October 2 is the UN International Day of Nonviolence which has been set to coincide with the birthday of Mahatma Gandhi. Nonviolence is the concept which culturally must have emerged in oriental religions such as Hinduism, Taoism and Buddhism. An attitude cultivated in the hearts of men eliminating all desire to harm the other. The spirit of nonviolence in these cultures extend beyond the realm of human life to include all living things and indeed nature. Mahatma Gandhi exhorted all to not resist to evil so that we can be able to build a world of tolerance and peace. Aldo Capitini, the founder of the nonviolence movement in Italy was the first person to write the word Nonviolence without separation of violence and its’ negation (Nonviolence instead of “non violence” or “non-violence”), to underline the fact that nonviolence was an independent value and not a negation of violence. Nonviolence is not a sign of weakness but a virtue of a man who could have used aggression to his adversaries but chose not to do so because he/she feels so strongly armed with love and peace. Jesus is a great teacher of nonviolence and his words are so clear: "You have heard that it was said, 'An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth," Jesus recalls. "But I say to you, Do not [violently] resist one who does evil. If anyone strikes you on the right cheek, turn to him the other as well. If a person takes you to law and would have your tunic, let him have your cloak as well. And if anyone orders you to go one mile, go two miles with him. Give to anyone who asks, and if anyone wants to borrow, do not turn away" (Mt.5:38-42). But we need to be careful not to turn our nonviolence into passive acceptance of violence or active complicity in violence. We may well follow the wise advices of Fr. John Dear’s Theology of nonviolence: “Instead of passively accepting the oppressive and humiliating violence which lands on us like the back of a right hand slap across one's face, we are to turn the cheek, look our oppressors in the eye, accept violence without retaliating and all the while show our oppressors that we too are human, so that their hearts and eyes may be opened, the violence stopped and together we are reconciled” . Motivated by the Blood of Christ shed on the cross let us pray and work for a world free of violence. Jesus goes to his death rejecting violence, loving enemies, calling all who come to him to forgive their enemies, returning good for evil. The Eucharist is the sacrament of nonviolence and Christ offering his body and blood for our nourishment is the one who can show how we can build a society without shedding of blood.

For the International Day of non violence (October 2nd) such a message may be good to reflect upon.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5IvPIWzQcUY&feature=player_embedded

International day of Prayer for peace

Background: September 21 was set by the UN an international day of peace since 1982. Nations, communities and individuals are invited to stop and reflect on the causes of violence and hostilities at all levels. Areas where there are wars are invited to observe ceasefire and non-violence. 29 years have passed since this day was proclaimed a global observance, progress have been made on personal and social levels. Obviously there is still a lot to be done. Let us reflect, pray and sponsor initiatives that can promote peace and non-violence in our neighborhoods, communities and societies.




Called to work as ambassadors of reconciliation (2Cor. 5,18-20):

“All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation: 19 that God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ, not counting people’s sins against them. And he has committed to us the message of reconciliation. 20 We are therefore Christ’s ambassadors, as though God were making his appeal through us. We implore you on Christ’s behalf: Be reconciled to God”.



Called to be active part of this “new creation” brought about not only by the death of the son of God on the cross but more so of his resurrection, we are commissioned to be aware of, pray for and work for a new creation free of hatred, violence and mutual annihilation. Among the initiatives for this international day for peace, the Cincinnati Province Precious Blood ministry of reconciliation organizes a 100 days of prayer calling people wherever they are to “make their voices heard”. Let us join them, as CPPS world-wide to the campaign.



A Pledge of nonviolence (form the Prayer by John Dear, SJ, 2009)

(Leader) I invite all those who are ready to recite together this pledge of nonviolence, that we will try to practice and live the nonviolence of Jesus for the rest of our lives:



In the name of the God of peace and nonviolent Jesus,

I pledge today to live, practice and teach the nonviolence of Jesus,

• to renounce violence and to non-cooperate with the world's violence;

• to love every one as my sister and brother;

• to respond with love and not to retaliate with violence;

• to forgive those who have hurt me and reconcile with everyone;

• to accept suffering as I work for justice, rather than inflict further suffering;

• to live more simply, at one with all creation;

• to work with others for the abolition of war, poverty, nuclear weapons, global warming and all violence;

• to follow the nonviolent Jesus on the way of the cross into the new life of resurrection, knowing that my life is in God's hands, that life, love and peace are stronger than death, hatred and war;

• to seek God's reign of nonviolence for the rest of my life;

• and to promote and teach the Gospel message of nonviolence.

