, is the knot of bondage. "Do not injure any living being." This is the eternal, perennial, and unalterable way of spiritual life. A weapon howsoever powerful it may be, can always be superseded by a superior one; but no weapon can, however, be superior to nonviolence and love.
		4. THE MUSLIM PRAYER FOR PEACE: In the name of Allah, the beneficent, the merciful. Praise be to the Lord of the Universe who has created us and made us into tribes and nations, that we may know each other, not that we may despise each other. If the enemy incline towards peace, do thou also incline towards peace, and trust in God, for the Lord is the one that heareth and knoweth all things. And the servants of God, Most Gracious are those who walk on the Earth in humility, and when we address them, we say "PEACE."
		5. THE SIKH PRAYER FOR PEACE: "God adjudges us according to our deeds, not the coat that we wear: that Truth is above everything, but higher still is truthful living. "Know that we attaineth God when we loveth, and only that victory endures in consequence of which no one is defeated."
		6. THE BAHA'I PRAYER FOR PEACE: Be generous in prosperity, and thankful in adversity. Be fair in thy judgement, and guarded in thy speech. Be a lamp unto those who walk in darkness, and a home to the stranger. Be eyes to the blind, and a guiding light unto the feet of the erring. Be a breath of life to the body of humankind, a dew to the soil of the human heart, and a fruit upon the tree of humility.
		7. THE SHINTO PRAYER FOR PEACE: "Although the people living across the ocean surrounding us, I believe, are all our brothers and sisters, why are there constant troubles in this world? Why do winds and waves rise in the ocean surrounding us? I only earnestly wish that the wind will soon puff away all the clouds which are hanging over the tops of the mountains."
		8. THE NATIVE AFRICAN PRAYER FOR PEACE: Almighty God, the Great Thumb we cannot evade to tie any knot; the Roaring Thunder that splits mighty trees: the all-seeing Lord up on high who sees even the footprints of an antelope on a rockmass here on Earth. You are the one who does not hesitate to respond to our call. You are the cornerstone of peace.
		9. THE NATIVE AMERICAN PRAYER FOR PEACE: O Great Spirit of our Ancestors, I raise my pipe to you. To your messengers the four winds, and to Mother Earth who provides for your children. Give us the wisdom to teach our children to love, to respect, and to be kind to each other so that they may grow with peace in mind. Let us learn to share all the good things that you provide for us on this Earth.
		10. THE ZOROASTRIAN PRAYER FOR PEACE: We pray to God to eradicate all the misery in the world: that understanding triumph over ignorance, that generosity triumph over indifference, that trust triumph over contempt, and that truth triumph over falsehood.
		11. THE JEWISH PRAYER FOR PEACE: Come let us go up to the mountain of the Lord, that we may walk the paths of the Most High. And we shall beat our swords into ploughshares, and our spears into pruning hooks. Nation shall not lift up sword against nation - neither shall they learn war any more. And none shall be afraid, for the mouth of the Lord of Hosts has spoken.
		12. THE CHRISTIAN PRAYER FOR PEACE: Blessed are the PEACEMAKERS, for they shall be known as the Children of God. But I say to you that hear, love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who abuse you. To those who strike you on the cheek, offer the other also, and from those who take away your cloak, do not withhold your coat as well. Give to everyone who begs from you, and of those who take away your goods, do not ask them again. And as you wish that others would do to you, do so to them.

Peacemaking: Day by Day

Peacemaking Day by Day, Volumes I and II
Both volumes of daily quotes--$10.00.

If you have never seen the booklets published by Pax Christi USA, I hope you will consider buying them. I learned about them when I was taking classes at Oblate School of Theology and a professor would often read a very short meditation from these at the beginning of class.

Here is one day's thought from Volume I:

If there is righteousness in the heart, there will be beauty in the character;
If there is beauty in the character, there will be harmony in the home;
If there is harmony in the home, there will be order in the nation;
If there is order in the nation, there will be peace in the world.
~Confucius

Here is another day's thought from Volume II:

O God, help us not to despise or oppose what we do not understand.
~William Penn

These little booklets, with a quotation or Bible verse for each day of the year, have been sitting ignored on my bookshelf for quite awhile. It's time to begin reading them again!

