Pope Benedict says: 'non-violence is a way of being'

[sanctus]

[FONT=Verdana,helvetica,arial][/FONT]
Non-violence is not just tactical behaviour - it is "a personal way of being" based on love, Pope Benedict told pilgrims at yesterday's Angelus
"Turning the other cheek" does not mean giving in to evil but reacting to evil with good, just as "loving one's enemies" means putting more love in a world marked by too much violence and too much injustice, the Pope said.
Before reciting the Angelus, Benedict XVI talked about the preaching of Jesus on 'Love your enemies'.
"What is the meaning of these words of his?" the Pope asked. "Why does Jesus ask us to love our enemies, that is, a love that surpasses human capacity?"
"In reality, the suggestion of Christ is realistic because it takes into account that there is too much violence, too much injustice in the world and therefore the situation cannot be overcome unless it is countered by more love and more goodness.
"This 'more' comes from God: it is his mercy, which became flesh in Jesus and alone can 'turn the balance' of the world away from evil towards good, starting from that small and decisive 'world' that is the heart of man."
Pope Benedict said: "this Gospel page is rightly considered to be the Magna Carta of Christian non-violence, which consists not of giving in to evil - according to a false interpretation of 'turning the other cheek' - but in responding to evil with good, thus breaking the chains of injustice."
Christian non-violence is not merely tactical behaviour but "the attitude of one who is so convinced of the love and strength of God that he is not afraid to face evil armed with just the weapons of love and truth."
The Holy Father said: "Loving one's enemy constitutes the nucleus of the "Christian revolution" which changes the world "without making any noise about it."
.
The Pope concluded by sending greetings to all the countries celebrating the lunar new year over the weekend.

Source: VIS

 

[marygaspe]

Bless the Holy Father's heart for his inspiring, too true perspective.

 

[mapleleafgirl]

Non-violence is not just tactical behaviour - it is "a personal way of being" based on love, Pope Benedict told pilgrims at yesterday's Angelus
"Turning the other cheek" does not mean giving in to evil but reacting to evil with good, just as "loving one's enemies" means putting more love in a world marked by too much violence and too much injustice, the Pope said.
Before reciting the Angelus, Benedict XVI talked about the preaching of Jesus on 'Love your enemies'.
"What is the meaning of these words of his?" the Pope asked. "Why does Jesus ask us to love our enemies, that is, a love that surpasses human capacity?"
"In reality, the suggestion of Christ is realistic because it takes into account that there is too much violence, too much injustice in the world and therefore the situation cannot be overcome unless it is countered by more love and more goodness.
"This 'more' comes from God: it is his mercy, which became flesh in Jesus and alone can 'turn the balance' of the world away from evil towards good, starting from that small and decisive 'world' that is the heart of man."
Pope Benedict said: "this Gospel page is rightly considered to be the Magna Carta of Christian non-violence, which consists not of giving in to evil - according to a false interpretation of 'turning the other cheek' - but in responding to evil with good, thus breaking the chains of injustice."
Christian non-violence is not merely tactical behaviour but "the attitude of one who is so convinced of the love and strength of God that he is not afraid to face evil armed with just the weapons of love and truth."
The Holy Father said: "Loving one's enemy constitutes the nucleus of the "Christian revolution" which changes the world "without making any noise about it."
.
The Pope concluded by sending greetings to all the countries celebrating the lunar new year over the weekend.

Source: VIS

kinda funny, cos thats more or less what john lennon and others said. i am all for it. violence is too frickin' easy. it takes a brave man to stand up for peace, especially in todays world.

 

[sanctus]

Love Of Our Neighbour

St. John Vianney

All of our religion is but a false religion and all our virtues are mere illusions and we ourselves are only hypocrites in the sight of God if we have not that universal charity for everyone, for the good and for the bad, for the poor people as well as for the rich, for all those who do us harm as much as for those who do us good.

No, my dear brethren, there is no virtue which will let us know better whether we are the children or God than charity.

The obligation we have to love our neighbour is so important that Jesus Christ put it into a Commandment which He placed immediately after that by which He commands us to love Him with all our hearts. He tells us that all the law and the prophets are included in this commandment to love our neighbour. Yes, my dear brethren, we must regard this obligation as the most universal, the most necessary and the most essential to religion and to our salvation. In fulfilling this Commandment, we are fulfilling all others. St. Paul tells us that the other Commandments forbid us to commit adultery, robbery, injuries, false testimonies. If we love our neighbour, we shall not do any of these things because the love we have for our neighbour would not allow us to do him any harm.

