On The Journey Toward Becoming More Merciful

One day I had two experiences that helped me to understand that being merciful means being nonjudgmental and believing deeply that God is in everyone, everything, all the time, without discrimination or judgment. God sees us as beautiful and able to show mercy as well as broken and in need of mercy. And God does not place a greater value on one or the other. Being merciful and receiving mercy are both paths to experiencing God's love.
On a recent visit to Ukraine, I attended a liturgy in the beautiful new chapel at the Ukrainian Catholic University. The priests, dressed in gold robes, were chanting prayers and incensing the altar to sanctify it. As the incense rose, it caught the light coming through the stained glass windows, and it seemed as if our prayers were rising to heaven and praising God. I thought, How beautiful this is, and how pleased God must be with these prayers!
Later that day, I visited a psychiatric hospital in Lviv. It is an old and desperate place where almost two thousand people live in large wards with no heat, often no mattresses on their beds and only sporadic, cold running water. In one of the wards, under a grimy window, sat two men dressed in torn clothes and looking very tired and sad. They were both smoking, and the rays of light coming through the window highlighted the curling smoke and made it look like incense rising to heaven. I was reminded of the mass earlier in the day, and I thought, Their smoking is giving praise to God, and God is present here, too.
God doesn't think about churches, hospitals, robes or torn clothes. God thinks about people's desire to give and receive mercy; their desire to belong, to love and be loved. And God accepts every gesture, no matter how poor or polished, as an attempt to belong, to love and be loved.

- Joe Vorstermans

Wish You Enough...

Recently I overheard a mother and daughter in their last moments together at the airport. They had announced the departure.
Standing near the security gate, they hugged and the mother said "I love you and I wish you enough".
The daughter replied, "Mom, our life together has been more than enough. Your love is all I ever needed. I wish you enough, too, Mom".
They kissed and the daughter left. The mother walked over to the window where I was seated. Standing there I could see she wanted and needed to cry. I tried not to intrude on her privacy but she welcomed me in by asking "Did you ever say good-bye to someone knowing it would be forever?" "Yes, I have," I replied. "Forgive me for asking but why is this a forever goodbye?"
"I am old and she lives so far away. I have challenges ahead and the reality is - the next trip back will be for my funeral" she said.
"When you were saying goodbye, I heard you say 'I wish you enough'. May I ask what that means?"
She began to smile. "That's a wish that has been handed down from other generations. My parents used to say it to everyone."
She paused a moment and looked up as if trying to remember it in detail and she smiled even more. "When we said 'I wish you enough' we were wanting the other person to have a life filled with just enough good things to sustain them".
Then turning toward me she shared the following as if she were reciting it from memory -
I wish you enough sun to keep your attitude bright.
I wish you enough rain to appreciate the sun more.
I wish you enough happiness to keep your sp! irit alive.
I wish you enough pain so that the smallest joys in life appear much bigger
I wish you enough gain to satisfy your wanting.
I wish you enough loss to appreciate all that you possess.
I wish you enough hellos to get you through the final good-bye.
She then began to cry and walked away

source unknown

Truly Excellent

Malcolm Muggeridge titled his short biography of Mother Teresa "Something Beautiful for God". My idealistic soul says that each of us should do our work with that motto in mind - particularly when what we do is done for Christ and the church. The song we sing, the report we give, the class we teach must be excellent - as truly excellent as we can make it - because it is done for God. It was such a passion for quality that made J. S. Bach identify each composition - including those that were written on secular themes - as "for the Glory of God alone." Bach's vision of success was one of excellence, and his standard for excellence was that his work should be acceptable to the praise of God.

- J. Ellsworth Kalas in "If Experience Is Such a Good Teacher Why Do I Keep Repeating the Course?"

Becoming Food For the World

When Jesus took bread, blessed it, broke it, and gave it to his disciples, he summarized in these gestures his own life. Jesus is chosen from all eternity, blessed at his baptism in the Jordan River, broken on the cross, and given as bread to the world. Being chosen, blessed, broken, and given is the sacred journey of the Son of God, Jesus the Christ.
When we take bread, bless it, break it, and give it with the words "This is the Body of Christ," we express our commitment to make our lives conform to the life of Christ. We too want to live as people chosen, blessed, and broken, and thus become food for the world.

- Henri Nouwen

Only Then...

