M.5 How can I live my faith in action / on deployment? How can I help non-believers? Can I cry in danger or grief?
Even on mission or action you can live your vocation, your life with God. In spite of hunger, tiredness, and fear, you are not alone: God is with you. This can give you the calm and reassurance you need for yourself and others. It is not up to you to convert others: only God can change their heart. You help others best by living your life as a faithful Christian. As you learn better to live your Christian life, you become a better witness of Jesus every day.
Sometimes it is good to hide your feelings, and swallow your tears, for something else needs to be done first. But as soon as it is over, do not be afraid to cry, for it is only natural to express your grief or pain in this way. Even Jesus cried at times (John 11:35; Luke 19:41)
What does Jesus think about nonviolence?
Jesus places a high value on nonviolent action. He commands his disciples: “Do not resist one who is evil. But if any one strikes you on the right cheek, turn to him the other also” (Mt 5:39). He rebukes Peter, who wants to defend him with force: “Put your sword into its sheath” (Jn 18:11). Jesus does not call his disciples to take up weapons. He remains silent before Pilate. His way is to take the part of the victims, to go to the Cross, to redeem the world through love, and to call the peacemakers blessed. Therefore the Church, too, respects people who for reasons of conscience refuse to be part of the armed services but place themselves at the service of society in some other way [Youcat 397].
“Populorum Progressio of Pope Paul VI… set forth the notion of integral human development and proposed it as ‘the new name of peace’… ‘development cannot be restricted to economic growth alone. To be authentic, it must be integral; it must foster the development of each man and of the whole man’ (No. 14). We need, then, to reject the culture of waste and to care for individuals and peoples labouring under painful disparities through patient efforts to favour processes of solidarity over selfish and contingent interests. This also entails integrating the individual and the social dimensions through the application of the principle of subsidiarity, encouraging the contribution of all, as individuals and as groups. Lastly, there is a need to promote human beings in the indissoluble unity of soul and body, of contemplation and action” [Pope Francis, to Symposium on integral disarmament, 10 Nov. 2017].
