A Persistent Peace: One Man’s Struggle for a Non-Violent World
John Dear SJ
Loyola Press, Chicago, 2008.
I met John Dear on one of his recent visits to Australia. I attended his retreat in Mittagong and invited him to speak at the University of Technology, Sydney (UTS).
He is such an unassuming man you can hardly believe he has been jailed many times and sometimes for months at a time for civil disobedience. It seems he couldn’t hurt a fly let alone do something worthy of arrest. He explained that the story of Jesus overturning the money changers’ tables in the Temple was Jesus’ proclamation that his followers must never settle for “business as usual”. Jesus came to overturn the system and invited us to do the same.
The retreat mustered a few dozen trainee troublemakers but the overwhelming response at UTS saw many standing in the corridor unable to hear the gentle voice of this preacher. We soon realised we were listening to the next Daniel Berrigan or Martin Luther King.
His autobiography, A Persistent Peace, traces the childhood and youth experiences that formed him and led him to the Jesuits, sometimes with strong resistance. He recalls the early meetings with Daniel Berrigan, Martin Luther King, Martin Sheen, Joan Baez, the Jesuit Martyrs of El Salvador, Mother Teresa, Bishops Helder Camara and Oscar Romero. He was always encouraged at the edges if not always by his superiors.
This fascinating yet humble story introduces the reader to page after page of anecdotes about the great spiritual and civic leaders of the peace and civil rights movement of the century. All along he notes the price paid for disrupting “business as usual” and while paying the price himself, he finds peace in contemplation. He recalls how he discovered the powerful truth that peacemaking can only happen when we discover peace within ourselves.
Dear recalls the response of a priest activist friend who was challenged about how he could do such actions that led to arrest and remain a priest. The priest replied, “I am a priest because it is the best way I know to become a human being”. John Dear’s autobiography shows he believes the same.
A great read for all who want to find their full humanity in priesthood or in any authentic vocation.
Peter Maher
