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John Dear — Surrendering to the God of Peace: The Path of Total Nonviolence

Franciscan Spirit

Longtime peace activist, priest, and author Fr. John Dear has been a leading voice for Gospel nonviolence for decades, drawing deeply from the examples of Jesus, St. Francis, Gandhi, and Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. In this conversation, Fr. John explores the inner and outer dimensions of violence and nonviolence, the radical call to surrender our will to the God of Peace, and what it truly means to live as extensions of God’s universal love in a world on the brink. He discusses his powerful new book, "Universal Love: Surrendering to the God of Peace," along with his Gospel commentary "The Gospel of Peace." Be sure to check out John’s work at BeatitudesCenter.org and his global podcast, "The Nonviolent Jesus Podcast," available on all major platforms and featured on the front page of National Catholic Reporter. Reflection segments throughout the episode are brought to you by Ela Milewska, the Director of Evangelization at the Province of Our Lady of Guadalupe. Show notes are available here. (00:00:01) Introduction (00:01:47) Understanding Violence and Nonviolence (00:06:29) The Inner Dimensions of Violence (00:11:05) Reflection No. 1: Violence is Forgetting Who We Are (00:14:50) Surrendering to God's Will (00:20:57) What Fr. John Learned From Archbishop Desmond Tutu (00:26:33) Reflection No. 2: Working Through Resentment (00:30:27) Not My Will, But Yours Done (00:37:37) What Fr. John Learned from Henri Nouwen (00:39:36) Political Dimensions of Nonviolence (00:50:26) Reflection No. 3: They Want Us to Be Angry (00:55:14) Historical Context of Nonviolence (00:59:12) Urgency of Nonviolence in Today's World (01:03:14) New Book: Surrendering to the God of Peace (01:11:23) Conclusion