non-violence

This mornings reflection was about non-violence and the work of Pax Christi. The aim of such reflections is, I guess to make us think, listening to the breakfast conversation following this it certainly provided food for thought.
But the reference to the beatitudes was mentioned, blessed be the peace makers. A wonderful book by Elias Chacour ‘We belong to the land’ has a passage about these sayings. In the Aramaic the word ‘blessed’ has an active meaning, rather than the passive nature of the English translation blessed. He would read it Get up, move, go ahead you peacemakers… Far more indicative of the nature of non-violence as it necessarily requires action as apposed to pacifism which is seemingly passive in nature.