Passages

Living Our Passages Well I love this simple, thought-provoking reflection by Henri Nouwen.  What passage are you going through at the moment? Death is a passage to new life.  That sounds very beautiful, but few of us desire to make this passage.  It might be helpful to realise that our final passage is preceded by many earlier passages.  When we are born we make a passage from life in the womb to life in the family.  When we go to school we make a passage from life in the family to life in the larger community.  When we get married we make a passage from a life with many options to a life committed to one person.  When we retire we make a passage from a life of clearly defined work to a life asking for new creativity and wisdom.    Each of these passages is a death leading to new life.  When we live these passages well, we are becoming more prepared for our final passage.

Trusting our Fruitfulness, Whether We See It or Not

Trusting in the Fruits A reflection from Henri Nouwen which gave me peace We belong to a generation that wants to see the results of our work.  We want to be productive and see with our own eyes what we have made.  But that is not the way of God's Kingdom.  Often our witness for God does not lead to tangible results.  Jesus himself died as a failure on a cross.  There was no success there to be proud of.  Still, the fruitfulness of Jesus' life is beyond any human measure.  As faithful witnesses of Jesus we have to trust that our lives too will be fruitful, even though we cannot see their fruit.  The fruit of our lives may be visible only to those who live after us. What is important is how well we love.  God will make our love fruitful, whether we see that fruitfulness or not.

Letting Go

I love this from Father Richard Rohr:

What does letting go on the practical level tell us? Letting go is different than denying or repressing. To let go of something is to admit it. You have to own it. Letting go is different than turning it against yourself; different than projecting it onto others. Letting go means that the denied, repressed, rejected parts of yourself, which are nonetheless true, are seen for what they are; but you refuse to turn them against yourself or against others. This is not denial or pretend, but actual transformation. The religious word for this letting go is forgiveness. You see the imperfect moment for what it is, and you hand it over to God. You refuse to let any negative storyline or self-serving agenda define your life. This is a very, very different way of living; it implies that you see your mistakes, your dark side, but you do not identify with either your superiority or your inferiority. Forgiveness is of one piece. Those who give it can also receive it. Those who receive it can pass forgiveness on. You are a conduit, and your only job is not to stop the flow. What comes around will also go around. The art of letting go is really the secret of happiness and freedom. Adapted from The Art of Letting Go (CD) Prayer: May I learn to let go.