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Daily Meditation
written by Henri Nouwen
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Forgiving the Church
It is very hard for us to keep
in touch with the living Christ. When we say, "I love Jesus, but I hate the
Church," we end up losing not only the Church but Jesus too. The challenge is
to forgive the Church. This challenge is especially great because the Church
seldom asks us for forgiveness, at least not officially. But the Church as an
often fallible human organization needs our forgiveness, while the Church as
the living Christ among us continues to offer us forgiveness.
It is important to think about the Church not as "over there" but as a
community of struggling, weak people of whom we are part and in whom we meet
our Lord and Redeemer.
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Daily Meditation for January 13, 2011
written by Henri Nouwen
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The Still, Small Voice of Love
Many voices ask for our attention. There is a voice that says, "Prove that you are a good person." Another voice says, "You'd better be ashamed of yourself." There also is a voice that says, "Nobody really cares about you," and one that says, "Be sure to become successful, popular, and powerful." But underneath all these often very noisy voices is a still, small voice that says, "You are my Beloved, my favor rests on you." That's the voice we need most of all to hear. To hear that voice, however, requires special effort; it requires solitude, silence, and a strong determination to listen.
That's what prayer is. It is listening to the voice that calls us "my Beloved."
''''''''''''''''''''''''''
[My Motto]
The Lord God has given me
the tongue of a teacher,
that I may know how to sustain
the weary with a word.
Morning by morning he wakens—
wakens my ear
to listen as those who are taught.
5The Lord God
has opened my ear,
and I was not rebellious,
I did not turn backwards