Whereon to Stand

Description

Berrigan offers a brilliant, poetic commentary on the Acts of the Apostles with the daring proposition that this New Testament book is left "unfinished," and that we are called to take up the story, enter the book, and engage in our own bold, daring acts as apostles of the peacemaking Jesus. Writing from his own experience of civil disobedience and prophetic action, he challenges us to join the early community of Christian peacemakers by living as they did, acting as they did, and speaking out for peace and justice as they did. Whereon to Stand not only brings the New Testament alive, but offers new life and hope for us that our lives, our actions, our stand may help disarm the world and carry on the work of the peacemaking Jesus.

Subjects

• Books
• Savoirs
• Religions

Informations

• Published by: Wipf and Stock Publishers
• Published: 06 April 2009
• Reads: 0
• EAN13: 9781725225091
• Language: English
• Document size: 41 MB

Exrait

Wipf and Stock Publishers 199 W 8th Ave, Suite 3 Eugene, OR 97401 Whereon to Stand The Acts of the Apostles and Ourselves By Berrigan, Daniel Copyright©1991 Catholic Worker Books ISBN 13: 978-1-60608-468-7 Publication date 4/1/2009 Previously published by Fortkamp Publishing Company, 1991 The text of the Acts of the Apostles is reprinted in the Appendix with the permission of Oxford University Press.

SerieS Foreword

danIEl BERRIgan Is OnE Of tE mOst InfluEntIal AmERIcan CatOlIcs Of tE tWEntIEt cEntuRy. A JEsuIt pRIEst, pOEt, anD pEacEmakER, E as InspIRED cOuntlEss pEOplE Of faIt anD cOnscIEncE tO puRsuE tE gOs- pEl vIsIOn Of a WORlD WItOut WaR OR nuclEaR WEapOns. BORn In 1921, E EntERED tE SOcIEty Of JEsus In 1939, Was ORDaInED In 1952, anD In 1957 publIsED Is fiRst bOOk Of pOEtRy,Time WitHout Number, WIc WOn tE pREstIgIOus LamOnt POEtRy AWaRD. SIncE tEn danIEl BERRIgan, my fRIEnD anD JEsuIt bROtER, as publIsED OvER fifty bOOks, IncluDIng tE aWaRD-WInnIng play,he Trial of tHe Catonsville Nine(1970); an autObIOgRapy,To Dwell in PeaceanD many jOuRnals, Essays, pOEtRy cOllEctIOns, anD (1987); scRIptuRE cOmmEntaRIEs. dan maIntaInED clOsE fRIEnD fRIEnDsIps WIt hOmas MERtOn anD dOROty day. HE alsO cO-fOunDED tE CatOlIc PEacE FEllOWsIp anD ClERgy anD LaIty COncERnED abOut VIEtnam. But bEcausE Of Is EaRly pEacE WORk, cuRc autORItIEs banIsED Im tO LatIn AmERIca In 1966 anD 1967. in EaRly 1968, E tRavElED tO HanOI WIt HOWaRD ZInn tO ExpERIEncE fiRstanD tE ORRORs Of U.S. WaR-makIng anD tO REscuE tREE U.S. sOlDIERs WO aD bEEn captuRED. on May 19, 1968, WIt Is bROtER PIlIp anD OtER fRIEnDs, E buRnED mIlItaRy DRaft filEs usIng OmEmaDE napalm In CatOnsvIllE, MaRylanD—an actIOn WIc galvanIzED mIllIOns agaInst tE VIEtnam WaR. FOR tIs cREatIvE nOnvIOlEncE, dan Was tRIED, cOnvIctED, anD sEntEncED tO yEaRs In pRIsOn. in ApRIl Of 1970, OWEvER, E WEnt unDERgROunD, EluDIng tE FBi, anD cOntInuED tO DRaW WIDEspREaD

