Bertha von Suttner: Utilizing God's Word and the Holy Spirit

Dear Pali Pres,

Today, June 9, is the birthday of novelist and peace activist Bertha von Suttner, who was born in Prague in 1843.

Suttner and her husband were devout Christians who committed their lives to the European peace movement of the late 19th and early 20th Centuries. Together they established the League Against Anti-Semitism in response to the growing antisemitism in Eastern Europe. As Suttner once wrote, “true religion is neighborly love, not neighborly hatred. Any kind of hatred, against other nations or against other creeds, detracts from the humaneness of humanity.”

Interestingly enough, at one point in her life Suttner briefly worked as an assistant to Alfred Nobel, who made his fortune by inventing dynamite and developing weapons of war. Over time, Suttner persuaded Nobel to include a peace prize among the “Nobel Prizes” that he established with his fortune. Just a few years later, in 1905, she became the first woman to be awarded the Nobel Peace Prize “for her audacity to oppose the horrors of war.”

I am continually amazed and inspired by the lives of people like Bertha von Suttner. Such people of faith utilized God’s word and the courage of the Holy Spirit to leave a positive, lasting impact on our world. May we all continue to practice putting our faith into action in ways that help and bring forth God’s peace.

Yours in Christ,

Pastor Matt

“After the verb ‘to Love’, ‘to Help’ is the most beautiful verb in the world.” - Bertha von Suttner