A rabbi asked his students, “When is it at dawn that one can tell the light from the darkness?”
One student replied, “When I can tell a goat from a donkey.”
“No,” answered the rabbi.
Another said, “When I can tell a palm tree from a fig.”
“No,” answered the rabbi again.
“Well, then what is the answer?” his students pressed him.
“Only when you look into the face of every man and every woman and see your brother and your sister,” said the rabbi. “Only then have you seen the light. All else is still darkness.”

Hasidic tale

Released From Fear

The dread of illness can be more damaging than the illness. The fear of failure can be more fatal than the failure. Go through the list of phobias which have multiplied in an age of anxiety and see how many of them are what Archibald MacLeish called "faceless fears." That is, they have no substance, no shape, no bodily image that you can face or fight. They're shadows. Fear of the dark - fear of open places - fear of closed places - fear of criticism - fear of the future - fear of old age - fear of death - all the way to phobophobia, which is the fear of fear. There are seventy-two listed phobias, most of them shadows, ghosts. They have no power to hurt except through fear of them.
Obviously then, one of the great needs of life is to keep our fears manageable. And one of the great contributions that religious faith makes to wholesome life is right here. Nothing takes the fear out of life so much as an awareness deep within of God's nearness and His loving concern. "I will fear no evil for thou are with me." The particular dread the psalmist speaks about is the common fear of death. He likens it to a shadow: "though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death..." There's nothing much to fear in a shadow. The shadow of a dog can't bite. The shadow of a snake can't sting. And when life is undergirded by a consciousness of God's presence and concern, we're released from the fear of many shadows and get beyond the reach of many seeming evils.

- Wallace Hamilton in "Where Now Is Thy God?"

A Time to Receive and a Time to Give

It is important to know when we can give attention and when we need attention. Often we are inclined to give, give, and give without ever asking anything in return. We may think that this is a sign of generosity or even heroism. But it might be little else than a proud attitude that says: "I don't need help from others. I only want to give." When we keep giving without receiving we burn out quickly. Only when we pay careful attention to our own physical, emotional, mental, and spiritual needs can we be, and remain, joyful givers.
There is a time to give and a time to receive. We need equal time for both if we want to live healthy lives.

- Henri Nouwen

Serve Somebody

You may be a state trooper, you might be a young Turk,
You may be the head of some big TV network,
You may be rich or poor, you may be blind or lame,
You may be living in another country under another name

You may be a preacher with your spiritual pride,
You may be a city councilman taking bribes on the side,
You may be in a barbershop, you may know how to cut hair,
You may be somebody's mistress, may be somebody's heir

Might like to wear cotton... might like to wear silk,
Might like to drink whiskey, might like to drink milk,
You might like to eat caviar, you might like to eat bread,
You may be sleeping on the floor, or in a king-sized bed

But you're gonna have to serve somebody, yes indeed
You're gonna have to serve somebody.
It may be the devil, or it may be the Lord
But you're gonna have to serve somebody.

- Bob Dylan

Listening With Our Wounds

To enter into solidarity with a suffering person does not mean that we have to talk with that person about our own suffering. Speaking about our own pain is seldom helpful for someone who is in pain. A wounded healer is someone who can listen to a person in pain without having to speak about his or her own wounds. When we have lived through a painful depression, we can listen with great attentiveness and love to a depressed friend without mentioning our experience. Mostly it is better not to direct a suffering person's attention to ourselves. We have to trust that our own bandaged wounds will allow us to listen to others with our whole beings. That is healing.

- Henri Nouwen

Tending Our Own Wounds First

Our own experience with loneliness, depression, and fear can become a gift for others, especially when we have received good care. As long as our wounds are open and bleeding, we scare others away. But after someone has carefully tended to our wounds, they no longer frighten us or others.
When we experience the healing presence of another person, we can discover our own gifts of healing. Then our wounds allow us to enter into a deep solidarity with our wounded brothers and sisters.

- Henri Nouwen

Wholehearted Perseverance

What is so striking about a determined spirit? Why do stories of courage and tenacity inspire us? Why do we seek out and follow heroes who model wholehearted perseverance? How does another person's determination motivate us toward excellence?
The Bible clearly shows that perseverance is an outward expression of good character or integrity. Whether it's called courage, tenacity, resolve, determination, steadfastness or persistence - God calls us to model a commitment to Him and His plans.
"Not only so, but we also rejoice in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope" (Romans 5:3-4).

