Blessed Are the Peacemakers

Seeing Kathy Kelly is a painful experience. It’s also a spiritual inspiration.
God knows this burned out and disillusioned peace activist and veteran needs inspiration. So once again I took a road trip to Grand Junction, Colorado, two hundred fifty miles away, to spend an evening with Kathy and the wonderful people of the Grand Junction peace and justice movement.
I drove to Grand Junction last year and found inspiration from the same petite woman who has an aura that I’ve seen in very few people during my lifetime.
Kathy looked tired and almost sad before she began her talk last night. And suddenly she was introduced and took command of our attention and our hearts. She started by telling of her experiences with parents in Lebanon grieving the loss of children to a bomb dropped by an Israeli plane.
She told us of seeing the destruction of buildings where innocent civilians had lived and perished.
She told of dangerous encounters with Israeli troops wielding rifles and seeming ready to shoot anybody they felt a threat. She told them to “put those guns down” as they approached her….using her skills as a former teacher. They put their guns down.
I could tell of all the many things Kathy told us last night and never do the stories justice.
She immediately involved me in the telling of her time in Lebanon and Iraq. She immediately gave me a mental picture of the suffering she encountered and her sense of frustration and sadness.
Kathy put a face on the people of Lebanon and Iraq beyond the images of suicide bombers and Saddam Hussein. She talked about the children and brought tears to my eyes.
If I came away with nothing else her description of the universal joy of children at play will stay with me for a long time. The disruption of the joy by adults killing each other and terrorizing the children will haunt me and should haunt us all.
In the spiritual realm, Kathy incorporated the Beatitudes of Jesus at the Sermon on the Mount to what is necessary for activists to strive for in their work. She reminded us the people of Lebanon and Iraq cry out “we are people, just like you” from the rubble of American bombs and missiles.
Usually going to Kathy Kelly’s presentations is a love fest of her preaching to the choir. And the choir does need the inspiration she offers. Last night turned out to be a little different in the question and answer part of her talk.
A woman in her forties or fifties challenged Kathy about one of her remarks likening Christian martyrs to Shia martyrs. The woman may have been Zionist and humanizing the people of Lebanon was difficult for her. I’m not sure. I’m sure she had a great deal of anger toward Muslims as she seemed to want to paint all as fundamental Islamic terrorists.
She insisted the Koran had several passages that called for violence, that people believing in Islam were coerced to believe and that we must defend ourselves against the Islamic terrorists who believed they would be greeted in heaven by virgins if only they became martyrs as suicide bombers.
Kathy listened to the woman’s view with empathy and concern but asked her to consider how people in places like Iraq and Lebanon are driven to become suicide bombers. She asked the woman to consider the violence of Christians and Jews toward Muslims in the carrying out of governmental policies. She asked her to look at the people she seemed to easily categorize as fanatics and terrorists as humans with the same needs and desires as all of us.
The interaction could have easily become contentious and uncomfortable but the peaceful spirit of Kathy Kelly shined brightly. She gave a clear demonstration of how activists can have dialogue with people who have beliefs very opposed to our own. She demonstrated why we must have such a dialogue.
I’m sure the woman left unconvinced Muslims desire peace and justice like all people. I’m also sure she left thinking about the ideas Kathy presented and maybe…just maybe….a seed of doubt and enlightenment was planted. Kathy showed us we must try to sow the harvest of peaceful living one person at a time if necessary.
I’m big on redefining who heroes really are in this world. I’ve grown so weary of men in the military being held up as heroes for our young people. I say this as a combat veteran who has often encountered folks wanting to give me special status for taking part in the killing of other humans.
In the times I’ve had opportunity to either speak publicly or present at groups or classes, I’ve tried to always introduce a new definition of hero. Kathy Kelly, along with Sisters Ardeth, Jackie and Carol, always seems to come to mind first.
I have few heroes in my world but when I do think of heroism I think of a woman who might weigh 100 pounds at best going into combat zones time after time to comfort and care for children and parents. I think of the petite Irish lass with toughness this ex-Marine has seldom seen. Her toughness is spiritual. She sees injustice and violence and acts with her heart. Most of us may agree about the horrible things that occur in this world but not many would act in the way Kathy Kelly does.
I can only think Kathy really does ask herself what Jesus would do. Then she does what her heart tells her must be done. She epitomizes courage and heroism to me.
I hold out hope more people will come to think peacemakers like Kathy Kelly are the true heroines of our world.
I once again give thanks to God for the inspiration of Kathy. And thanks to Kathy for a life of dedicated service to peace and justice.


Wm. Terry Leichner, RN
Denver VVAW member
USMC combat veteran – Vietnam
http://visopeace.blogspot.com