A few more Nouwen quotes for the end of this week. Toward the end of his life, after living in the L’Arche community in Canada, Nouwen wrote extensively about “living in community”. What that meant for him is found in the second quote.
"I believe you can look at solitude, community, and ministry as three disciplines by which we create space for God. If we create space in which God can act and speak, something surprising will happen. You and I are called to these disciplines if we want to be disciples."
“The word community has many connotations, some positive, some negative. Community can make us think of a safe togetherness, shared meals, common goals, and joyful celebrations. It also can call forth images of sectarian exclusivity, in-group language, self-satisfied isolation, and romantic naiveté. However, community is first of all a quality of the heart. It grows from the spiritual knowledge that we are alive not for ourselves but for one another. Community is the fruit of our capacity to make the interests of others more important than our own (see Philippians 2:4). The question, therefore, is not "How can we make community?" but "How can we develop and nurture giving hearts?"
“My hope is that the description of God’s love in my life will give you the freedom and the courage to discover . . . God’s love in yours.”
Have a great weekend. Next week we will choose another of my favorite authors to pick quotes from.
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