2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
A call to renounce all violence, May 4, 2009
This review is from: John Dear on Peace: An Introduction to His Life and Work (Paperback)
Normile begins with background on her own involvement in "the work of peace," which brought her into contact with John Dear, S.J., director of the Fellowship of Reconciliation and 2008 nominee for the Nobel Peace Prize. Dear has written numerous books and articles on peace, and is a frequent participant in demonstrations against U.S. military policy.
The book consists of 13 reflections on topics such as living justly in an unjust world, facing evil with love, and the future of peace. Each reflection focuses on a concept related to peace or justice, opening with a quotation from scripture and moving on to Normile's introduction and an excerpt from Dear's writings. Reflection questions, scripture to ponder, and a concluding prayer complete the treatment of each concept. Suggested services for prayer gatherings to celebrate peace, a bibliography, and topical and scripture indexes are also provided.
In the section on overcoming outrage Normile looks at the negative effects of "our cultural and personal need to have things our own way" and how that translates into road rage, domestic rage, sports rage, government rage and even self rage. The best approach, the approach that frees us, is to forgive and move on; a violent act precipitates more violence, she writes. At the same time, merely ignoring injustice, an unthinking "turn the other cheek" mentality, does nothing to resolve unjust situations. Normile suggests working toward resolution by joining peaceful public prayer vigils and participating in direct service community programs such as shelters and food banks. On the personal level, she reminds us that simply listening to another can forestall feelings of rage, and praying can help overcome them.
The excerpts from Dear's writing recall the outrageous events in El Salvador on November 16, 1989. A cadre of soldiers killed six Jesuits and two laywomen at the University of Central America. "Great men I had known and admired had been murdered by soldiers trained by the United States," Dear wrote. As we continue to accept God's love, our awareness of ourselves as God's beloved sons and daughters increases. This "disarming practice of remembrance of the unity of life" calls us to renounce all violence.
Help other customers find the most helpful reviews
Was this review helpful to you? Yes
No
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
A dialogue on peace among Normile, Dear, Christ and you, October 27, 2009
This review is from: John Dear on Peace: An Introduction to His Life and Work (Paperback)
Normile creates a meditative introduction to the writings and biography of Father John Dear, a Jesuit of letters about peace. In addition to an Introduction, she adds a little over seven pages that are part biography and part autobiography of Dear (age 49). It is clear from the start that the author aims to foster interests in non-violent practices in order to achieve peace. In that way, the book provides a method of prayerful conversion of heart by alternating between Ignatian and Franciscan spiritual practices.
Without mention of official just war doctrine in Western Christianity that sanctions select military action, Normile excludes mention of the Church's ambivalence about war. Dear himself has not been silent, but softer on the just war topic suggesting, in some writings, that Christians ought to become Buddhists (cf. Thomas Merton). Ironic as it sounds for a Catholic priest to recommend, Buddhists strive to achieve a pure and uncompromising compassion without ambivalent doctrines to dissuade them.
Normile excels at turning into practice Dear's message about the Gospel directive to love your enemies. In fact, the practices she recommends actually require personal reflection by the reader to appreciate. Over the course of 13 "reflections" (Chapters), Normile discusses themes from Dear's works, followed by examples of Dear's writings, and each concluding with questions and Scripture to ponder topped off by a prayer.
Some of the "reflection questions" to appear as exercises are either too abstract ("What is truth?" - p. 30) or else overly pious, such as "Do you have the faith, courage and energy to get out of the boat of complacency and walk with Jesus on the waters of nonviolent action?" (p. 64).
Excessive piety might stoke the flames of romance. One shouts an enthusiastic "Yes!" in response to a question about whether you have what it takes because you and your group believe it to be so. Just the same, when piety exceeds what one knows through relating to Christ, it can fuel self-deception.
Truth told, many people are ready to take a walk across perilous water with Christ in matters of peace some of the time, but other times not. Thus, if images of walking on water make for strained piety, then peacemaking becomes an ideal or principle. Unless this reviewer is mistaken, Dear's work travels a more arduous road toward peace. That way, Dear applies the discernment of his spiritual father, Ignatius of Loyola, to uproot romance and other illusions to peacemaking. Indeed, Normile captures discernment of self-deception in Dear's advice from 'Living Peace' to extend "...mercy to ourselves, forgiving ourselves, befriending ourselves, accepting ourselves and loving ourselves" (p. 4). Discernment takes a lonelier road of making peace within self.
The text concludes with two appendices, bibliography, topical and Scriptural indices. Appendix A offers suggested format and pericopes for January 1st, the Birthday of Martin Luther King, Jr., Ash Wednesday, the Memorial of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, September 11th, Kristallnacht, Thanksgiving Day, and Advent/Christmas. Each set of suggested peace celebrations provides wide latitude to envelop Christians of all Churches and communions. The bibliography includes primary monographs and edited books by John Dear, a succinct list of pertinent web sites, and one film 'The Narrow Path' by the San Damiano Foundation.
Normile engages introspection by employing a conversational tone with John Dear. An absence of judgmental verbiage welcomes readers regardless of their perceived failures to achieve peace in themselves. Despite provisos about the book's exercises and failure to mention reasons among Catholics for tension about living according to Christ's teaching to love our enemies, I recommend this book for active reading alone and in groups. The same book can be employed more often than once to gauge progress toward making peace.
Help other customers find the most helpful reviews
Was this review helpful to you? Yes
No
5.0 out of 5 stars
Learning to Walk the Walk, Not Just Talk the Talk, December 17, 2009
This review is from: John Dear on Peace: An Introduction to His Life and Work (Paperback)
Secular Franciscan Patricia Normile's slim and compelling book, John Dear on Peace: An Introduction to His Life and Work (published by St. Anthony Messenger Press) isn't a biography; it is instead an invitation for us to take part in John's work and to bring John's vision into our own lives. Following a brief introductory essay, Patricia sets out 13 short chapters on specific topics related to spirituality and peacemaking. Among these are: "What is Peace?", "The Power of Gentleness", "Retooling Our Hearts", and "The Chapter You Write with Your Life."
It is this final chapter that is for me the heart of this book. Its key idea, that we need to not just read but do, is precisely the message of John's life story. To help us learn to "do," Patricia concludes each of her 13 chapters with four wonderful tools: a selection of John's thoughts about the chapter's topic, some questions for reflection, scripture to ponder, and a concluding prayer composed by Patricia herself.
Keep Patti's book by your bedside so that you can go to sleep and wake up with God's call to live out the message of the Beatitudes fresh in your mind.
Help other customers find the most helpful reviews
Was this review helpful to you? Yes
No
