non-violence
Courage!
7th Sunday Ordinary Time
Fr. Mark Gatto
Preached: February 23, 2025
What is needed to be a Catholic today? Which virtue or quality do you think is most needed to be a Catholic in the world today?
Courage!
Listen to the words of Jesus: “Love your enemies.” “do good to those who hate you” “bless those who curse you” “if anyone strikes you on the cheek, offer the other also” This is a vision, a way of living, that is counter our usual way of seeing things. It is really hard and it requires the virtue of Courage.
This chapter of Luke’s Gospel may be the most difficult to embrace and live. It is also the gospel message of Jesus that we Christians have often chosen to ignore throughout history.
Years ago I remember someone describing how he was discussing with his mother his attempt to embrace non-violence. At a certain point he said plainly, “Essentially it’s an attempt to learn what it actually means to love my enemies.” His mother looked at him and said, “Really? That’s very hard.” It was an honest response and he realized it may have been the first time that this 80 year old woman had been in a direct conversation about the personal implications of love of enemy. Do not most of us Christians either ignore this teaching or try to explain it away?
Loving your enemies, blessing those who curse you, giving without expecting anything in return, all of this takes courage. It is not weakness, but true strength. It is not being passive, but a courageous way of living that allows us to confront evil without becoming evil.
Encountering the mystery of Christ requires us to encounter the love of enemy. But, often we are afraid of this mystery of Christ. Love of enemy is explained away, not lived. If we come to church and take part in rituals here, if we sit in the Adoration Chapel before the Blessed Sacrament, if we spend hours in prayer, but we do not explore love of enemy, then it is empty ritual. The mystery of Christ is something radical and passionate. Are we ready to face the love of enemy?
We live in a world that is battered by human beings damaging each other and the earth. Only a Christianity that embraces the mysticism of love of enemy will be able to offer something towards the healing of humanity and our world.
We sometimes say that Faith is a gift. Almost as though it is just something that some people have and others do not. But, if it is a gift, then it can be asked for. Ask for faith. Pray for it. Ask for a deep faith that enters the mystery of love of enemy. Only such a faith moves people to oppose injustice and to work against evil. Historically, we Christians have prayed, but then defended and supported wars, slavery, and all sorts of injustice. Sometimes in the name of “god.”
Jesus says, “If you love those who love you, what credit is that to you? For even sinners love those who love them.” “do good and lend, expecting nothing in return.” It is not transactional. Christian spirituality goes much deeper, it is not transactional where I only do good to get something in return. Where I am a friend only if I will get something in return. This is something shallow and does not enter the full mystery of Christ.
We must embrace non-violence. In our language, in how we treat others, in how we live. A non-violence that embraces the mystery of love of enemy is the only way to bring peace and healing to our world. But, this takes great courage. We live in a world where everyone is being encouraged to spend even more money on our militaries and weapons. We are frightened, and in fear we are told to spend on more and bigger weapons.
The love of enemy is at the heart of Christian teaching. It is perhaps the most unique teaching of Christ. Non-violence is not weakness, it is not passivity in the face of evil. Non-violence is a radical way to oppose violence and evil without becoming evil ourselves.
This is why courage is essential to embracing the mystery of Christ in love of enemy. As Merton once said, “fear is the root of all violence.” When we give in to fear, we respond with violence and attacking the other. We need the courage to resist this tendency towards violence. The courage not to be controlled by fear. We need to ask ourselves: What are my fears? Who do I fear? How is that fear leading me to violence in my language, my relationships, my way of life? Is the way I speak of certain people violent? How is fear leading me away from love?
Do you want to be a Catholic? Then you must encounter the mystery of Christ in the love of enemy. Are you ready to honestly face the love of enemy? This will take great courage. But, it is the only path to the fullness of the Christian mystery and it is the only hope for us to bring healing and peace and harmony into our world.
No Need To Defend God
24th Sunday In Ordinary Time
Fr. Mark Gatto
Preached: September 12, 2021
We do not need to protect God, nor do we need to protect the church. We do not need to waste energy trying to defend God or to defend the church when attacked. Jesus was very clear to his disciples that he would have to undergo great suffering, be rejected by the elders, the chief priests, and be killed. Peter’s first reaction is to defend Jesus, to protect him, to keep him safe. This was human way of thinking, but Jesus says that his disciples must be ready to take up the cross and follow him, and that “whoever wants to save their life will lose it.”
Recently I saw this quote from the spiritual writer, Richard Rohr, “God is always bigger than the boxes we build for God, so we should not waste too much time protecting the boxes.” We are often like Peter wanting to protect God, protect the church.
Jesus was utterly free. Free even to surrender his life. As a Christian we also need to be ready to surrender our life. Not for revenge, not to win, not to protect God nor the church. Ready to surrender our life for love, for justice. The great prophets were ready to speak the truth to those in power when they were oppressing the poor, treating people inhumanely or unjustly. They were rooted in love which was larger than their own security.