May the God of peace give me the grace and strength to fulfill this pledge and make me an instrument of God's peace. Amen.

save the bees for the sake of life

2010 was declared the International year of biodiversity, all were invited to safeguard life and its variety of species of animals, plans, insects and all other living creatures that the Good Creator endowed the humankind so that he/she might “have life and have it to the full”.

Silently, billions of bees are dying off and our entire food chain is in danger. Bees don't just make honey, they are a giant, humble workforce, pollinating 90% of the plants we grow.

Multiple scientific studies blame one group of toxic pesticides for their rapid demise, and bee populations have soared in four European countries that have banned these products. But powerful chemical companies are lobbying hard to keep selling this poison. Our best chance to save bees now is to push the US and EU to join the ban -- their action is critical and will have a ripple effect on the rest of the world.

Recent years have seen a steep and disturbing global decline in bee populations -- some bee species are now extinct and others are at just 4% of their previous numbers. Scientists have been scrambling for answers. Some studies claim the decline may be due to a combination of factors including disease, habitat loss and toxic chemicals. But new leading independent research has produced strong evidence blaming neonicotinoid pesticides. France, Italy, Slovenia and even Germany, where the main manufacturer Bayer is based, have banned one of these bee killers. But, Bayer continues to export its poison across the world.

Source: http://www.avaaz.org/en/save_the_bees/97.php?; www.cbd.int.22010.

Creating a World without Nuclear weapons

The Justice, Peace and Integrity of Creation commission of the Major Superiors of Religious congregation of men and women (USG / UISG) organised a seminar on November 12, 2010 with the theme: "Instruments of Peace: Creating a World Without Nuclear Weapons". The following the the press release.

A world without nuclear weapons is something to strive for, was the common denominator that seems to have been agreed upon by all those who participated in Saturday’s JPIC seminar, entitled: “Instruments of Peace: Creating a World Without Nuclear Weapons”, sponsored by the JPIC Commission of the two Unions of Superior Generals at the Generalate of the De La Salle Christian Brothers, but how and how quickly to achieve that goal was the lingering question at the day’s end. His Excellency Dr. Miguel Diaz, the United States Ambassador to the Holy See, spoke about The Audacity to Hope in a World Without Nuclear Weapons and Cardinal Peter K. Turkson, President of the Pontifical Council Iustitia et Pax spoke to the topic as well.
In his address the Ambassador pointed out the shared positions of the Obama government and the Holy See, mainly that nonproliferation is good and that the development and production of arms ties up resources that could be used in development. He then explained the U.S. government’s efforts at Nuclear Non-Proliferation, supporting peaceful uses of nuclear technology – such as nuclear power, food security, water management and promoting global health – transparency about nuclear stockpiles and the new START treaty. “A world with nuclear weapons is unacceptable. We must be steadfast in stating and restating this declaration. “A world with nuclear weapons is unacceptable.”
Cardinal Turkson outlined the Church’s position on the use of nuclear weapons and the policy of nuclear deterrence since Vatican II. He noted that during the Cold War deterrence was based on two suppositions: 1. The existence of ideological blocs; 2. The assumption of a rational behavior that would prevent either bloc from a first strike because of the fear of escalation and mutual destruction. He then analyzed society’s positions on the threat of the use of nuclear arms from the legal, strategic, moral and economic aspects. He too ended his talk with a challenge for all to work for the elimination of nuclear weapons by decreasing demand for them, and ultimately by following the call to be instruments of peace.
During several question and answer sessions the speakers responded to remarks or questions about the policies of the U.S. government and/or the Holy See regarding disarmament and other policies. The discussion was lively and reflected the passionate interest of all involved.
In a prepared response to the presentations, Mercedarian Sister Filo Hirota noted that if we want to be proactive for nuclear disarmament, our action must be well grounded with a deeply ethical and spiritual motivation to deny any will to kill. She also noted the importance of working towards a nuclear weapons convention and asked all the participants to become familiar with various actions for nuclear disarmament. She concluded by reading a message from Archbishop Joseph Takami of Nagasaki, Japan, who stated that “Any weapon, let alone nuclear weapons, destroys the dignity of a person and should never be manufactured. Total abolition of nuclear weapons is an indispensable condition for world peace.”

