397 NONVIOLENCE

YOUCAT Lesson 397

YOUCAT the catechism for Catholic youth

397  What did Jesus say about nonviolence?

Jesus places a high value on nonviolent action.  He commands his disciples: “Do not resist one who is evil.  But if any one strikes you on the right cheek, turn to him the other also” (Matthew 5:39).  [2311]

The Salt March in India on March 12, 1930 "Gandhi Salt March"(photo by Walter Bosshard ).  The shirtless man with bowed head in the center of the photo is Mohatma Gandhi . ….. 397

The 1930 Salt Satyagraha campaign was based upon Gandhi's principles of nonviolent protest called satyagraha, which he loosely translated as "truth-force."^[7] Literally, it is formed from the Sanskrit words satya, "truth", and agraha, "force". In early 1930 the Indian National Congress chose satyagraha as their main tactic for winning Indian independence from British rule and appointed Gandhi to organize the campaign. Gandhi chose the 1882 British Salt Act as the first target of satyagraha. The Salt March to Dandi, and the beating by British police of hundreds of nonviolent protesters in Dharasana, which received worldwide news coverage, demonstrated the effective use of civil disobedience as a technique for fighting social and political injustice.^[8] The satyagraha teachings of Gandhi and the March to Dandi had a significant influence on American activistsMartin Luther King, Jr., James Bevel, and others during the movement for civil rights for blacks and other minority groups in the 1960s.^[9]--Wikipedia

He rebukes Peter, who wants to defend him with force: “Put your sword into its sheath” (John 18:11).  Jesus does not call his disciples to take up weapons.  He remains silent before Pilate.  His way is to take the part of the victims, to go to the Cross, to redeem the world through love, and to call the peacemakers blessed.  Therefore the Church, too, respects people who for reasons of conscience refuse to be part of the armed services but place themselves at the service of society in some other way.  283-284

“And they shall beat their swords into plowshares, and their spears into pruning hooks; nation shall not lift up sword against nation, neither shall they learn war anymore.”  Micah 4:3

“War is not always inevitable.  It is always a defeat for humanity.” Saint Pope John Paul II (1920-2005) January 13, 2003

[2311]

2311 Public authorities should make equitable provision for those who for reasons of conscience refuse to bear arms; these are nonetheless obliged to serve the human community in some other way. (Compasre Gaudium et Spes 79 § 3.)¹⁰⁸ –Catechism of the Catholic Church, Second Edition