What does it mean to practice ‘Blessed are the peacemakers’ in a world often ruled by violence? The Beatitudes aren’t just ancient sayings—they’re a bold, countercultural call to action. In this episode, we’ll explore how nonviolence isn’t just the absence of conflict—it’s the presence of love in action and creative activism. We can create real change, stand up to injustice, and find the courage to choose peace every single day. Together, let’s uncover how these timeless words can guide us to heal wounds, build bridges, and create a more peaceful world. John reads from the Beatitudes at the beginning of the Sermon on the Mount (from Matthew 5:1-11), and reflects on them not as an impossible ideal, but rather as a practical way to transform societal systems of power, justice, and relationships through Jesus’ vision of living a nonviolent life and working for a more just, more peaceful, more nonviolent world. He will invite us to live out the Beatitudes and become people of Gospel nonviolence, peacemakers, the beloved sons and daughters of the God of peace. Fr. John Dear is a priest, activist, and author of 40 books including The Beatitudes of Peace and The Gospel of Peace: Reading Matthew, Mark, and Luke from the Perspective of Nonviolence , and the founder and director of www.beatitudescenter.org See www.johndear.org