- Dr. Norm Wakefield & Jody Brolsma in "Men Are from Israel, Women Are from Moab"

The Wounded Healer

Nobody escapes being wounded. We all are wounded people, whether physically, emotionally, mentally, or spiritually. The main question is not "How can we hide our wounds?" so we don't have to be embarrassed, but "How can we put our woundedness in the service of others?" When our wounds cease to be a source of shame, and become a source of healing, we have become wounded healers.
Jesus is God's wounded healer: through his wounds we are healed. Jesus' suffering and death brought joy and life. His humiliation brought glory; his rejection brought a community of love. As followers of Jesus we can also allow our wounds to bring healing to others.

- Henri Nouwen

Fear Not

“Dozens dead, hundreds injured” scream the headlines all over the world. But it seems to me that amid all the tumult, we are missing the most important thing. If 9/11 really changed us (as so many people claim) then why are we once again seeking protection in heightened security and military might? If we have really seen enough bloodshed and violence, then why aren’t we turning to God for help?
Biblical history shows us that whenever we think we have the answers and try to take world events into our hands, God withdraws from us. It was only when the children of Israel realized that their own strength had come to an end, and cried out to God, that he intervened and helped them. If God led the children of Israel out of Egypt, how much more will he help us today?
Anyone who is familiar with the Gospels knows that this message shines from every page: “Fear not; I am with you to the end of the age.” If we claim to be followers of Jesus, shouldn’t it shine through our lives as well?

- Johann Christoph Arnold

Boredom

Well, as I was saying, the world is eaten up by boredom. To perceive this needs a little preliminary thought: you can't see it all at once. It is like dust. You go about and never notice, you breathe it in, you eat and drink it. It is sifted so fine, it doesn't even grit on your teeth. But stand still for an instant and there it is, coating your face and hands. To shake off this drizzle of ashes you must be forever on the go. And so people are always "on the go." Perhaps the answer would be that the world has long been familiar with boredom, that such is the true condition of man. No doubt the seed was scattered all over life, and here and there found fertile soil to take root; but I wonder if man has ever before experienced this contagion, this leprosy of boredom: an aborted despair, a shameful form of despair in some way like the fermentation of a Christianity in decay.

- Georges Bernanos

Denominational Distinctions

I endeavour to keep all... forms and terms of [denominational] distinction out of sight, as we keep knives and razors out of the way of children; and if my hearers had not some other means of information, I think they would not know from me that there are such creatures as Arminians and Calvinists in the world. But we [would] talk a good deal about Christ.

- John Newton (1725-1807) (author of 'Amazing Grace')

The Trumpets' Blast

Agnes De Mille said that, "No trumpets sound when the important decisions in our life are made. Destiny is made known silently." While this may be true about some decisions, the most important decision - to follow Jesus Christ - is different. I believe the trumpets blast in heaven every time someone new comes to the point of making a decision for Christ, thus settling that person's eternal destiny. Jesus says in Luke 15:10, "I say to you, there is joy in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner who repents."

- Rev. David T. Wilkinson

On The Journey Toward Becoming More Merciful

Shakespeare made a reference to mercy as being twice a blessing. It blesses the one who receives it and the one who bestows it. It takes being forgiven to begin to become more forgiving and so merciful and blest.
When I was a lad we lived next to Eric and his wife, an elderly couple who had a very well-kept yard and home. They had a beautiful row of peony bushes, which were just a little taller than we could jump over, but we kept trying, damaging the branches and blossoms. They also had a garage, and one day we put two baseballs through two different garage windows, unintentionally of course. Eric never complained to our parents or scolded us but continued being friendly and seemed to smile upon his neighbours. He seemed more forgiving than our parents, from whom I learned justice.
Eventually I asked Eric why he never seemed angry with us. He reflected awhile and then said that he once was a lad. He turned towards his house and nice yard. "That's a reflection of how I live now," he said. "You kids are how I used to live." He paused and then continued, "We had neighbours who complained if we sneezed. I learned to forgive by not being forgiven for being young, like you guys."
I now wish we had not broken his windows and knocked down his flower bushes. Happy fault, though, being forgiven by him was for me the beginning of experiencing the mercy of God. Receiving mercy is a healing experience, which allows us in turn to extend the healing mercy of Jesus.

- Fr. Larry Gillick, S.J.

Beyond Jealousy

Jealousy arises easily in our hearts. In the parable of the prodigal son, the elder son is jealous that his younger brother gets such a royal welcome even though he and his loose women swallowed up his father's property (Luke 15:30). And in the parable of the labourers in the vineyard, the workers who worked the whole day are jealous that those who came at the eleventh hour receive the same pay as they did (see Matthew 20:1-16). But the Father says to the older son: "You are with me always and all I have is yours" (Luke 15:31). And the landowner says: "Why should you be envious because I am generous?" (Matthew 20:15).
When we truly enjoy God's unlimited generosity, we will be grateful for what our brothers and sisters receive. Jealous will simply have no place in our hearts.