 

[temperance]

I totally agree with the commandants ,we are losing basic, simple abilities
hurting each other ,our government has shown us so much corruption ,some must be lost ,not knowing where or who to turn to ,who to trust if we all practiced just the commandments it would be such a more pleasant world ,,its hard when I look at Maslows hierarchy of needs(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maslow's_hierarchy_of_needs) and the most basic of needs are not being met by a (larger than anyone )wants to believe percentage of population in this country

 

[canadarocks]

St. John Vianney

All of our religion is but a false religion and all our virtues are mere illusions and we ourselves are only hypocrites in the sight of God if we have not that universal charity for everyone, for the good and for the bad, for the poor people as well as for the rich, for all those who do us harm as much as for those who do us good.

No, my dear brethren, there is no virtue which will let us know better whether we are the children or God than charity.

The obligation we have to love our neighbour is so important that Jesus Christ put it into a Commandment which He placed immediately after that by which He commands us to love Him with all our hearts. He tells us that all the law and the prophets are included in this commandment to love our neighbour. Yes, my dear brethren, we must regard this obligation as the most universal, the most necessary and the most essential to religion and to our salvation. In fulfilling this Commandment, we are fulfilling all others. St. Paul tells us that the other Commandments forbid us to commit adultery, robbery, injuries, false testimonies. If we love our neighbour, we shall not do any of these things because the love we have for our neighbour would not allow us to do him any harm.

What a provocative and good read this was! Who was or is John Vianney?

 

[AmberEyes]

Very nice! Thank you Sanctus

 

[darleneonfire]

I totally agree with the commandants ,we are losing basic, simple abilities
hurting each other ,our government has shown us so much corruption ,some must be lost ,not knowing where or who to turn to ,who to trust if we all practiced just the commandments it would be such a more pleasant world ,,its hard when I look at Maslows hierarchy of needs(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maslow's_hierarchy_of_needs) and the most basic of needs are not being met by a (larger than anyone )wants to believe percentage of population in this country

We have also, perhaps, lost touch with ourselves. With the basic premise of morality and good manners. Do we really help our neighbours, or do we whine when they "bother" us with their problems? At what level is helping others too much?

 

[tanakar]

Love is indeed a required attribute of the true Christian. Love in its true sense of desiring good for everyone, not the wishy-washy unconditional acceptance and tolerance idea that pop culture has turned it into.

And remember that love for God comes first rather than love for neighbour - the two don't always go perfectly hand in glove.

Scripture shows us the correct attitude to take with regard to our obstinately sinful neignbour - 'if your brother sins, rebuke (more or less gently correct) him, and if he repents, forgive him. If he does not repent, cast him out'

- and Satan himself - 'Get thee behind me Satan - your ways are not God's ways'.

None of this is out of fear or hatred, but out of knowledge of the true path (which isn't that of sin or of Satan) and love of God above all else.

 

[marygaspe]

Love is indeed a required attribute of the true Christian. Love in its true sense of desiring good for everyone, not the wishy-washy unconditional acceptance and tolerance idea that pop culture has turned it into.

And remember that love for God comes first rather than love for neighbour - the two don't always go perfectly hand in glove.

Scripture shows us the correct attitude to take with regard to our obstinately sinful neignbour - 'if your brother sins, rebuke (more or less gently correct) him, and if he repents, forgive him. If he does not repent, cast him out'

- and Satan himself - 'Get thee behind me Satan - your ways are not God's ways'.

None of this is out of fear or hatred, but out of knowledge of the true path (which isn't that of sin or of Satan) and love of God above all else.

The whole bible is based on the two commandments to love God and love one's neighbor. One cannot love without the option to choose not to love; thus God gave man free will. Through God's ten commandments, God teaches man how love for God and neighbor is accomplished.

 

[Sparrow]

Love Of Our Neighbour

St. John Vianney

All of our religion is but a false religion and all our virtues are mere illusions and we ourselves are only hypocrites in the sight of God if we have not that universal charity for everyone, for the good and for the bad, for the poor people as well as for the rich, for all those who do us harm as much as for those who do us good.

No, my dear brethren, there is no virtue which will let us know better whether we are the children or God than charity.

