Written from her deep experience in the monastic tradition, Sister Mary Margaret Funk shows us that, with faith and our given vocations, we are more than strong enough to resist and renounce the violence in the world around us. This book offers, both for personal use and for the broader community, a teaching for our troubled times, a teaching that empowers the reader to renounce violence in all its bold and subtle forms. As a concrete example, Funk retrieves the practice and symbolism of using holy water to bless, cleanse, and free us from violence wherever it is emerging-in our personal lives and in our world. This practice has thrived in the monastic tradition and has a language with a voice.
"In the face of almost overwhelming anger and violence active in our culture and world-at-large, we ask, `How can we bring about healing and reconciliation?' Sr. Mary Margaret Funk offers a means: inner work. With the grace of the Holy Spirit, we can train our minds to uproot angry thoughts and actions that fuel violence in our world. Renouncing Violence is a timely, important, and practical guide
Fr. Daniel Chowning, OCD
"In the book Renouncing Violence, Sr. Mary Margaret Funk takes a uniquely monastic view of violence and its end. There are no charts or graphs on violence, but rather windows into her monastic practice, wisdom, and faith. I enjoyed and learned the most from her personal stories and self-reflection, going deep into her own anger, searching for a solution and ultimately finding it. Her understanding
Ven. Kusala Bhikshu
"This is a necessary book at a time when, as Meg Funk puts it, we are `in a global bad mood,' and angry voices and violent actions grab the headlines. She makes a convincing argument that the Christian tradition-in Scripture, in the life and death of Jesus, in the coming of the Holy Spirit, and in the practice of prayer-offers a way out of retaliation and violence. As challenging as this book is,
Kathleen Norris, Author of Dakota: A Spiritual Geography and The Cloister Walk