- Henri Nouwen

How Time Heals

"Time heals," people often say. This is not true when it means that we will eventually forget the wounds inflicted on us and be able to live on as if nothing happened. That is not really healing; it is simply ignoring reality. But when the expression "time heals" means that faithfulness in a difficult relationship can lead us to a deeper understanding of the ways we have hurt each other, then there is much truth in it. "Time heals" implies not passively waiting but actively working with our pain and trusting in the possibility of forgiveness and reconciliation.

- Henri Nouwen

As We Forgive Our Debtors

Now, for all its failings and its perversions over the last 2,000 years—and as much as every exponent of this faith has attempted to dodge this idea—it is unarguably the central tenet of Christianity: that everybody is equal in God's eyes. So you cannot, as a Christian, walk away from Africa. America will be judged by God if, in its plenty, it crosses the road from 23 million people suffering from HIV, the leprosy of the day.
What's up on trial here is Christianity itself. You cannot walk away from this and call yourself a Christian and sit in power. Distance does not decide who is your brother and who is not. The church is going to have to become the conscience of the free market if it's to have any meaning in this world - and stop being its apologist.

- Bono

The Ant Philosophy

Over the years I've been teaching children about a simple but powerful concept - the ant philosophy. I think everybody should study ants. They have an amazing four-part philosophy, and here is the first part: ants never quit. That's a good philosophy. If they're headed somewhere and you try to stop them; they'll look for another way. They'll climb over, they'll climb under, they'll climb around. They keep looking for another way. What a neat philosophy, to never quit looking for a way to get where you're supposed to go.
Second, ants think winter all summer. That's an important perspective. You can't be so naive as to think summer will last forever. So ants are gathering in their winter food in the middle of summer.
An ancient story says, "Don't build your house on the sand in the summer." Why do we need that advice? Because it is important to be realistic. In the summer, you've got to think storm. You've got to think rocks as you enjoy the sand and sun. Think ahead.
The third part of the ant philosophy is that ants think summer all winter. That is so important. During the winter, ants remind themselves, "This won't last long; we'll soon be out of here." And the first warm day, the ants are out. If it turns cold again, they'll dive back down, but then they come out the first warm day. They can't wait to get out.
And here's the last part of the ant philosophy. How much will an ant gather during the summer to prepare for the winter? All that he possibly can. What an incredible philosophy, the "all-that-you-possibly-can" philosophy.
Wow, what a great seminar to attend - the ant seminar. Never give up, look ahead, stay positive and do all you can.

- Jim Rohn

Hope In The Midst Of Despair

Shortly after [my daughter] Hope died, I was at the cosmetics counter buying some mascara. "Will this mascara run down my face when I cry?" I asked.
The girl behind the counter assured me it wouldn't and asked with a laugh in her voice. "Are you going to be crying?"
"Yes," I answered. "I am."
We had Hope for 199 days. We loved her. We enjoyed her richly and shared her with everyone we could. We held her during her seizures. Then we let her go.
The day after we buried Hope, my husband said to me, "You know, I think we expected our faith to make this hurt less, but it doesn't. Our faith gave us an incredible amount of strength and encouragement while we had Hope, and we are comforted by the knowledge that she is in heaven. Our faith keeps us from being swallowed by despair. But I don't think it makes our loss hurt any less."

- Nancy Guthrie in "Holding on to Hope"

A Father's As Well As a Mother's Love

The father in the story of the prodigal son is mother as well. His running out to welcome his son, his embrace and kisses; his offering of the best robe, the ring, and the sandals; and his throwing a party are not the typical behaviour of a distant patriarch. They express so much tenderness, nurturing care, and self-effacing forgiveness that in them we see both motherly and fatherly love fully present.
The perfect love of our heavenly Father includes as well as transcends all the love that a father and mother can have for their children. We may think about the two hands of God embracing us as a mother's hand and a father's hand: one caressing, consoling, and comforting, the other supporting, encouraging, and empowering. We too are called to be father and mother to those who want to come home.

- Henri Nouwen

The Tears of the Father

The father in the story of the prodigal son suffered much. He saw his younger son leave, knowing the disappointments, rejections and abuses facing him. He saw his older son become angry and bitter, and was unable to offer him affection and support. A large part of the father's life has been waiting. He could not force his younger son to come home or his older son to let go of his resentments. Only they themselves could take the initiative to return.
During these long years of waiting the father cried many tears and died many deaths. He was emptied out by suffering. But that emptiness had created a place of welcome for his sons when the time of their return came. We are called to become like that father.

