Living Peace: A Spirituality of Contemplation and Action [Hardcover]

John Dear (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: April 17, 2001

"To take care of each other should be our primary concern in this 21st century and Father Dear is steady on this course."
--Thich Nhat Hanh

For John Dear, a Jesuit priest and respected leader of the ecumenical peace movement, the spiritual life is a combination of contemplation and action, of maintaining inner peace and projecting that peace into the greater world. It is the spirituality exemplified by the lives of Gandhi, Martin Luther King, Jr., Mother Teresa, the Dalai Lama, and others throughout history who remained true to the highest ideals while addressing the most difficult problems and conflicts of the real world.

As a tireless advocate for social justice and human rights, Dear has followed that path in his own life, and in Living Peace he describes his journey. Breaking down the life of peace into three parts an inner journey, a public journey, and the journey of all humanity he shares the spiritual practices that have sustained him and teaches readers how to integrate these practices into their own lives.

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

John Dear, a Jesuit priest, directs the Fellowship of Reconciliation, "the largest, oldest interfaith peace organization in the United States." Since 1915, the organization has advocated nonviolence as the only sure path to peace; its members have included Martin Luther King Jr., Thomas Merton, and Helen Prejean. Living Peace: A Spirituality of Contemplation and Action is a spiritual handbook for readers who seek to make peace in their lives and in the world. The journey to peace, as Dear describes it, is composed of an Inner Journey (involving solitude, silence, prayer, and mindfulness), and a Public Journey (involving direct political action), which, undertaken together, make possible reconciliation and transformation on a global level. "If we try, and keep trying, and stay faithful to the journey unto our last breath, we will find great joy and a peace not of this world, knowing that we serve not only the human family but the God of peace." Dear's book includes historical anecdotes and concise descriptions of particular challenges facing American readers today ("If we want to live in peace, we must learn to love the people of Iraq."), but his descriptions of spiritual exercises, particularly his own morning devotions, may be the most compelling parts of Living Peace. --Michael Joseph Gross

From Publishers Weekly

The Fellowship of Reconciliation is the oldest interfaith peace group in America, its members having included Dorothy Day, Martin Luther King Jr. and Helen Prejean. Now its director gives readers a succinct, moving paean to peace, in which he suggests that peacemaking on a world level first requires making peace within. Dear advocates long amounts of time in prayer, and peaceful prayer at that not just talking to God, but listening for God. Dear recommends that readers take up Ignatian prayer, in which one meditates on a Scripture passage and imagines one's way into the biblical scene (though readers will have to turn elsewhere for a truly thorough introduction to this method of prayer). "To live a life of peace," writes Dear, we must also practice peace "with the whole world," so in the second section, he turns to "The Public Journey." Worldwide peacemaking begins with an active choice for peace: Dear himself committed his life to peace while on a trip to Israel during the war with Lebanon. Some of the book's most encouraging passages recount Dear's own efforts at peacemaking: stays of execution he was instrumental in bringing about, trips to war-torn El Salvador, protests against Trident nuclear submarines. Remarkably, Dear never sounds moralistic or self-congratulatory; the book reads more like one friend sharing his experiences with another. In this inspiring little book, Dear proves himself the William Sloane Coffin of our day.

Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 240 pages
• Publisher: Doubleday Religion; 1 edition (April 17, 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0385498276
• ISBN-13: 978-0385498272
• Product Dimensions: 5.8 x 0.8 x 8.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 14.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,721,448 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

John Dear, SJ, is a Jesuit priest, peace activist, organizer, lecturer, and retreat leader. He is also the author/editor of twenty books on peace and nonviolence. John was recently nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize by Archbishop Desmond Tutu of South Africa. John lives in northern New Mexico. Visit his Web site at www.persistentpeace.com.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

13 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Wonderful book, July 5, 2005

By 

Therese A. Hagemann (santa rosa, CA, Usa) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Living Peace: A Spirituality of Contemplation and Action (Hardcover)

This book should be required reading for all Christians. If enough did, we would have a beautiful world. Violence is eating the soul and heart out of this country. We need to turn it around and make the love of Jesus our guiding principle.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Living Peace, September 15, 2008

By 

Joanna C. Stott (Loudon, TN) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Living Peace: A Spirituality of Contemplation and Action (Paperback)

Honest insight into the meaning of the Christian Message of all inclusive love which leads to true peace. Dear's is not a message of "feel good Christianity". He takes gospel of nonviolence seriously and invites all to follow.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Living Peace, October 3, 2007

By 

J. T. Moutou (Sydney Australia) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Living Peace: A Spirituality of Contemplation and Action (Hardcover)

We purchased this book for our Library in response to a request from a reader who had read other books by John Dear. The feedback is very good. Our reader is delighted and keeps talking about the book and how good it is. Others are now in queue to borrow the same book. We are very happy with the purchase from Amazon as the local bookshops said it was not available and yet with Amazon we had a quick purchase and delivery. Thank you. Regards, Joan