Saturday, June 10, 2023

Nouwen Meditation: In Solitude Solidarity

Now & Then Podcast

When our relationship with our dad is difficult it can complicate our ability to connect to the Father's love. In this Henri Nouwen, Now & Then podcast, Arthur Boers, author of the powerful new memoir Shattered, navigates the complex terrain of fear and love, shame and forgiveness in the face of generational cycles of rage and violence.

DAILY MEDITATION | JUNE 10, 2023
In Solitude Solidarity
In true solitude there is an unlimited space for others because we are empty. In this poverty nobody stands over and against us, because our enemy is only our enemy as long as we have something to defend. But when we have nothing to hold on to or protect, when we have nothing we consider exclusively ours, then nobody will threaten us. Rather, in the center of our solitude we meet all men and women as brothers and sisters. In true solitude, we stand so naked and so vulnerable before God, and we become so deeply aware of our total dependency on God’s love, that not only our friends but also those who kill, lie, torture, rape, and wage wars become part of our flesh and blood. Yes, in true solitude we are so totally empty and poor that we find our solidarity with brothers and sisters everywhere. Our hearts, full of God and empty of fear and anger, become a welcoming home for God and for our whole human family on earth.
"Jesus, knowing that they intended to come and make him king by force, withdrew again to a mountain by himself."

JOHN 6:15 (NIV)
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