Jesus let go of his life without any clear security, he had no certainty that anything would continue after him.
We do not need to defend God. God is beyond all of us and exists in eternity. We do not need to defend the Church. The use of violence or force or anger to defend God or the Church is not faithful to the way of Jesus.
What is the difference between a fanatic and someone truly inspired by God? The fanatic is self-centred, and willing to use force, violence and hatred to impose their own vision of the truth. Everything depends on them. Extreme examples are in religious terrorists.
The one truly inspired and commissioned by God, on the other hand, is God-centred and not willing to defile their efforts with violence and hatred. No need to fight to win out over others because ultimately we depend on God alone. A disciple of Jesus ultimately embraces a non-violent vision of life in all they do and in all their relationships.
So, a truly inspired Christian will not rely on force, violence, hatred. Some of the language found on social media, including by some of us as Catholics or Christians, reflects not the way of Jesus but our own human way.
Who is Jesus? Peter responds with the great profession of faith. “You are the Christ.” But then Jesus points out that being the Christ will mean suffering, humiliation and death. Peter does not want to hear that. Jesus points out that he is thinking as humans do. We humans are usually focused on security, comfort and reputation.
On winning at all costs. Jesus realizes that God’s plan is beyond our human efforts and human victories. In war, we know that it is possible to win battles but lose the war. Jesus was willing to lose battles trusting that ultimate victory was in the hands of God. What good is it for us as Christians to win battles against others through force, anger, or even violence.
The main reason that people leave the Church or Christianity is the behaviour of Christians. Many reject what they see in how we Christians act. During this pandemic we have seen the good and the bad among Christians. Some have been instruments of peace, working to care for one another, supporting the efforts of society. Others have been full of anger, complaining about any required restrictions, working against the efforts of society.
The Letter of James states that “faith by itself, if it has no works, is dead.” James says that if a brother or sister is lacking food and you say, “Go in peace,” but do nothing to help them, what good is that? We as Christians need to be true disciples of Jesus in our lives. Not trying to save our lives but ready to lose our lives for something much greater and bigger.
“God is always bigger than the boxes we build for God, so we should not waste too much time protecting the boxes.”
Do not waste energy worrying about protecting God nor the Church. Live as a disciple of Jesus.
Jesus surrendered his life with no certainty about the future. We are to live as disciples of Christ not worrying about God nor the Church. Both will be fine despite us.
Crucified God – Fr. Mark
Third Sunday of Lent – Year B
Fr. Mark Gatto
Preached: Mar 4 2018
God is almighty, God is all powerful, God is all knowing, God is everywhere. Probably most of us here would have no trouble saying this about God.
But, as Catholics, our Christian faith as heard in St. Paul today, speaks of Christ crucified. So our vision is of a crucified God. As St. Paul says, this crucified Christ is foolishness and weakness to our world’s way of seeing things. A God who seems foolish, who seems weak. Yet, it is here that we have the true wisdom, the true strength of God. We have the vision that we need to embrace.
Our world at times desires leaders who are strong and dominating. Controlling everyone and everything. Leaders are to maintain control and order. To help us to win over others. So, we see leaders from Putin, to Kim Jong Un, to Donald Trump offering bigger weapons, declaring their so called power, threats of violence and war.
But, the God revealed in Jesus is not interested in control power over others, but in love. God rejects force and violence. The crucified God shows us the way of non-violence.
We are to embrace a non-violent way of being with others, at work, in our family…Our God chooses non-violence for God is interested in creating a civilization of love.
Jesus, cleansing the Temple, challenges them, “stop making my Father’s house a marketplace.” The whole universe is the Father’s house, our planet earth is the Father’s house, our whole human society is the Father’s house. What kind of human world does God desire?
A civilization of love or a marketplace? A marketplace world sees us all competing against one another, winners and losers, rich and poor, strong and weak. A marketplace world sees a small number of very rich and very large number in poverty. A marketplace world sees us all divided into separate groups, divided by religion, by race, by country, by ideology.
But, a civilization of love sees us in solidarity, one human family. Working together for a common good. Where we care for one another and we strive that not one person is abandoned. We are not divided into separate groups opposing one another, but see each other as brothers and sisters working together so that no one is left out.
Our first reading presents the Ten Commandments. These are not rules and laws to control our lives. But, a way that leads to true peace, to harmony within the world. If we were to follow the 10 commandments it would lead to harmony within the world, it would lead to harmony within our families.
Our God is the crucified God, seeming foolish and weak to our world’s way of thinking. This crucified God offers us a vision of non-violence. It is the path that leads to a civilization of love rather than a marketplace.
Are we ready to embrace a crucified God and the non-violent way this God reveals? This will be the difference between a world that is a heartless marketplace and a world which is a civilization of love.