The World Became A Witness

“I dreamed that all the religions fell silent. We all awoke one day to a world where no priest could preach, no mullah proclaim, no rabbi teach, no guru say a word. Our books were gone, our effort to write only a blank page. We knew the faith of each one, but could learn only by observation. We could speak of other things, but in matters of belief we were stilled. The world became a witness. There is no stronger argument for faith than the life you lead. If others do not see God in what you do, they will not hear it in what you say.”

– Steven Charleston, Cloud Walking

Manic Screaming

We should make all spiritual talk
Simple today:

God is trying to sell you something,
But you don’t want to buy.

That is what your suffering is:

Your fantastic haggling,
Your manic screaming over the price!

– Hafiz

Henri Nouwen Receiving an Award

There are so few videos out there that of Henri Nouwen speaking. Just like Thomas Merton and Jean Vanier, we need more people to hear what Henri Nouwen has to say and take his words to heart. His words can soften the hard edges.

Are You Receiving?

“We can’t manage, maneuver or manipulate spiritual energy. It is a matter of letting go and receiving what is being given freely.”

– Richard Rohr

Radical Stance

“The spiritual life is a life in which we wait, actively present to the moment, trusting that new things will happen to us, new things that are far beyond our own imagination, fantasy, or prediction. That, indeed, is a very radical stance toward life in a world preoccupied with control.”

~ Henri Nouwen

Painting by Salvador Dalì, Archaeological reminscence of Millet’s Angelus

Free World

“Freedom belongs to the core of the spiritual life; not just the freedom which releases us from forces that want to oppress us, but the freedom also to forgive others, to serve them, and to form a new bond of fellowship with them. In short, the freedom to love and to work for a free world.”

~ Henri Nouwen, Letters to Marc About Jesus

Painting by Camille Pissarro (1898)

As God Know Us

“The temptations of being relevant, spectacular, and powerful are real temptations and stay with us all of our lives. They are strong because they play directly on our desire to join others on the upwardly mobile road. But when we are able to recognize these temptations as seductive attempts to cling to the illusion of the false self, they can become instead invitations to claim our true self, which is hidden in God alone. When we find ourselves able to continue to serve our fellow human beings even when our lives remain the same, even when few people offer us praise, and even when we have little or no power, we come to know ourselves as God know us, as sons and daughters hidden in God’s love.”

~ Henri Nouwen

When We Forgive

“We are one. Thus when we forgive another, we forgive a part of ourselves.”

~ James Blanchard Cisneros, You Have Chosen To Remember

Release Control

“When you think you deserve, expect, or need something specific to happen, you are setting yourself up for constant unhappiness and a final inability to enjoy or at least allow what is actually going to happen. After a while, you find yourself resisting almost everything at some level to try to remain in total control. I think this pattern is entirely common and widespread.

Only when you give up your preoccupation with control will you be able to move with the divine flow. Without all the inner voices of resistance and control, it is amazing how much you can get done and not get tired. Giving up control is a school of union, compassion, and understanding. It is also a school for the final letting go that we call death. Practice giving up control early in life. You will be much happier and much closer to the truth, to the moment, and to God—none of which can be experienced when you presume you can be in control anyway.”

~ Richard Rohr

Set Your Soul

Snow Can never emit flame.

Water can never issue fire.

A thorn bush can never produce a fig.

Just so, your heart can never be free from oppressive thoughts, words, and actions until it has purified itself internally.

Be eager to walk this path.

Watch your heart always.

Constantly say the prayer “Lord Jesus Christ, have mercy on me.”

Be humble.

Set your soul in quietness.

~ Hesychios