Dear Friends and Supporters,

Welcome to the last stop on our Listen for Lent Journey, which has been encouraging each of us to take pause and listen for the prophetic voices around us on different themes at the heart of Pax Christi's mission: transformation, reconciliation, solidarity, justice, peacebuilding, and -last but not least- nonviolence.

Pax Christi shares a fundamental message: only through nonviolence, can we build a more peaceful world. Whether we are advancing the Catholic Church’s commitment to nonviolence or promoting active nonviolence as an effective tool for trauma healing, preventing or interrupting violence and protecting threatened communities, nonviolence has always been central to our work.

As Pope Francis once said, "To be true followers of Jesus today also includes embracing his teaching about nonviolence."

Our Listen for Lent journey ends here, but let us all continue creating prayerful spaces to discern and listen to become effective peacemakers.

God is still speaking of nonviolence, will you listen?
Sunday's reflection by Sister Teresia Wamũyũ Wachira (IBVM)
Palm Sunday is the beginning of the Holy week. When reflecting on events that will unfold this week, what stands out is the fickleness of human beings; the capacity to be and act violently or nonviolently. Human’s fickleness is exemplified in Jesus entry to Jerusalem where the people excitedly shout, “Hosanna Son of David” and then later shout angrily, “Take him away, and crucify him”. Equally, Jesus’ suffering is foretold in Isaiah 50:6, “I offered my back to those who beat me, my cheeks to those who pulled out my beard; I did not hide my face from mocking and spitting.” This is also highlighted in the Gospel readings where Jesus, because of taking on our humanity experiences different forms of violence. Today, let us ponder on Jesus’ response of love to the violence He experiences: “Father forgive them for they know not what they do” (Luke; 23:34). Today, similar to Jesus time, people experience different forms of violence - are stripped of their dignity, nailed to many crosses of poverty, debts, public ridicule and death through direct, structural and cultural violence. What can we learn from Jesus’ nonviolent response to the violence He experienced? What is our response? Let us take this opportunity to sit at the foot of the cross of Jesus and learn to be a nonviolent person through words and deeds.
Thank you for following our journey!