The making of a man of peace

I remember telling my Grandmother when I was 10 or so that I wanted to become a priest. She discouraged me at the time, which was probably a good thing. She was a very devout Anglican, yet I never remember her ever behaving in the self-righteous way too many religious people do. She led her life as an example with no preaching from an over-bearing moralist. She was the first personal influence in my spiritual life.

I also have had other influences in my childhood. The day I was born has had a profound influence on my beliefs. The day I was born Martin Luther King Jr. was assassinated. When I learned this while in grade school I became intensely interested in the man and his life’s work. And through this I became aware of Mahatma Gandhi and his principles of non-violence and civil disobedience. All this by grade 4.

Later, as I explored my heritage I learned that my father’s family comes from Mennonite stock, a group that also believes in non-violence as part of their spiritual expression. As I reflected on this and the fact that King was a Baptist preacher and Gandhi a devout Hindu, I have come to believe that, for me, the path to social change must be rooted in a deep spiritual faith to have the strength to preserver against evil and the depth to make it last.