Jul 2011 The Road to Daybreak A Spiritual Journey by Henri J M Nouwen

Poverty and Wealth Monastic Life Continue from ...... They have chosen to live in Paris, that large city made up of ten million people. Through their own experience of the hardships of city life, with its alienations, its struggles, its work, its restraints, they know the stress, the noise of pollution, the joys and the sorrows, the sinfulness, and the holiness of Paris. Together with the people of Paris, they would like to help point out "the signs announcing the kingdom" in a very humble way, but wholeheartedly, at once breaking off with the world and living in communion with it, both keeping apart and sharing with others ... They choose to be neither Benedictines nor Trappists, nor Carmelites nor Dominicans. They are "city folk" or, in other words, "monks and nuns of Jerusalem." When we walked out of the Church at 7.30 pm, looking for a place to eat, we saw some familiar faces: people we had met at L'Arche. I realized that this church has become a home for many people, a place to be together in quiet prayer, a centre to form a community, and most of all a foyer that makes it possible to live in Babylon while remaining in Jerusalem. Paris: Rich and Poor As Peter and I walked through Paris today, we were impressed by its abundance as well as by its poverty. The stores, be they bookstores or foodstores, offer a wealth and variety found in few other cities. People throng the city, looking, buying, drinking coffee, having lively conversations, laughing, kissing, and playing. In the subways, guitarists and singers with portable microphones and loudspeakers join the ride, sing rock songs, and ask for donations. On one train we were treated to a puppet show with a dancing moon, a talking bear, and a sweet melody. Paris is full of life, movement, art, music, and people of all ages, races, and nationalities. So much is going on - often at the same time - that it is hard not to feel overwhelmed by the enormous variety of impressions. Paris is exhilarating, surprising, exciting, and stimulating, but also very tiring. We also saw the other side: many poor, hungry people living on the streets, sleeping in subway stations, sitting on church steps begging for money. There are so many unemployed, so many alcoholics, so many drug users, so many mentally and physically ill people that those who want to offer them shelter, food, and counsel can never feel they have finished the task. Amid all the beauty, wealth, and abundance of Paris, there is immense suffering, undeniable loneliness, and unreachable human anguish.

- To Be Continued - © Copyright Shalom 2011. All rights reserved.