On the 2 October, International Day of Nonviolence (and Gandhi’s birthday) Pax Christi join with the Catholic Nonviolence Initiative to offer the following focus for prayer and reflection to help individuals and communities affirm their intention /commitment to live a nonviolent life. The working of this commitment was created in the United States by Eileen Egan and Rev. John Dear.
The theme for 2022 is: “Blessed is every step toward nonviolence.” Acknowledging that a life of nonviolence is a process that takes daily work. You are invited to take steps that broaden your understanding of its many facets, steps that deepen your faith in the nonviolent message of the Gospel, and steps that increase your engagement as we build a nonviolent world for all of God’s creation.
Individuals, parish groups, Pax Christi sections, and religious communities are all encouraged to plan one or more actions between 21 September and 2 October that strengthen the Catholic Church’s understanding of nonviolence as an essential aspect of our faith.
On the 30th September: The Catholic Nonviolence Initiative, the JPIC Commission of USG-UISG, and LISTEN (Laudato Si’ International Scholars Tertiary Education Network) will hold a special prayer service on nonviolence and the environment, 14h00-16h00 Central European time. The service will be offered in English, French, Spanish and Italian. See details:
Non Violence & the Environment – Webinar
Webinar: Non-violence and the environment: A pact between human beings and the environment
September 30 from 2:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. (Rome time).
Direct Access Link (Zoom): bit.ly/SeasonOfCreation2022
Webinar languages: English, Italian, Spanish, French
“A pact between human beings and the environment is necessary.”
(Pope Francis for the World Day of Prayer for the Care of Creation September 1, 2022)
Conflicts arise from the destruction of the environment and catastrophes increase due to climate change and loss of biodiversity. We will reflect on the importance of the practice of non-violence with the seven goals of PALS and move on to a deeper understanding of what it means to listen to all our sisters and brothers in creation.
(The event is co-sponsored by Pax Christi Catholic Nonviolence Initiative , LISTEN and Sowing Hope for the Planet ).
What can you do?
- Celebrate the creativity of nonviolence.
- Share and pray the Vow of Nonviolence on 2 October
- Amplify the many ways in which Pope Francis is moving us in the direction of nonviolence at personal, national and global levels.
- Explore the faith challenge of nonviolence. See below prayer and reflection card for personal or group use.
Vow of nonviolence
Recognising the violence in my own heart, yet trusting in the goodness and mercy of God, I vow to practice the nonviolence of Jesus who taught us in the Sermon on the Mount:
“Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called the sons and daughters of God… You have learned how it was said, ‘You must love your neighbor and hate your enemy,’ but I say to you, ‘Love your enemies, and pray for those who persecute you. In this way, you will be daughters and sons of your Creator in heaven.”
I vow to carry out in my life the love and example of Jesus
- by striving for peace within myself and seeking to be a peacemaker in my daily life;
- by refusing to retaliate in the face of provocation and violence; by persevering in nonviolence of tongue and heart;
- by living conscientiously and simply so that I do not deprive others of the means to live;
- by actively resisting evil and working non-violently to abolish war and the causes of war from my own heart and from the face of the earth.
God, I trust in Your sustaining love and believe that just as You gave me the grace and desire to offer this, so You will also bestow abundant grace to fulfil it. Amen.
(This text is available in English, French, Arabic, Italian, Korean, German, Spanish and Swahili).
Useful Links
The Catholic Nonviolence Initiative is a project of Pax Christi International that began in 2016.
For list of Church Documents on Non-Violence see HERE
Check out this leaflet for CNDA 2022 prepared by Pax Christi England & Wales: An invitation to see, judge, act
To download a copy of the ‘Vow of Non-Violence – Multi-language-vow-of-nonviolence