FRANCISCAN PEACE CENTER

Law Within Our Hearts Experience

DESCRIPTION

    We live in a culture of violence. While most of us are aware of the blatant forms of violence in our city, our country, and our world, many of us are unaware of the subtle effects of violence on us. These effects, in turn, often create prejudices in us and cause us to treat others in less than respectful ways. The Law Within Our Hearts Experience of the Franciscan Peace Center helps open our eyes to these hidden effects and forms of violence.

    Once we recognize the "beams in our own eyes," we can begin the process of changing our behaviors. The first step in this conversion journey is to get more deeply in touch with the law of love of God and each other that God has written on our hearts (cf. Jeremiah 31, 33). Selected Gospel stories point out some of the essential ways of caring for others that fulfill this law of love. As followers of Jesus, we already are doing many of these things, and we need to affirm ourselves for doing so.

    In a special way the Gospel calls us to be peace makers. In this big, troubled world, we are easily confused about what we can do to really make a difference. The fact is we can do a lot. Just to become willing to try to include everyone in our love is a big step. This is what the Church means when it emphasizes the need for us to be in solidarity with all people. The good we do in our daily lives contributes more to achieving this than we realize. Thus, even with our shortcomings, we are God's delight (cf. Isaiah 62, 4).

    In summary: We live in a culture of violence. The Gospel calls us to be peace makers. Often we become trapped between these two realities. The focus of the Law Within Our Hearts Experience is to help us get in touch with the hidden effects of violence in our lives and the hidden ways we do violence to others, and then to recognize the good we do and the potential we have to be better peace makers locally, nationally and internationally.

CONTENT & STRUCTURE

    The content of the Law Within Our Hearts Experience is drawn from the Scriptures, the wisdom of universally acclaimed peace-makers and scholars, and the personal experiences of program participants. The amount of the input can be altered to meet the time parameters and circumstances for each occasion the experience is offered.

    The structure of the experience consists of formal presentations, eclectic strategies for group interaction, reflection periods, reading, journaling, the sharing of personal experiences, and a blessing ceremony. The presentations will be altered to suit the type of occasion, e.g., lengthy workshops, mini-workshops, retreats, days of recollection, study circles, in-service days, etc.

OUTLINE
    1. CONTEXT OF OUR TIMES

    2. DESCRIPTION OF THE EXPERIENCE

    3. ABOUT BEING HUMAN
      1. Made in the Image and Likeness of God
      2. Influence of Life Experiences
      3. Formation of Perspectives

    4. TWO MAJOR BELIEF SYSTEMS
      1. Babylonian Myth of Redemptive Violence
      2. Spirituality of Redemptive Love

    5. DEFINITION AND DYNAMICS OF VIOLENCE
      1. Definition of Violence
      2. Sources of Conflict/Violence
      3. Violence by Commission/Omission
      4. Impact of Violence
      5. Ways of Dealing with Violence

    6. NON-RELATIONAL BEHAVIORS: SEEDS OF VIOLENCE
      1. Significance of Patterns of Behavior
      2. Seeds of Violence
        1. Lack of communication
        2. Unspoken assumptions
        3. Closed mindedness
        4. Over-protection of possessions
        5. Lack of gratitude
        6. Fear
        7. Anger
        8. Resentments
        9. Reactions (vs. responses)
        10. Self-esteem issues
        11. Negative cravings and desires
        12. Disrespect of others
        13. Exclusion

    7. THE LAW WITHIN OUR HEARTS: ANTIDOTE TO VIOLENCE
      1. Seeking God's Law
      2. Discovering the Law Within Our Hearts: "Love of God and neighbor"
        1. Love of God
        2. Love of Neighbor

    8. THE GOSPEL LIFE: PATHWAY TO PEACE
      1. Our Call to Ongoing Conversion
      2. Relational Behaviors: Seeds of Peace
        1. Prayer and contemplation
        2. Truth/humility
        3. Integrity and integration
        4. Communication and listening
        5. Hospitality
        6. Compassion
        7. Reverencing creation
        8. Reconciliation
        9. Service
        10. Dependency on God
        11. Forgiveness
        12. Affirmation
        13. Inclusion
      3. Smitten by Divine Love
      4. Commitment

    9. OUR CALL TO SOLIDARITY
      1. Solidarity
        1. Definition
        2. Basis in Biblical Spirituality
        3. Understanding Globalization
        4. Steps Toward Solidarity: "Seeds of Peace"
        5. Levels and dimensions of Solidarity
        6. Effects of solidarity
        7. Need for creative initiatives
      2. Active Nonviolence

    10. BECOMING GOD'S DELIGHT
      1. Story of the Chosen People
      2. Our Story Now
      3. Our Call to Transform
      4. Our Place in the World
      5. Realizing the Power Within

    11. CEREMONY OF AFFIRMATION AND BLESSING
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