Seizing the Nonviolent Moments: Reflections on the Spirituality of Nonviolence Through the Lens of Scripture - Hardcover

by Nancy Small (Author), Mary Lou Kownacki (Foreword by)

Life is filled with opportunities to practice nonviolence. If we kept track, we'd be surprised at how often we get to choose a violent or nonviolent response to a given situation. Seizing these moments is a spiritual practice that shapes a nonviolent heart. Many people doing this together shapes the heart of a nonviolent world. This book is a humble and accessible approach to nonviolence based on the belief that no one is perfectly nonviolent. We are all works in progress. Each chapter presents an imaginative interpretation of a scripture story about seizing a nonviolent moment that sheds new light on nonviolence and its spirituality. Stories of contemporary peacemakers woven throughout offer lessons for living a spirituality of nonviolence for our times. Prophetic words from the US Catholic bishops emphasize the essential role of peacemaking in renewing the earth. Questions following each chapter inspire personal reflection and make the book a welcome resource for classrooms, parishes, and small groups. The more we seize the nonviolent moments in our lives, the more we are transformed by them. And the more we experience the power of nonviolence within ourselves, the more we believe in its potential to transform our troubled world.

Author Biography

Nancy Small is a hospice chaplain, spiritual director, writer, retreat leader, and a seeker of peace. She is known for her work in the areas of spirituality, scripture, pastoral ministry, prayer, and ritual. Her peace work is deeply rooted in the spirituality of nonviolence and focuses on the areas of reconciliation and right relationship. She is a former national coordinator and a current Ambassador of Peace with Pax Christi USA, the national Catholic peace movement. She served as a regional Pax Christi coordinator with Pax Christi Metro New York and was a member of the Pax Christi USA national council prior to being named national coordinator. Nancy is an Oblate of the Benedictine Sisters of Erie who holds a Masters of Divinity from Union Theological Seminary and a spiritual direction certificate from the Center for Spirituality and Justice. Her commitment to social justice began during her years as a Jesuit Volunteer, when she witnessed poverty first-hand as a pastoral minister and as a legal advocate for people in need. She lives in Worcester, MA with her husband, Carl.