Join MJ and Jerry as they share stories and learnings about teaching skills and tools to heal our hearts, connect within and with others, and turn from violence to wellness and peacemaking.
From MJ and Jerry’s interview:
“My mom was an activist and took me to Dr. King's marches and movements. But my dad said, what do you two want? And I said, Dad, you know, we want peace. And he said, how are you going to make it happen? When he said that, I said, Dad, you're right. If we want peace, we have to teach peace.”
“One little boy said, MJ, you're not going to live very long. And I said, why? And he said, well, you don't like guns. And there's a lot of bad people out there. And right away, I thought, wow, this is the stirrings. We need to equip people with the tools, the instruments, so to speak. Lord, make me an instrument of your peace. I asked myself this question okay, how am I going to teach peace? What's it going to be? And Jerry was such a supporter of let's go for it together. Let's be like Dr. King said, it takes more creativity to make peace than war.”
“We started peace camp… Kids are coming home with positive language. They're saying let's be a peacemaker, not a peace breaker; they’re loving the peace train…there is no violence; it’s run on love. Then we got into tools for peace and not weapons of war.”
“We would go and hang out and Jerry helped start a garden. They were having cookouts. We would just join. So it wasn't like we were bringing, but they also taught me. Some of the youth would say, MJ, if you take away our guns or our weapons you need to give us, replace them with something. And that really struck me. So, I have felt empowered that if we're gonna interrupt violence, we have to replace them with tools … tell them how to use it. Because of the fear, and especially now in this culture, when violence has been so on the uptick, we have pivoted to more focusing on social, emotional wellness. Because we know that the violence is coming out of lost connections and feeling that I don't count or I've lost my heart, my root, my centeredness.”
“We need to own that if we want peace, we have to work for it, give it space, give it a spotlight so that it will elevate the courage. At peace camp, the kids of all ages feel safety. They'll say, oh, I like it here. And I say why? And they say, because people are nice and you're like, well, shouldn't that be the way of the world? But that's not what we're all experiencing. So I don't like the phrase now anti-bullying or, you know, banners saying compassion, mindfulness, all those code words, because I feel like we have to really own that it takes focus and work.”
“The circle was healing because it's a listening time, trying to share not only our struggles, but our good times and also our dreams…. When Black Lives Matter broke out during the pandemic, I kept saying, if we keep shouting at each other and becoming more and more divided, when we come together how can we listen and share? So we started these circles and providing a safe place for people to become self-aware, but also aware of what another person is going through or what is causing them to think a certain way.”
“The littleness in Little Friends For Peace, is definitely that "littleness" of St. Francis. Your lifestyle and your vision, your approach to people, how it disarms violence in people's hearts and in fact their whole sense of walking lightly on the face of our Mother Earth…. It's our little way of trying to make a little difference in a big world, but it's the how to find joy in the little things and the smile and the kind word and the listening that will interrupt violence…. We are going to have to keep disarming our own heart and finding ways to build those connections.”
For a full transcript, please include episode number and email: fslfpodcast@fslf.org.
References:
Church of the Saviour, Washington DC: a network of independent, ecumenical Christian faith communities and ministries that have grown out of the original COS community which was founded in the 1940’s. See https://inwardoutward.org/
Little Friends For Peace: their mission is to counter violence and contribute to a worldwide culture of peace by sharing skills to prevent, resolve, and transform conflict with individuals, families, teams, and communities. Information about their book and tool cards, about how to bring the Peace Camp to your church or school, about participating in a circle or training, or about their International Programs is on the website: http://www.lffp.org/ . See also Saint Francis International School: http://www.lffp.org/saint-francis-international-school-peace-camp.html
Peace House Community: founded by the Sisters of Saint Joseph of Carondolet; this is where MJ and Jerry met some Franciscan Sisters: https://peacehousecommunity.org/
Pax Christi: a Catholic peace movement with 120 member organizations worldwide that promotes peace, respect of human rights, justice & reconciliation throughout the world.
Grounded in the belief that peace is possible and that vicious cycles of violence and injustice can be broken, Pax Christi International addresses the root causes and destructive consequences of violent conflict and war. See: https://paxchristi.net/
The Quixote Center: a multi-issue social justice organization founded in 1976, and who work alongside partner organizations to bring about lasting systemic change in the Americas, stand in solidarity and friendship with those who seek to improve the lives of the very poor, and provide guidance, technical assistance, and funding to support their work and allow their movements and programs to mature and take hold… See: https://www.quixote.org/
Sadakos Cranes for Peace: https://www.birdsofpeace.org/sadako-and-1000-paper-cranes