- Henri Nouwen

The Average Person

The captive balloon is obviously not free. And the average person is moored to the bonds of things, to public opinion, to governmental and economic realities, like the captive balloon on its cable. But it is not so obvious to everyone that the drifting "free" balloon, subject to every whim of the wind is not free either.
There is no freedom in being stirred by every opinion, steered by every spirit of the times, governed by every urge of instinct. Mere feeling - reeling, moody mysticism - is a variety of emasculation, but it is not freedom. Freedom is there only where a holy moral imperative and a mature will shows us the way we must steer our lives. "Command yourself, or be a slave forever." As long as you are not master of your self, you are not free.

- Eberhard Arnold

Welcoming Home

How do we welcome home our lost brothers and sisters? By running out to them, embracing them, and kissing them. By clothing them with the best clothes we have and making them our honored guests. By offering them the best food and inviting friends and family for a party. And, most important of all, by not asking for excuses or explanations, only showing our immense joy that they are with us again. (See Luke 15:20-24).
That is being perfect as our heavenly Father is perfect. It is forgiving from the heart without a trace of self-righteousness, recrimination, or even curiosity. The past is wiped out. What counts is the here and now, where all that fills our hearts is gratitude for the homecoming of our brothers and sisters.

- Henri Nouwen

Becoming Fathers and Mothers

What are we going to do when we get home? When the two sons of the parable of the prodigal son both have returned to their father, what then? The answer is simple: they have to become fathers themselves. Sons have to become fathers; daughters have to become mothers. Being children of God involves growing up and becoming like God. Jesus doesn't hesitate to say this: "Be perfect as your heavenly Father is perfect, be compassionate as your heavenly Father is compassionate." (See Matthew 5:48 and Luke 6:36). How? By welcoming home our lost brothers and sisters in the way our Father welcomed us home.

- Henri Nouwen

True Liberation

If our view of ourselves is anything less than being a word spoken forth by God, then our self image is a self-constructed façade - a crust of self...
I have come to realize that the primary work of God's grace in our lives is to liberate us from this destructive bondage to the crust of self in order to shape us into wholeness. God is seeking to create in us a whole new structure of habits, attitudes, and perceptions, of dynamics of personal and corporate relationships, of patterns of reaction and response to the world.
This new structure is one of increasing Christ-likeness. God is seeking to break the crust.

- M. Robert Mulholland Jr. in "Shaped by the Word"

A Lifelong Journey

Going home is a lifelong journey. There are always parts of ourselves that wander off in dissipation or get stuck in resentment. Before we know it we are lost in lustful fantasies or angry ruminations. Our night dreams and daydreams often remind us of our lostness.
Spiritual disciplines such as praying, fasting and caring are ways to help us return home. As we walk home we often realise how long the way is. But let us not be discouraged. Jesus walks with us and speaks to us on the road. When we listen carefully we discover that we are already home while on the way.

- Henri Nouwen

Think Big

All the various movements of the past decades will one day converge in a radical awakening of the masses that leads the way to social justice and to God’s unity - that is to say, to the church, to the kingdom of God, and to community in action. We must set ourselves in the midst of this mighty task and sacrifice ourselves. We must be ready to be consumed in a mighty outpouring of the Holy Spirit, to be merged with it completely.
We need to reach the millions who live in cities, the hundreds of thousands in industrial centres, the tens of thousands in medium-sized towns, the thousands in small towns, and the hundreds in villages - all these at once. Like a volcanic eruption, a spiritual revolution needs to spread through the country, to spur people to crucial decisions. People have to recognize the futility of splitting life up into politics, economics, the humanities, and religion. We must be awakened to a life in which all of these things are completely integrated.

- Eberhard Arnold

Surrendering To God

Go off by yourself and, like Jacob on the mountain (Genesis 32:24-28), struggle with God until you are spiritually exhausted. Then, in that time of resignation that follows giving up (because there is nothing left in you with which to carry on the struggle), the Spirit will come. The Spirit will come by grace. When you surrender, it is then that there may come a rushing in of the One who is Totally Other. Then, filled with the Spirit, you will be ready to relate to others in love. You will be able to reach into others and know others in ways that are truly miraculous. You will have, in truth, arrived back at the heart of old-time religion in the midst of our postmodern world.

- Tony Campolo in "Following Jesus Without Embarrassing God"