Apropos to Forgotten's Post
Submitted by Ford Prefect on February 23 2001 15:24:40
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I wasn't sure whether to post this Nouwen reflection or not......but Forgotten's post made it clear to me that I should. Of course, our "public" is rather restricted. Daily Meditation: February 23 by Henri Nouwen; from Bread for the Journey, Harper Collins, New York, 1997 What Is Most Personal Is Most Universal We like to make a distinction between our private and public lives and say, "Whatever I do in my private life is nobody else's business." But anyone trying to live a spiritual life will soon discover that the most personal is the most universal, the most hidden is the most public, and the most solitary is the most communal. What we live in the most intimate places of our beings is not just for us but for all people. That is why our inner lives are lives for others. That is why our solitude is a gift to our community, and that is why our most secret thoughts affect our common life. Jesus says, "No one lights a lamp to put it under a tub; they put it on the lamp-stand where it shines for everyone in the house" (Matthew 5:14-15). The most inner light is a light for the world. Let's not have "double lives"; let us allow what we live in private to be known in public. |
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