The obligation we have to love our neighbour is so important that Jesus Christ put it into a Commandment which He placed immediately after that by which He commands us to love Him with all our hearts. He tells us that all the law and the prophets are included in this commandment to love our neighbour. Yes, my dear brethren, we must regard this obligation as the most universal, the most necessary and the most essential to religion and to our salvation. In fulfilling this Commandment, we are fulfilling all others. St. Paul tells us that the other Commandments forbid us to commit adultery, robbery, injuries, false testimonies. If we love our neighbour, we shall not do any of these things because the love we have for our neighbour would not allow us to do him any harm.

Thanks for the above. Imagine the beautiful and peaceful world we would have if this was practiced world wide, sorry I am dreaming again. We look around today and we see more self love than love thy neighbor. Also due to the state of today's world fear has replaced love. However the only thing that can STOP fear is LOVE.

Sorry I am just rambling on. I will come back when my brain is in gear.

 

[marygaspe]

Thanks for the above. Imagine the beautiful and peaceful world we would have if this was practiced world wide, sorry I am dreaming again. We look around today and we see more self love than love thy neighbor. Also due to the state of today's world fear has replaced love. However the only thing that can STOP fear is LOVE.

Sorry I am just rambling on. I will come back when my brain is in gear.

The Golden Rule is "Do unto others as you would have them do unto you".,

There is a big difference between loving your neighbour and doing unto him; namely, you must love first, and then do unto him.

 

[csanopal]

The Golden Rule is "Do unto others as you would have them do unto you".,

There is a big difference between loving your neighbour and doing unto him; namely, you must love first, and then do unto him.

In Christianity we're told to turn the other cheek. Our 'neighbour' is deemed to be anyone we might have an effect on; we are to show love to such.

Against this we have several ideologies that are not so lenient, such as Islam.

 

[sanctus]

What a provocative and good read this was! Who was or is John Vianney?

St. Jean-Baptiste-Marie Vianney

Catholic Encyclopedia

​

Curé of Ars, born at Dardilly, near Lyons, France, on 8 May, 1786; died at Ars, 4 August, 1859; son of Matthieu Vianney and Marie Beluze.
In 1806, the curé at Ecully, M. Balley, opened a school for ecclesiastical students, and Jean-Marie was sent to him. Though he was of average intelligence and his masters never seem to have doubted his vocation, his knowledge was extremely limited, being confined to a little arithmetic, history, and geography, and he found learning, especially the study of Latin, excessively difficult. One of his fellow-students, Matthias Loras, afterwards first Bishop of Dubuque, assisted him with his Latin lessons.
But now another obstacle presented itself. Young Vianney was drawn in the conscription, the warSpain and the urgent need of recruits having caused Napoleon to withdraw the exemption enjoyed by the ecclesiastical students in the diocese of his uncle, Cardinal Fesch. Matthieu Vianney tried unsuccessfully to procure a substitute, so his son was obliged to go. His regiment soon received marching orders. The morning of departure, Jean-Baptiste went to church to pray, and on his return to the barracks found that his comrades had already left. He was threatened with arrest, but the recruiting captain believed his story and sent him after the troops. At nightfall he met a young man who volunteered to guide him to his fellow-soldiers, but led him to Noes, where some deserters had gathered. The mayor persuaded him to remain there, under an assumed name, as schoolmaster. After fourteen months, he was able to communicate with his family. His father was vexed to know that he was a deserter and ordered him to surrender but the matter was settled by his younger brother offering to serve in his stead and being accepted.
Jean-Baptiste now resumed his studies at Ecully. In 1812, he was sent to the seminary at Verrieres; he was so deficient in Latin as to be obliged to follow the philosophy course in French. He failed to pass the examinations for entrance to the seminary proper, but on re-examination three months later succeeded. On 13 August, 1815, he was ordained priest by Mgr. Simon, Bishop of Grenoble. His difficulties in making the preparatory studies seem to have been due to a lack of mental suppleness in dealing with theory as distinct from practice -- a lack accounted for by the meagreness of his early schooling, the advanced age at which he began to study, the fact that he was not of more than average intelligence, and that he was far advanced in spiritual science and in the practice of virtue long before he came to study it in the abstract. He was sent to Ecully as assistant to M. Balley, who had first recognized and encouraged his vocation, who urged him to persevere when the obstacles in his way seemed insurmountable, who interceded with the examiners when he failed to pass for the higher seminary, and who was his model as well as his preceptor and patron. In 1818, after the death of M. Balley, M. Vianney was made parish priestLyons. It was in the exercise of the functions of the parish priestFrench hamlet that as the "curé d'Ars" he became known throughout France and the Christian world. A few years after he went to Ars, he founded a sort of orphanage for destitute girls. It was called "The Providence" and was the model of similar institutions established later all over France. M. Vianney himself instructed the children of "The Providence" in the catechism, and these catechetical instructions came to be so popular that at last they were given every day in the church to large crowds. "The Providence" was the favourite work of the "curé d'Ars", but, although it was successful, it was closed in 1847, because the holy curé thought that he was not justified in maintaining it in the face of the opposition of many good people. Its closing was a very heavy trial to him.
But the chief labour of the Curé d'Ars was the direction of souls. He had not been long at Ars when people began coming to him from other parishes, then from distant places, then from all parts of France, and finally from other countries. As early as 1835, his bishop forbade him to attend the annual retreats of the diocesan clergy because of "the souls awaiting him yonder". During the last ten years of his life, he spent from sixteen to eighteen hours a day in the confessional. His advice was sought by bishops, priests, religious, young men and women in doubtvocation, sinners, persons in all sorts of difficulties and the sick. In 1855, the number of pilgrims had reached twenty thousand a year. The most distinguished persons visited Ars for the purpose of seeing the holy curé and hearing his daily instruction. The Venerable Father Colin was ordained deacon at the same time, and was his life-long friend, while Mother Marie de la Providence founded the Helpers of the Holy Souls on his advice and with his constant encouragement. His direction was characterized by common sense, remarkable insight, and supernatural knowledge. He would sometimes divine sins withheld in an imperfect confession. His instructions were simple in language, full of imagery drawn from daily life and country scenes, but breathing faith and that love of God which was his life principle and which he infused into his audience as much by his manner and appearance as by his words, for, at the last, his voice was almost inaudible.
The miracles recorded by his biographers are of three classes: with of Ars, a village not very far from in this remote as to their