Foreword

attEntIOn tO Is antIWaR mEssagE. HE Was finally aRREstED In August, anD ImpRIsOnED In danbuRy, COnnEctIcut untIl FEbRuaRy 1972. HE cOntInuED tO WRItE anD spEak agaInst WaR anD nuclEaR WEap- Ons tROugOut tE 70s. on SEptEmbER 9, 1980, bOt E anD PIlIp paRtIcIpatED In tE fiRst PlOWsaREs ActIOn, a pROtEst at tE GEnERal elEctRIc Plant at KIng Of PRussIa, PEnnsylvanIa. HE facED tEn yEaRs In pRIsOn, but Was EvEntually sEntEncED tO tImE sERvED. SIncE tE EaRly 1970s, dan as lIvED In NEW YORk CIty WIt Is JEsuIt cOmmunIty. HE cOntInuEs tO gIvE lEctuREs, cOnDuct RE- tREats, publIs bOOks Of pOEtRy anD scRIptuRE stuDy—anD gEt aR- REstED fOR Is pROtEsts agaInst WaR, InjustIcE, anD nuclEaR WEapOns. HE REmaIns a clEaR vOIcE Of REsIstancE tO WaR, gOspEl nOnvIOlEncE, anD pEacE fOR umanIty. hROugOut Is faItful, pEacEmakIng lIfE, danIEl BERRIgan as cOnsIstEntly saID nO tO EvERy WaR, InjustIcE, anD WEapOn Of vIOlEncE. AnD WIt EvERy nO E accEpts tE cOst. AnD E DOEs nOt gIvE up. NOmInatED many tImEs fOR tE NObEl PEacE PRIzE, dan OftEn finDs ImsElf WIt fRIEnDs bEfORE sOmE juDgE anD sIttIng On IcE In sOmE DIsmal OlDIng cEll. Suc Is tE maRk Of a pROpEt, tE sIgn Of an apOstlE Of pEacE. “wE avE assumED tE namE Of pEacEmakERs,” dan WRItEs InNo Bars to ManHood,

but WE avE bEEn, by anD laRgE, unWIllIng tO pay any sIg- nIficant pRIcE. AnD bEcausE WE Want tE pEacE WIt alf a EaRt anD alf a lIfE anD WIll, tE WaR, Of cOuRsE, cOntInuEs, bEcausE tE WagIng Of WaR, by Its natuRE, Is tOtal—but tE WagIng Of pEacE, by OuR OWn cOWaRDIcE, Is paRtIal. hERE Is nO pEacE bEcausE tERE aRE nO pEacEmakERs. hERE aRE nO makERs Of pEacE bEcausE tE makIng Of pEacE Is at lEast as cOstly as tE makIng Of WaR, at lEast as ExIgEnt, at lEast as DIsRuptIvE, at lEast as lIablE tO bRIng DIsgRacE anD pRIsOn anD DEat In Its WakE.

Foreword

“hE Only mEssagE i avE tO tE WORlD Is: WE aRE nOt allOWED tO kIll InnOcEnt pEOplE,” E tOlD tE cOuRt DuRIng Is PlOWsaREs eIgt tRIal.

wE aRE nOt allOWED tO bE cOmplIcIt In muRDER. wE aRE nOt allOWED tO bE sIlEnt WIlE pREpaRatIOns fOR mass muRDER pRO- cEED In OuR namE, WIt OuR mOnEy, sEcREtly. . . . it’s tERRIblE fOR mE tO lIvE In a tImE WERE i avE nOtIng tO say tO uman bEIngs ExcEpt, ‘StOp kIllIng.’ hERE aRE OtER bEautIful tIngs tat i WOulD lOvE tO bE sayIng tO pEOplE. hERE aRE OtER pROjEcts i cOulD bE vERy Elpful at. AnD i can’t DO tEm. i cannOt. BEcausE EvERytIng Is EnDangERED. evERytIng Is up fOR gRabs. ouRs Is a kInD Of pRImItIvE sItuatIOn, EvEn tOug WE WOulD call OuRsElvEs sOpIstIcatED. ouR plIgt Is vERy pRImItIvE fROm a CRIstIan pOInt Of vIEW. wE aRE back WERE WE staRtED. ‘hOu salt nOt kIll’; WE aRE nOt allOWED tO kIll. evERytIng tODay cOmEs DOWn tO tat—EvERytIng.

i am vERy gRatEful tO wIpf anD StOck PublIsERs fOR REpublIsIng sOmE Of dan’s classIc WORks In a sERIEs, bOOks WIc InfluEncED mIl- lIOns Of pEOplE WEn tEy fiRst appEaRED. i OpE tEsE bOOks WIll bE stuDIED, passED aROunD tO fRIEnDs anD nEIgbORs, anD pROmOtED faR anD WIDE. hEy stIll OffER gREat OpE, WIsDOm, anD EncOuRagEmEnt. in tE lIfE anD WORDs Of danIEl BERRIgan WE DIscOvER nEW faIt In tE GOD Of pEacE anD cOuRagE tO puRsuE GOD’s REIgn Of pEacE. wE sEE sIgns anD guIDEpOsts fOR tE pat aEaD, tOWaRD a nEW futuRE Of pEacE. AnD WE finD stREngt tO takE OuR OWn stanD fOR justIcE anD DIsaRmamEnt, tO takE anOtER stEp fORWaRD On tE ROaD tO pEacE anD nOnvIOlEncE. May tEsE bOOks InspIRE us tO bEcOmE, lIkE danIEl BERRIgan, pEacEmakERs In a WORlD Of WaR.

—JOn dEaR CERRIllOs, NEW MExIcO August 2007