International Day of Nonviolence 2010

INTERNATIONAL DAY OF NON VIOLENCE

October 2nd is the date that the UN has marked as the International Day dedicated to nonviolence. What does it say to us? Is it an anniversary to remember rituals, such as the anniversary of the dead, or rather as the date that calls on our consciences and our bodies with all their sensitivity, to live differently? In the last century some prophets unveiled to the world the new name for peace: Nonviolence. For Tolstoy living the Christian law of love affirms the universal non-resistance to evil by violence and objection of conscience. That was his response to military spending and challenged the states and members of Churches to take an option to follow God’s command “Thou shalt not kill”. Then Gandhi stated that non-violence was as old as the mountains, showing that it declined in our time and assumed the power of God for the liberation of peoples for independence. He said that the policy of nonviolence was more effective and powerful than nuclear bomb. In Italy, the pedagogy of nonviolence was advocated by Capitini when he began to entrench democracy in the constitution and to enlarge it with the power of all. Only the daily practice of nonviolence in all areas: religious, economic, social and political arena may prevent dictatorships, he said. There have been other people in history who gave their testimony that nonviolence is the new name for peace. People like Martin Luther King Jr., Oscar Romero, Nelson Mandela and others.

We are motivated by the Blood of Christ shed on the cross to pray and work for a world free of violence. Jesus goes to his death rejecting violence, loving enemies, calling all who come to him to forgive their enemies, returning good for evil. The Eucharist is the sacrament of nonviolence and Christ offering his body and blood for our nourishment is the one who can show how we can build a society without shedding of blood.

Can Millenium Development Goals be met in this way?

What steps your Government has taken to meet with the Millennium Development goals?

Ten years have past since the world community of Nations committed itself to the eradication of extreme poverty; Achieve universal primary education; Promote gender equality and empower women; Reduce child mortality; Improve maternal health; Combat HIV/Aids, malaria and other diseases; Ensure environmental sustainability and Develop a Global Partnership for Development.

Word leaders have been summoned by the UN Secretary General to assess how far this aim is being achieved. Do you know the percentage your government devotes to this goal even after economic recession?

According to UN-WHO statistics , development nations are on track to meet the poverty target because of progress in China. But in Sub-Sahara African and Western Asia the proportion of hungry people has increased. Globally the number of hungry people rose from 842 million in 1990-92, to 1.02 billion people in 2009.

While countries in Sub-Saharan Africa have seen great improvements by abolishing school fees and offering free school lunches, the target is unlikely to be met. The drop-out rate is high, and although there has been some investment in teachers and classrooms, it is not enough.

Gender gaps in education have narrowed, but remain high at university (tertiary) level in some developing countries because of poverty. Employment for women has improved but there are still many more women than men in low-paid jobs. There have been small gains for women in political power.

Child deaths are falling but at the current rate are well short of the two-thirds target. They more than halved in Northern Africa, Asia, Latin America and the Caribbean but remain high in parts of Southern Asia. In Sub-Saharan Africa the absolute number of children who have died actually increased.

Although in all regions there are advances in providing pregnant women with antenatal care, the maternal mortality rate is unacceptably high, with progress well short of the decline needed to meet the target. Those at most risk are adolescent girls, yet funding on family planning is falling behind.

The HIV/AIDS epidemic has stabilised in most regions, but new infections are rising in some areas and antiretroviral treatment has mushroomed. Global funding has helped control malaria but is still far short of what is needed. On current trends tuberculosis will have been halted and started to reverse.

The world will meet the drinking water target on current trends but half the population of developing regions still lacks basic sanitation. The 2010 target to slow decline in biodiversity has been missed. Improving the lives of 100 million slum dwellers has been achieved but their actual numbers are rising.

Levels of aid continue to rise, but major donors are well below target. In terms of volume the USA, France, Germany, UK and Japan are the largest donors. G8 countries have failed to deliver on a promise to double aid to Africa. Debt burdens have been eased for developing countries.

What are you doing to lobby or influence your government to increase its contribution to speeding the fulfilment of the Millennium Development goals?