FORTY THIRD ANNUAL
FAST FOR THE TRUTH OF
GOSPEL NONVIOLENCE
(July1–August 9)
FAST FOOD AD 2025: Eighteenth Helping
Jesus calls no one to be a part time Christian. Baptism in Greek means “total immersion.” All Christians are called to be and to choose daily to be full time disciples in thought, word and deed of the Jesus of the Gospels, who is the only Jesus there ever was, is or will be. No faithful disciple of Jesus can morally, spiritually or theologically say, “I have a job to do that can only be done if I part company with the teachings of Jesus for a while to do it; but I’ll be back later” For example, being a soldier, e.g., a Swiss Guard, willing to kill human beings on the command of some other person, or being the president and CEO of an organization, e.g., the Vatican City State, that depends on fear and violence of every ilk to get done what it wants to get done is to part company with the Jesus’ Way and to that extent to part company with Jesus by going down the wrong way.
If General George Patton orders the U.S. Third Army of which he was the commander, “Follow me, go left at the fork in the road ahead,” but I, a member of his army, go right because I think I have a better idea, then I am not following him and I have parted company with him. The same applies, mutatis mutandis, to faithfully following Jesus and His Way.
It is as simple and as serious as this. In the Gospels, Jesus authorizes no one to substitute violence for Christlike love. It is not the Christian’s task to do that which there is no way of doing with Christlike Love. The only goals that a Christian may pursue are goals that are achievable by Christlike means. Of course, Jesus teaches that there are no worthwhile goals to achieve that are not attainable by Christlike means.
-Emmanuel Charles McCarthy
www.emmanuelcharlesmccarthy.or
https://www.youtube.com/@emmanuelcharlesmccarthy3292
“Holy, Holy, Holy, Lord God of Love.
Heaven and earth are full of Your glory!
Hosanna in the highest!
Blessed is He, Who comes in the Name of the Lord.
Hosanna in the highest!”
