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| Bishop Thomas Gumbleton |
The
presenter for our 2018 Charism Day was Bishop Thomas Gumbleton, auxiliary
bishop of Detroit and a long time advocate for justice and peace. His
presentation focused on the theme “The Most Radical Call of the Gospel:
Nonviolence/Active Love.” Early in his presentation, Bishop Gumbleton stressed
the reality of the intense need for today’s world to heed that call. He posed
the question, “Why is it that our country—which claims to be a Christian
country—is so immersed in the culture of violence?” He described our dependence
on nuclear weapons and our decision to use them as the “taproot of violence in
our country.” Supporting the idea that such decisions are the polar opposite of
the message of the Gospel and of all that is Christian, he quoted John McKenzie
who, in The New Testament Without
Illusion, said, “If Jesus did not reject violence for any reason
whatsoever, we know nothing about Jesus at all. … Jesus taught us how to die,
not how to kill.”
Bishop
Gumbleton also stressed the idea that an important factor of a culture of
violence is that we sometimes “forget” the horrendous impact of previous acts
of violence. Quoting Henri Nouwen who said that “A sin that is forgotten can
never be healed,” Bishop Gumbleton suggested that to forget our sins might be
an even greater sin than to commit them! Speaking of the world’s seeming
fascination with nuclear war, he suggested that we sometimes “forget” the
horrendous impact of previous acts of violence. “A forgotten Auschwitz can
cause a Hiroshima,” he said, pointing specifically to the bombing of both Hiroshima
and Nagasaki with all of its accompanying horrors.
In
the past the Church has often qualified what constitutes a just war. Since
World War II the U.S. has engaged in numerous wars, against which various popes
have spoken out declaring, “Never again.” And still we “go to war.” Outlining the long history of our presence in
the Middle East, Bishop Gumbleton described the violence against civilians
caused by the bombing of infrastructure. These bombings destroyed water
purification plants, communication systems, and electric power systems. The
bombings were followed by an embargo which, once again, resulted in great
suffering for civilians and noncombatants.
After
describing these and other acts of violence that seem be have become part and
parcel of our evening newscasts and, indeed, of our everyday lives, Bishop
Gumbleton made a seemingly simplistic statement that summarized the reality of
gospel living: “Jesus taught us a different way.” He also suggested checking
out the Vow of Nonviolence which helps individuals recognize the violence in
their own hearts and to begin—each day—to practice the nonviolence of Jesus.
The vow can be found on the Pax Christi website:
Following
a break for refreshments and socializing, we returned to Bachmann Hall where
Bishop Gumbleton conducted a question and answer session, allowing individuals
to share their own concerns and ideas and to seek further clarification of
topics from his presentation.
Interesting.
ReplyDeleteHey did you see the sister from Chicago that goes when the basketball team plays and she prays - she is over 100 - I stink that is so sweet. Sandie
I did! She's been on the news here every evening this week! Pretty amazing.
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