• first, the obtaining of money for his charities and food for his orphans;
• secondly, supernatural knowledge of the past and future;
• thirdly, healing the sick, especially children.

The greatest miracle of all was his life. He practised mortification from his early youth. and for forty years his food and sleep were insufficient, humanly speaking, to sustain life. And yet he laboured incessantly, with unfailing humility, gentleness, patience, and cheerfulness, until he was more than seventy-three years old.
On 3 October, 1874 Jean-Baptiste-Marie Vianney was proclaimed Venerable by Pius IX and on 8 January, 1905, he was enrolled among the Blessed. Pope Pius X proposed him as a model to the parochial clergy.
[Note: In 1925, Pope Pius XI canonized him. His feast is kept on 4 August.]

 

[Sparrow]

Love of our Neighbour

The Golden Rule is "Do unto others as you would have them do unto you".,

There is a big difference between loving your neighbour and doing unto him; namely, you must love first, and then do unto him.

You got it, that is exactly what I wanted to say... Thank you! We do not need any other words that says it all.

 

[sanctus]

You got it, that is exactly what I wanted to say... Thank you! We do not need any other words that says it all.

Like so many wise men and women have stated in so many various ways over all these centuries of human existence, that love is the beginning of all. Brings to mind a great song, "All You Need Is Love", still true now as it was in 1967.

 

[Sparrow]

You are right that is a good one, often we hear a song but don't really listen to the word.

 

[marygaspe]

You are right that is a good one, often we hear a song but don't really listen to the word.

I love that song, but then, I love the Beatles in general At one point I was going to marry Paul. Just had two problems with it, one he didn't know the plan, and two I was 15 when i made the plan:-(

Seriously, it seems so simple to issue such catch-phrases. We can agree it makes sense, but when we go to put it into actual practice..that is where it gets a bit sticky.

 

[csanopal]

G. K. Chesterton said that Jesus commanded us to love our neighbour and to love our enemies, generally because they are the same people.

But seriously, if we cannot love our neighbour, as annoying as he may be or as noisy or contentious or whatever, what good is it? What virtue is there in loving those who love us? as Jesus put it. None at all.

 

[groovy]

I love that song, but then, I love the Beatles in general At one point I was going to marry Paul. Just had two problems with it, one he didn't know the plan, and two I was 15 when i made the plan:-(

Seriously, it seems so simple to issue such catch-phrases. We can agree it makes sense, but when we go to put it into actual practice..that is where it gets a bit sticky.

LOVE is the answer. I still believe in the ideals we had back in those days. Why not? What should change as we get older? I still wear peace buttons and attend anti-war rallies. I conserve what I can and try to do unto others.These words in this sermon are spot on, in my opinion. Change doesen't begin with the government, it begins with the self.