John Dear concludes his powerful book with the following Beatitudes of Peace. I highly recommend this book for all seeking to build the kin-dom of God right now!
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Arise and Walk Forth
Beatitudes for Peace
by
John Dear
Arise and walk forth, you poor, you poor in
spirit, oppressed, and powerless. The kingdom of God is yours! Keep on going;
don’t be discouraged by your poverty or powerlessness.
Arise and walk forth, you who mourn. You will
be comforted! Keep on going; grieve, but keep organizing, seeking justice and
making peace.
Arise and walk forth, you who are nonviolent,
gentle, and meek. You shall inherit the earth! Keep on going, don’t be
overwhelmed by the world’s violence. Practice creative nonviolence and become
one with creation.
Arise and walk forth, you who hunger and
thirst for justice. You will be satisfied! Keep on going; don’t give up the
nonviolent struggle for justice.
Arise and walk forth, you who are merciful to
everyone. You will receive mercy! Keep on going; be instruments of mercy in
a merciless world. You can never be too merciful, too compassionate, or
too forgiving. You will experience the mercy of God.
Arise and walk forth, you who are pure in
heart. You will see the God of peace and love! Keep on going. Let God disarm
your heart; cultivate interior nonviolence; create a space for the God of peace
and love to dwell within you. You will see everyone as your brother and sister,
and God everywhere. You will find God in all things.
Arise and walk forth, you peacemakers! You
will be called the sons and daughters of the God of peace! Keep on going, even
though everyone else supports war, killing, nuclear weapons, and violence of
every kind. Don’t give up. Make peace, end wars, teach nonviolence, build peace
movements, advocate for a new world without war, reconcile everyone, and
welcome my resurrection gift of peace. Be who you already are, the beloved sons
and daughters of the God of peace!
Arise and walk forth, you who are persecuted
for working for justice! The kingdom of God is yours! Keep on going. Don’t
give up, even though others reject, harass, denounce, and turn against you. You
are truly my disciple! For I too was persecuted for working for justice. I too
was rejected, harassed, even arrested, condemned, tortured, and executed. In a
world of injustice and permanent war, anyone who works for justice and peace
will be persecuted. But you keep going, in a spirit of peace, love, and
nonviolence, forgiving those who hurt you, praying for your persecutors, and
trusting in the God of peace to welcome you into God’s kingdom of nonviolent
love.
Arise and walk forth, you who are insulted,
persecuted, and slandered because of me! Rejoice and be glad, for your reward
will be great in heaven! Keep on going, for you have joined the lineage of the
holy prophets of old, Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel, and the rest. Now you have
become one of the holy prophets of your own time. You join the lineage of
peacemakers, including Mahatma Gandhi, Dorothy Day, Martin Luther King
Jr., Rosa Parks, Oscar Romero, Franz Jägerstätter, and Cesar Chavez. This is
your opportunity to make peace, love your enemies, and trust God. Now you get
to practice nonviolence and show everyone what it means to be my disciple. Through
your loving nonviolence, my holy spirit will disarm others and help disarm the
world.
“Arise and walk forth!”
