2024 Speaking Tour

Host Fr. John Dear on his 2024 Speaking Tour for his Forthcoming Orbis Book: “’The Gospel of Peace: A Commentary on Matthew, Mark and Luke from the Perspective of Nonviolence.” For more info, click here

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Listen on Apple, Spotify, all major platforms,
and the National Catholic Reporter

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December 15th, 2025

Episode #50, John Dear on Mary’s Advent Journey of Nonviolence

This week on “The Nonviolent Jesus Podcast,” John Dear offers an Advent reflection on Luke 1, “Mary’s Advent Journey of Nonviolence,” from the Anunciation to the Visitation to the Magnificat. Luke tells her story as the three movements of the spiritual life–from contemplative nonviolence to active nonviolence to the Magnificat as prophetic nonviolence.
 
How did Jesus learn his spectacular nonviolence? Luke says from Mary, his holy Jewish mother. Mary’s journey begins with contemplative prayer, so Luke teaches that the spiritual journey of peace and nonviolence begins with contemplative peace and nonviolence. The Annunciation is a scene of contemplative prayer where Mary communes with the God of peace. She surrenders her life to God, does only God’s will, listens attentively for God, and in that silence and stillness, encounters God and is ready to say Yes.
 
In the Visitation as active nonviolence, Mary reaches out to “love her neighbor” and “show compassion to someone in need.” These public actions would become the bedrock teachings of Luke’s Jesus. In this second movement of nonviolence, we learn to reach out in love and compassion to serve someone in need, and bring peace, joy, and consolation. That’s what peacemakers do.
 
Finally, in the third movement of Mary’s journey into prophetic nonviolence, she proclaims the greatness of the God of peace, announces that God is throwing down the rulers from their thrones and lifting up the lowly, and remembering God’s promise of mercy, of nonviolence!, for generations to come! Like Mary, this Advent, we proclaim a prophetic announcement about the coming of God’s reign of peace and nonviolence here and now. Listen in, take heart, and go forward in the Christmas blessings of contemplative, active and prophetic nonviolence. Advent blessings to everyone!

Next week…

The Nonviolent Jesus Podcast welcomes John Dear on the Epiphany of Christmas! For more information, visit here.

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Listen on Apple, Spotify, all major platforms,
and the National Catholic Reporter

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December 8th, 2025

Episode #49, John Dear in conversation with activist Mike Martin on beating guns into garden tools!

This week on “The Nonviolent Jesus Podcast,” John Dear speaks with Mike Martin, a blacksmith and founder of RAWtools.org, one of the most creative Christian peacemaking projects in the country. This, John suggests, is what Advent is all about: beating swords into plowshares, preparing the way for the nonviolent Jesus, and getting ready for the coming of peace on earth.
 
John met Mike about 15 years ago at the Wildgoose Christian summer festival in North Carolina. John was giving a talk on peacemaking in a tent, while Mike was outside banging away on handguns and putting them into a fire, and eventually, turning them into plowshares, garden tools, and little crosses to wear around your neck. John was talking about beating swords into plowshares, but Mike was actually doing it, and you could take part in it, and hammer on a gun, and maybe buy one of his new creations. Since then, his project has taken off around the country. Check out: www.rawtools.org
 
Mike Martin is a former Mennonite youth pastor and licensed for this specialized ministry by the Mennonite Conference. He learned to how to blacksmith in order to turn guns into garden tools. He is the co-author of a great book with Shane Claiborne, Beating Guns: Hope for people who are weary of violence. [See www.beatingguns.com]
 
“We have a national network of people who know how to destroy firearms,” he tells John. “We can help you destroy your firearm, and connect you to a blacksmith. We travel across the country and turn a donated firearm into a garden tool, and we invite people into the process of transformation.”
 
“I’ve probably hammered on a gun barrel thousands of times and it feels meaningful every time,” he continues. “We’re using raw tools–not war tools–to transform the world. We offer a safe space for gun violence survivors to heal.”
 
Listen in and be inspired for Advent!

Next week…

The Nonviolent Jesus Podcast welcomes John Dear! For more information, visit here.

John Dear’s new book now available!

“The Gospel of Peace:
Reading Matthew, Mark & Luke
from the Perspective of Nonviolence”

For info, click here
 
To order, call Orbis Books at 1-800-258-5838
 

To invite John Dear to speak in your city, write to: john@beatitudescenter.org 

National Catholic Reporter Review of “The Gospel of Peace,” click here
 
To watch Fr. John’s interview with Dean Young of Grace Cathedral about the book, click here
 
To watch Fr. John’s sermon at Grace Cathedral, San Francisco, on Jan. 21, 2024, (at the 30 minute mark) click here
 
The Nonviolent Jesus Podcast, a free weekly podcast with John Dear
click here

Recent Books

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“The Sacrament of Civil Disobedience”
Revised 2022 Edition, with new foreword by Shane Claiborne,
Available on amazon, in the U.K.  To order, visit: https://labora.press/product/the-sacrament-of-civil-disobedience/

Recent Articles

John Dear Talks Nonviolence with Joan Baez: A Conversation

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The Peacemaking Life of Pope Francis

A few years ago, three French peace activists met with Pope Francis and asked him for advice. “Start a revolution,” he said. “Shake things up! The world is deaf. You have to open its ears.” That’s what Pope Francis did — he started a nonviolent revolution and invited us all to join. 

I’m grateful for him for so many reasons, but mainly because he spoke out so boldly, so prophetically in word and deed for justice, the poor, disarmament, peace, creation, mercy and nonviolence. It is a tremendous gift that we had him for 12 years, that he did not resign or retire, but kept at it until the last day, Easter Sunday.

Read More

My Long Lost Conversation with John Lewis

Last summer, after Congressman John Lewis died, I posted a photo on social media of me and John from a memorable afternoon we spent together in his congressional office. It was 26 years ago. We had talked for a while, and then filmed a formal conversation on nonviolence.

Needless to say, it was one of the greatest days of my exciting life.

Read More

Recent News

“Nonviolence,” a new 147 page special edition
of Richard Rohr’s journal Oneing, now available from www.cac.org

John Dear on “Democracy Now” talking about Thich Nhat Hanh and Archbishop Tutu 

Visit
www.DanielBerrigan.org

“Jesus was totally nonviolent and calls us to practice and teach Gospel nonviolence and welcome God’s reign of peace and nonviolence, which means from now on, we work for the abolition of war, poverty, racism, gun violence, the death penalty, nuclear weapons, environmental destruction, and all violence.” – Fr. John Dear

Find the Beatitudes Center on Facebook!

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Visit Fr. John Dear’s Work at:
The Beatitudes Center for the Nonviolent Jesus

Free, weekly podcast: “The Nonviolent Jesus Podcast“

Contact Fr. John Dear via the email or mailing address at: www.beatitudescenter.org