W AGING P EACE

D O N OW : Write a paragraph answering the question: What does it mean to have a peaceful society? You may wish to write down characteristics of a peaceful society.

U NDERSTANDING C ONFLICT AND V IOLENCE Conflict is inevitable When faced with conflict we have 2 choices for resolution 1. Resolve conflict with violence 2. Resolve conflict through peaceful creative means

C ONFLICT Write: Brainstorm a list of common conflicts in a teenagers life. With who do they occur and why? What feelings or words would you use to describe conflict?

C ONFLICT NOT NECESSARILY A BAD THING : Can happen in any relationship Arise from different needs and desires 2 kinds of conflict Inevitable Sinful

I NEVITABLE CONFLICTS No connection to the motives of people involved May arise from differing needs No single right way to approach the situation- sometimes there are just different ways

S INFUL C ONFLICTS Result from sinful actions Pursue own selfish interests with little or no concern for the needs and desires of others Are not inevitable Arise from sinful motive

D O L ATER Write a paragraph describing an inevitable conflict you have experience. Write a second paragraph about a sinful conflict you have experienced. In a final paragraph, compare and contrast the experience.

D O N OW Recall and write a paragraph description of an experience when they felt fully and intensely alive.

D ISCUSS Describe your experience List elements of your stories which were key factors in your experiences.

List One List Two CalmQuietStill No tension IntenseExcitingActiveChallenging

D O L ATER Choose the quotation that strikes you. Write key ideas in the quote about “what is peace” and “what peace-making involves.” Answer the following questions: Do you believe the peace described in the quotations is important to seek in our personal relationships? In our local communities? Nationally? Globally? Do you believe God is actively involved in creating such peace in the world today? In what ways do you already create such peace? In what ways could you increase your peacemaking efforts?

C ONFLICT IN A P EACEFUL W ORLD Justice demands that conflicts rooted in sin must be eliminated Natural conflicts will remain Help us grow and change Conflicts in a just world are resolved in a positive, constructive and creative way Peace is not a static state of no conflict Peace is a dynamic way of relating Resolve conflicts in creative ways-motivated by what is best for all

V IOLENCE : H ARM AND D ESTRUCTION Violence refers to harming or destroying the well- being or existence of a person, group or community Can be physical or psychological Touches every level of human relationships, from personal to global, including the environment

W HAT ARE EXAMPLES OF VIOLENCE IN THE WORLD TODAY ?

D O N OW : In writing, agree or disagree with this statement: The effects of basic injustice, such as racism, sexism, and poverty, should be though of as violence.

I NSTITUTIONAL V IOLENCE Injustice as a form of violence Woven into the fabric of society Governments, businesses, schools, police forces, churches Less visible Effects can be hard to trace Not obvious who is guilty

T HE S PIRAL OF V IOLENCE Violence is rarely isolated One act of violence almost always gives rise to another act of violence

3 S TRANDS Violence #1: institutional caused by basic injustice Violence #2: victim responds Violence #3: authority try to restore order by force Spiral becomes self-perpetuating Can be seen on many levels-neighborhoods as well as governments

I S V IOLENCE I NEVITABLE ?

T HE S PIRAL C AN B E B ROKEN There are human capacities such as goodness, forgiveness, reconciliation Overcome evil with goodness Breaking the spiral

C OMPLETE THE F OLLOWING S ENTENCES I believe that peacemaking involves the following attitudes and actions: I believe that violence may be morally right in the following situations: I believe that violence is morally wrong in these situations:

D ISCUSSION Q UESTIONS Are you in favor of using violence that seems to preserve or attain peace? Are you opposed to uses of violence that seem to destroy or inhibit peace? Which of the following statements best describe your view? I believe that in some situations, violence can actually create true peace I believe that violence can never create true peace; but it can prevent further destruction of conditions necessary for true peace, so it may be a necessary step in peacemaking. I believe that violence only leads to further violence.

Write a paragraph reflection: How do you believe God would answer this question: Is violence ever morally right?

R ESPONDING TO V IOLENCE Meet violence with violence Often our first instinct Many people feel that in order to protect themselves from violence they need to respond in a way that matches the threat The way of Jesus Counter cultural message

O VERCOME E VIL WITH G OOD Love your enemies Be merciful Forgive Jesus believed in meeting evil with goodness Jesus could have responded to the Romans with violence Instead Jesus showed a vision of a just world- he treated people with mercy, compassion, and loving service

D ID J ESUS A VOID C ONFLICT ?

Jesus’s anger came from his passion to see truth and justice in all areas of life and for the will of God to be done in the world

C HRISTIANS, V IOLENCE AND THE G OSPEL Applying Jesus’s teachings… Focused around the issue of war What 2 approaches did we discuss in Church History?

T HE P RIORITY W AGING P EACE Catholic teaching is on the side of peace Challenge for Christians is to address the roots of war without causing war “If you want peace work for justice.” Pope Paul VI

W AGING P EACE T HROUGH L OVE Active non-violence Takes seriously Jesus’s command to love one’s enemy What are examples of active non-violence? Love your enemies as neighbors Genuine concern for well-being Respect human rights and dignity Believe in innate goodness Believe in their capacity to change

N OT FOR THE F AINTHEARTED Person must cultivate the virtues of courage, passion, patience, perseverance and humility What does each of these mean?

R ECONCILIATION Restoration of harmony Win the opponent over by awakening sense of moral goodness Fosters healing, wholeness, and a just community We must build communities of reconciliation What are ways we can resolve conflict in our communities?

W AGING P EACE ON A G LOBAL S CALE War is a common response to conflict Nations of the world spend a lot of time, money, energy on preparing for war What are other ways we can respond to international conflict?

E IGHT W AYS 1. Address the background conditions that might lead to war 2. Stop the proliferation of weapons among all nations 3. Enforce embargoes and economic sanctions, and give them time to work 4. Scale military systems down to defensive levels only.

5. Practice diplomacy and negotiation. 6. Employ third and fourth party intermediaries 7. Allocate more authority and resources to international organizations such as the United Nations 8. Engage in non-violent resistance and civilian- based defense

B EING P EACE Learn how to be peace How can we be peace in the world?