Apr 2016 The Road to Daybreak A Spiritual Journey by Henri J M Nouwen

(Continue from) The Battle for Spiritual Survival   A day filled with joyful reunions. Peter and Kate, Jonas, Marta and Michael, Jutta, David, Jim, and Charles ... they all came and we talked and prayed together again. What most strikes me, being back in the United States, is the full force of the restlessness, the loneliness, and the tension that holds so many people. The conversations I had today were about spiritual survival. So many of my friends feel overwhelmed by the many demands made on them; few feel the inner peace and joy they so much desire. To celebrate life together, to be together in community, to simply enjoy the beauty of creation, the love of people and the goondess of God - those seem faraway ideals. There seems to be a mountain of obstacles preventing people from being where their hearts want to be. It is so painful to watch and experience. The astonishing thing is that the battle for survival has become so "normal" that few people really believe that it can be different. I now understand better why my friends who came to Trosly were so deeply touched. A world they didn't know existed had opened up for them. The people I saw today are all such good people. They are generous, loving, caring, and filled with a desire for a community of faith; but they all suffer immensely, without always knowing it. Having been away from here for ten months, I can see what I couldn't see when I was in it myself. After having experienced so much spiritual freedom at L'Arche, I am better able to see how much my friends miss. I want so much to bring them to new places, show them new perspectives, and point out to them new ways. But in this hectic, pressured, competitive, exhausting context, who can really hear me? I even wonder how long I myself can stay in touch with the voice of the spirit when the demons of this world make so much noise. Oh, how important is discipline, community, prayer, silence, caring presence, simple listenting, adoration, and deep, lasting faithful friendship. We all want it so much, and still the power suggesting that all of that is fantasy are enormous. But we have to replace the battle for power with the battle to create space for the spirit. Friends of Jesus   The heart of this day was a eucharistic celebration in which about twenty of my Cambridge friends participated. Jesus' words "I shall no longer call you servants, because a servant does not know his master's business; I call you friends, because I have made known to you everything I have learned from my Father" (Jn. 15:15) expressed powerfully the meaningof my reunion with them. We are friends of Jesus not in a sentimental fashion, but as participants in the divine life. If we dare to claim boldly that friendship, then we can also trust in the lasting bond among each other. This mutual friendship is the splendid fruit of our kinship with Jesus. It is much more than an idea. Rather, this friendship is a tangible reality. Many friends had asked my associate, Peter, if they could come for a short visit; Peter suggested that they all come for a eucharistic celebration, and then lunch. I am convinced that everyone received more than I would have ever been able to give in individual encounters. What I was able to give was the friendship of Jesus expressed in the gifts of bread and wine. At the same time, people from the most different age groups, educational backgrounds, lifestyles, and characters could be together in harmony and peace and discover that their differences actually reveal their deep unity in Christ. I have been increasingly struck by the fact, that the main source of suffering of the people in a city such as Cambridge seems to lie in a sense of disconnectedness, separation, and alienation. Why should I talk with each of them individually about their pain if together they can become a healing community around their pain if together they can become a healing community around the table of Christ? It was a truly joyful time in which prayer, songs, and sharing stories revealed the faithful presence of Jesus.

- To Be Continued - © Copyright Shalom 2016. All rights reserved.