40 Days Without Violence

Each day during the season of Lent, (starting March 9), I plan to post a brief reflection on what I’ve learned while trying to live without violence.  This week, I attended the 2011 Congress on Urban Ministry sponsored by SCUPE.  The Congress theme was “Peacemaking in a Culture of Violence.”  It was extremely timely and very helpful in my preparation for Lent and my “fast” from violence.  What I realized is that I am often the perpetrator of violence, more often the victim of violence, but most often the unquestioning participant in a culture and system that is bent toward domination, destruction and death.  It is my goal to find the courage to question the culture and extricate myself from it’s expectations and demands while also acting in ways that bend myself toward liberation, love and life.  Honestly, I’m a bit nervous, but I am also excited to take steps on Jesus’ own radical path toward life.