Peace through Non-Violence

As one Church we must show the way of justice and love, in solidarity with all but particularly the poor and the weak, in the building of peace. The Kingdom of God proclaimed by Jesus is not a Kingdom to be imposed by the force of arms. It is a Kingdom to be built by love, the love of the suffering servant. Love bears peace by way of peace. Peace cannot be equated with the absence of war nor with a certain balance of power. It is a harmony in the human heart and in the social order brought about justice, requiring respect for human dignity and human rights, the promotion of the common good by one and all, and the constant practice of solidarity. Peace is likewise "the fruit of love which goes beyond what justice can provide." In the final analysis, the real peace we must seek is the Lord's  because He himself is our peace.

The context of our socio-economic and political situation today is partly one of violence and counter-violence, institutionalized or otherwise. In such a context it is easy to succumb to the temptation to use conflict as the means to liberation. But history teaches that "there are sources of progress other than conflict namely LOVE and RIGHT. This priority of love in history draws Christian to prefer the way of non-violent  action... Non-violence is a quality of love of Jesus Christ. So radically new was his love that he obliged his followers: "Love your Enemies."

Peaceful but persuasive rallies, assemblies, marches, demonstrations, strikes and acts of "passive resistance" to unjust laws can be very effective even if non-violent. A strategy of non-violence requires solidarity of spirit as well as of action. "The road to total liberation is not the way of love, class struggle or hate; it is the way of love, brotherhood and peaceful solidarity."

To remove social ills, active non-violence is our moral countersign to the ideologies of today that espouse armed violence to change status quo. It is likewise our moral countersign to the ideologies that institutionalize violence in order to preserve the status quo. We consider the peaceful alternative as a mandate of evangelical discipleship.

Sources: Acts and Decrees, 2nd Plenary Council of the Philippines( 1991)