Possible Advent Reflection

I haven't even seen this in its physical form yet, but I am thinking of ordering copies, sight unseen. The Advent of the God of Peace can be found at the Pax Christi site. I learned about it from Fr. John Dear's latest post at NCRcafe.org for his "On the Road to Peace" column, which is entitled "Women, Peacemaking and the Church."

Fr. John writes in that article:

"I hope and pray that women will not give up, not give in, and not walk away, that they will celebrate their calling to follow the peacemaking Christ, and that they will keep on working for justice and peace. Few men are interested in creative nonviolence; most of us men cling to old patterns of control, domination, and violent power, the methods that have brought us racism, war on Iraq, executions, violence against women and children and nuclear weapons. I hope peacemaking women will wear us men down with their creative, Gospel nonviolence so that one day soon we will together abolish war, poverty, racism, patriarchy, nuclear weapons and violence for good."

And then he lists several new books by women about non-violence.

The Class of Nonviolence

The Class of Nonviolence is being taught for eight Wednesday nights at All Saints Episcopal Church. I am most impressed with the resources at this site to read. You would not have to be in a group to read everything, though more insight would be gained through a community discussion. Each lesson has about six articles to read by such authors as Mohandas Gandhi, Eknath Easwaren, Dorothy Day, and many others. The site states:

Solutions to Violence is an eight session class developed by Colman McCarthy, founder of the Center for Teaching Peace in Washington, D.C. It uses classics in peace and justice literature to teach peacemaking. This course can change your life and you can change the world.

Go and look at this and some (or all) of the articles!

Our class is on the second lesson, so I am going to go and read the seven articles I just printed. Since I like the books written by Eknath Easwaren, I am eager to read his articles, as well as the others.

"Friends of Silence" by Nan Merrill

Many of you are probably familiar with Nan Merrill, author of Psalms for Praying: An Invitation to Wholeness . She also publishes a monthly newsletter that contains quotes from various books and sources that pertain to the contemplative life. She always asks, "Is there enough Silence for the Word to be Heard?" You can subscribe to this by making a donation and writing to:

Friends of Silence
11 Cardiff Lane
Hannibal, MO 63401

You can also purchase

PEACE PLANET: Light For Our World. Small, spiral-bound full-color book published by best-selling author, Nan Merrill, transforms hearts from despair to hope. Hold 198 countries in your hand and heart. One prayer, one photograph, one hope for every country, Afghanistan to Zimbabwe. $15/copy. Postage included. Peace and Prayer Gifts, 200 Rock Street, Hannibal, MO 63401. (573) 406-0646. E-mail: FriendsOfSilence@sbcglobal.net Web site: www.PeaceAndPrayerGifts.com

Prayer is a necessity.

“Prayer is a necessity. Without it we see only our point of view, our own righteousness, and ignore the perspective if our enemies. Prayer breaks down those distinctions. To do violence to others, you must make them enemies. Prayer, on the other hand, makes enemies into friends. When we have brought our enemies into our hearts in prayer, it becomes most difficult to maintain the hostility necessary for violence. In bringing them close to us, prayer serves to protect our enemies. Thus prayer undermines the propaganda and policies of governments designed to make us hate and fear our enemies. By softening our hearts toward our adversaries, prayer can become treasonous. Fervent prayer for our enemies is a great obstacle to war and the feelings that lead to it.”
~Jim Wallis

Wallis, Jim. “Prayer is a necessity.” Peace Prayers: Meditations, Affirmations, Invocations, Poems, and Prayers for Peace. Ed. Carrie Leadingham et al. San Francisco: HarperSanFrancisco, 1992. 35.

Another way to vote

Quaker Dave challenged readers of Suzy's at Luminiferous Ether to go to her posting for Saturday, August 25, 2007 that is entitled "No More Shopping Days 'Til Peace."

I am not committing to stopping my shopping for the holidays, but I have to admit that Suzy's thoughts about this have unsettled me and won't let me go! So go and read what she wrote.

This reference to her husband really opened me up to this movement Suzy wants to start:

"As Mr. Ether is fond of saying, every dollar you spend is a vote for what kind of a world you want to live in."

Walking Towards Peace and Non-violence with Father John Dear

The Narrow Path