Christian Nonviolence*

Hi, guys...
This is my second work for the blog assignment!
The topic is...
Christian Nonviolence- Christian Nonviolence - Christian Nonviolence - Christian Nonviolence
The article can be found in Catholic News, Sunday, 04 March, 2007
Or from the URL: http://www.catholicnews.com/data/stories/cns/0700960.htm
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“But I say to you, love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who spitefully use you and persecute you”
-Matthew 5:44-

For many Christians, this utterance, which is believed to be the ‘Magna Carta’ of Christian Nonviolence, must be familiar to them as the Church had taught them about this utterance since they were a little kid.


from http://globalrecordings.net/images/avs/gn-29.jpg
(a picture about the story which Jesus told to his followers about a man who was travelling along a road. Robbers attacked him and beat him up. A man from another tribe found the badly injured man. He bandaged his wounds. He put the man on his donkey and took him to an inn where he took care of him. He himself paid the innkeeper to look after the sick man until he was better. Jesus said we too should love and help anyone who is in need, even people of other races or religions.)

But the truth is that many of us abandoned it and some even chose to follow the other utterance which is;
“You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemies”, instead.

Pope Benedict XVI believes that to overcome the violence and injustice in this world, we have to use more love and more goodness to counter it, rather than revenge it with another violence and injustice.

“Nonviolence, is not simply a tactical behavior,” the Pope said, “but rather is a way of being, the attitude of one who is so convinced of the love of God and His power, That he is not afraid to face evil with only the weapons of love and truth”

From what the Pope said, I can infer that Christian Revolution, which is to break down the chain of injustice in the world, is not based on the strategies of power, but is a revolution of love.

The very first time I heard about Christian Nonviolence is when the Father of my old Church in Indonesia told me about Matthew 5:44.
(I was 10 years old back then)
That time, I personally confused as it is very odd to love someone who had hurt us.
But, as I grew older, I realize what it really means…

To make it easier to understand what the utterance means, let us think about this…
There was someone who hate you and abuse you,

Firstly, you could abuse him back.
But he would likely to be more and more harsh to you,
and your problem would not be solved.

Secondly, you could remain silent and let him do whatever he wants
As time passed by, he would likely to be bored and left you alone,
but your problem would not be completely solved.

Or, lastly, you could counter him with love and kindness.
He would likely touched by your reaction and realize that he had done something wrong to you.
He would then say sorry to you and your problem would be solved.

495 words

Mulia 04/03/07
Comments are welcomed