John Dear's Peace Podcast Podcasts by Peace Activist, Author and Lecturer Fr. John Dear

John Dear speaks about the life of Daniel Berrigan and all he taught us as a peace activist in celebration of his 100th year birthday.

Dorothy Day is recognized as one of the "Greatest of all Americans" by Pope Francis and here John Dear tells you why in a talk covering Day's life, the Catholic Worker, and many, many quotes from Dorothy Day. Day at one time said that one can't be a Christian or a Catholic and support war and she lived up to that comment in her life protesting war, weapons and nuclear build up. Dear explains that Dorothy Day was the first Catholic to publicly say no to war. As a journalist she began the Catholic Worker newspaper and sold it for one cent. It became one of the most popular social justice publications of all time and is still going today. Dear emphasizes that Day is the epitome of a nonviolent life. Her "manifesto was the Sermon on the Mount" and she lived it setting up Catholic Worker houses that now spread across the country where the poor and homeless found a permanent home.
You can learn more about living the nonviolent life that Day was committed to by reading John Dear's book, "The Nonviolent Life" which is available at the Pace e Bene www.paceebene.org.

So, you think you know the story of Lazarus? Guess again! In this podcast John Dear brings us on a journey through biblical times with Jesus, his disciples, the sisters of Lazarus, and the people of Bethany with his interpretation of the Gospel according to John, Chapter 11. Dear likens Jesus to Gandhi and the Salt March as Jesus marches on through Bethany to Jerusalem and the Cross. He states that Jesus had it figured out when he was brought the news of the death of his friend Lazarus. He reads to us Chapter 11 of John the Disciple’s Gospel and then offers us a much broader description of what that gospel means. Imagine if you will that Lazarus represents the entire human race. Imagine again that discipleship is friendship and Jesus states that there is no greater thing than to lay down your life for your friends. Imagine that the people of Bethany represent a people of a culture of death not unlike what we suffer with today; those enmeshed in violence and war. Jesus walks alone to Bethany. Where are the disciples? John Dear then gives you the shortest sentence in the Bible; “And then Jesus wept.” What does this mean? Dear explains it. With the story of Lazarus, Dear asks the question, “Does death get the last word?” He then gives you Jesus’ three commandments and has us confronting the power of death and our inability to handle hope. “Lazarus, come forth!” How is this a message for us today? Find out in this powerful and dynamic podcast. You can learn more about Lazarus in John Dear's book "Lazarus Come Forth" available at www.johndear.org.

In this presentation John Dear speaks about the 75th Anniversary of the Atomic Bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, Japan and the danger humanity faces from the possibility of ever suffering from a nuclear attack. He tells how the movement against nuclear weapons calls for the abolition of nuclear weapons, not a freezing of developing them. Freezing just leaves a stockpile on hand ready to be used and about nine major countries hold a majority of nuclear warheads. John tells how most people alive today have lived under the threat of nuclear destruction all of their lives. He says we suffer from psychic numbness. There are approximately 16,000 nuclear weapons in the world, all ready to go at the pressing of a button. This and the fact that we spend trillions of dollars to produce them is the crux of the protest against them. John tells personal stories of his nonviolent actions in demonstrating for the end to nuclear weapons. These stories, some of them humorous, are in effect truly not funny. John has been arrested numerous times with these protests and you will gain insight as to why he perseveres in this work. Listen carefully as he explains "the greatest lie" having to do with the explanation as to why the United States dropped the Atomic bomb. "It is legal to build nuclear weapons," says John, but "when will we stop."

In this podcast John Dear speaks to the journey to Fascism today with the true life story of Austrian Franz Jagerstatter, a farmer who refused to join the Nazi army in 1943 to fight on the Russian front knowing he would die if he refused. Franz was arrested and beheaded by the Nazis. He was Beatified in 2007 by the Roman Catholic Church. He may be elevated to sainthood. John tells how Franz would not give up his spiritual beliefs to participate in killing. As a young priest John visited Austria and met Franziska, Jagerstatter's wife. He tells how he considers Franziska a saint as well as a Franz. He tells how Franz went to the church and asked what he should do when being told to join the Nazi army and how church bishops and priests all told him he should do as they say. But Franz's faith was stronger and he refused. The recent movie production "A Hidden Life" tells the story of a man most people have never heard of before. Hear about Franz's dream and vision about the train that took the men from his town to join the Nazis and how he heard the words "Get off that train to Hell." John ends his podcast with a warning to us as we face the path to Fascism and gives us strength to pursue nonviolence with noncooperation just like Franz Jagerstatter did. This is a fascinating tale for all to hear and take note.

John Dear speaks to us on the life and teachings of the monk Thomas Merton. Dear tells us that Merton was one of the first United States priests or monks to publicly denounce war, racism, nuclear weapons, and violence. He quotes Merton as saying, “the God of peace is never glorified by human violence.” John extends that by adding “the God of peace is always glorified by human nonviolence.” Thus, begins a podcast filled with eye opening revelations that Merton experienced and wrote about in his many books and and essays. Merton says that “the chief difference between violence and nonviolence is that violence depends entirely on its own calculations, Nonviolence depends entirely on God.” John tells of Merton’s past that was radically different from his life as a Trappist monk where he spent years in contemplative prayer. Merton, he states, rejected war, and dedicated his life to abolishing war and the weapons of war. His revelation that he loved the entire human race may have come from his study of Gandhi during the 1950s and he wrote that we should first find unity within ourselves rather than trying to force unity on others. John tells of one essay wherein Merton states, “I believe that the problem of solving international conflict without massive violence has become the number one problem of our time. The task of humanity and of the church is to end all wars.” John goes on to speak to how we are now living in a global pandemic of violence and war. We have the virus of violence. This is a powerful message with much more for you to listen to.