Active Nonviolence Corner

“Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is gracious, if there is any excellence and if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things.
Keep on doing what you have learned and received and heard and seen in me. Then the God of peace will be with you.”
Philippians 4: 8-9

Civil rights icon and former U.S. Congressman John Lewis coined the phrase “good trouble” to describe the act of engaging in peaceful, nonviolent civil disobedience to challenge injustice. He famously urged people to not be afraid to make some noise and “Get in good trouble, necessary trouble, and help redeem the soul of America.” He also said, “We have been too quiet for too long. There comes a time when you have to say something. You have to make a little noise. You have to move your feet. This is the time.”

During this summer, let’s follow John Lewis’ example of protecting human rights, securing civil liberties and building what he called the “beloved community” in America. We would like to encourage everyone to move their feet, to get involved, to create positive changes for themselves and for others.

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“Someday, after mastering the winds, the waves, the tides and gravity, we shall harness for God the energies of love, and then, for a second time in the history of the world, man will have discovered fire.”
Pierre Teilhard de Chardin
French Jesuit priest, scientist, paleontologist, philosopher, mystic and teacher

1. Be generous with your smiles
2. Recognize your unique potential
3. Use your special talents to help someone
4. Learn about another culture
5. Respect the dignity of each person
6. Be thankful for the miracle of life – all life
7. Remember that “No man is an island”

BE the nonviolent movement!

We Pray
All-powerful God,
you are present in the universe
and in the smallest of your creatures.
You embrace with your tenderness all that exists.
Pour out upon us the power of your love,
that we may protect life and beauty.
Fill us with your peace, that we may live as
brothers and sisters, harming no one.
(A Prayer for Our Earth, stanza 1)*

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“There are many things that can only be seen through eyes that have cried.”
Saint Óscar Romero, Archbishop of San Salvador Feast Day: March 24

1. Attend OLOL’s commemorative prayer service on August 6 at 6:30 pm – the anniversary of the bombing of Hiroshima, take the nuclear weapons quiz.
2. Pray with the Pope: For disarmament and peace
3. Be a leader in the struggle for human decency
4. Support nonviolent solutions to global problems
5. Reach out to someone who is lonely
6. Be less materialistic – and support some new charity
7. Oppose violence in television programming

BE the nonviolent movement!

We Pray
O God of the poor,
help us to rescue the abandoned
and forgotten of this earth,
so precious in your eyes.
Bring healing to our lives,
that we may protect the world and not prey on it,
that we may sow beauty,
not pollution and destruction.
(A Prayer for Our Earth, stanza 2)*

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“If there is to be peace in the world, there must be peace in the nations.
If there is to be peace in the nations, there must be peace in the cities.
If there is to be peace in the cities, there must be peace between neighbors.
If there is to be peace between neighbors, there must be peace in the home.
If there is to be peace in the home, there must be peace in the heart.”
Lao Tzu
Philosopher, 4th century BC, China

1. Be truthful in your words and actions
2. Demand honesty from your government
3. Teach peace to children
4. Read UNICEF’s quick guide for spotting misinformation
5. Join an action alert network
6. Support health, education and arts over weapons
7. Take a walk near water and reflect on water’s healing attributes

BE the nonviolent movement!

We Pray
Touch the hearts
of those who look only for gain
at the expense of the poor and the earth.
Teach us to discover the worth of each thing,
to be filled with awe and contemplation.
(A Prayer for Our Earth, stanza 3)*

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“You give but little when you give of your possessions.
It is when you give of yourself that you truly give.”
Kahil Gibran
Lebanese-American writer, poet and visual artist

1. Attend OLOL’s “Walking the Way of Caring for Creation” prayer service on September 1 at 6:30pm
2. Recycle, reduce, reuse, repair
3. Choose products from companies who use resources responsibly
4. Learn about You Are Not Alone, a national initiative of the Catholic Church offering hope, compassion, and practical support to immigrants
5. Sign The Cabrini Pledge
6. Protest inequality and discrimination
7. Take part in difficult conversations

BE the nonviolent movement!

We Pray
Help us recognize that we are profoundly united
with every creature
as we journey towards your infinite light.
We thank you for being with us each day.
Encourage us, we pray, in our struggle, for
justice, love and peace.
(A Prayer for Our Earth, stanza 4)*

* A Prayer for Our Earth by Pope Francis is from his 2015 encyclical on ecology and climate change, Laudato si’.