Am I politically dangerous? Fr. John Dear, Catholic priest and longtime peace activist, grabbed my attention with the intriguing title of his essay:
Why Daily Meditation is Politically Dangerous: The Way of
Universal Love (God) is a Threat to the Culture of Violence and War
Dear writes about meditation:
“This daily disarmament of the heart transforms us. Through our ongoing disarmament, the world is a little bit more disarmed. We’ve been taught by the culture of war that God blesses America, defends us in war, wants us to be rich, and crushes our enemies. The Gospel, on the other hand, teaches us that God is a God of love, a God of peace, a God of nonviolence.”
Every day I practice Centering Prayer, a receptive meditative prayer in which I consent to the presence and action of God. I’m then challenged, as Dear says, “to go forth in that spirit of healing peace and nonviolence to love and serve God and humanity” or what he calls “active public peacemaking.” As I have I prayed for the wisdom to know what this means for me, I keep thinking how language can promote either piece or violence.
We often hear violent language in our communities, news, podcasts, social media, and communications from our leaders— name-calling, threats, cruel insults, and bullying. What can we do about this dehumanizing language? For starters, we can commit to always use respectful language when referring to or addressing everyone, even our political opponents. This does not mean we condone what they say or do. Instead, we mobilize our self-control so we are able 1) to use only “I statements” and facts and, 2) to quietly listen to our opponents, recognizing that listening does not mean agreeing.
One way to “disarm” our heart, as Dear describes, is to practice meditation or any kind of quiet prayer. Centering Prayer provides me with a method of turning to the the Divine Therapist to help me find greater inner peace and, hopefully, bring that peace into the world.
So, if we want a non-violent world, we must begin with non-violent hearts. Meditation is a powerful place to start this healing process. Some of us may bring peace to the world by listening with respect and love to opponents. Others will be active in political movements, protests, or letter writing. Still others will provide financial support to our poor or marginalized brothers and sisters. Or we can do all of these things!
Personally, I kind of like the idea of becoming “politically dangerous” in this way. Join me and let’s help heal our violent world.
SUGGESTIONS:
1. Read Dear’s short essay, “Why Daily Meditation is Politically Dangerous.”
2. Bridging organization are working hard to bring Americans together…and this includes re-learning how to understand and talk with one another. Check out these examples: Braver Angels and the One America Movement (faith based).
3. Prayerfully reflect on the words of Thomas Merton: “Instead of hating people you think are war makers, hate the appetites and disorder in your own soul, which are the causes of war. If you love peace, then hate injustice, hate tyranny, hate greed—but hate these things in yourself, not in another.”
3. An easy first step to become politically active is to express your views to your representatives. The phone app “5 Calls” makes this process very easy. It offers topics, various points of view, scripts, and links to connect with your representatives.
God bless and happy peace-making!
Donna
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Dr. Donna Chacko promotes health of body, mind, and spirit through her website (serenityandhealth.com), her blog, her podcast/vlog series, “Engaging with a Messy World” and " “Pop-Up Conversations on Health of Mind, Body, and Spirit,” and programs at her church. She is the author of Pilgrimage: A Doctor’s Healing Journey (Luminare Press, 2021), 2022 Illumination Awards Gold Medal Winner, 2022 Reader Views Literary Award Gold Medal Winner, and 2022 Catholic Media Association First Place Awards.
Learn how a prayer practice can bring peace, heal violence, and make you politically dangerous.