The Henri Nouwen Society in Toronto, Ontario, Canada Daily Meditation for Friday, 30 October 2015 "The Weakest in the Center" from Henri Nouwen's Bread for the Journey

The Henri Nouwen Society in Toronto, Ontario, Canada Daily Meditation for Friday, 30 October 2015 "The Weakest in the Center" from Henri Nouwen's Bread for the Journey

The most honored parts of the body are not the head or the hands, which lead and control. The most important parts are the least presentable parts. That's the mystery of the Church. As a people called out of oppression to freedom, we must recognize that it is the weakest among us - the elderly, the small children, the handicapped, the mentally ill, the hungry and sick - who form the real center. Paul says, "It is the parts of the body which we consider least dignified, that we surround with the greatest dignity" (1 Corinthians 12:23).
The Church as the people of God can truly embody the living Christ among us only when the poor remain its most treasured part. Care for the poor, therefore, is much more than Christian charity. It is the essence of being the body of Christ.

For further reflection...
"I will refresh the weary and satisfy the faint."[Jeremiah 31: 25 (NIV)]
The upcoming Advent Book Discussion - The Inner Voice of Love. To find out more, click here!
The First Annual Henri Nouwen Lecture featuring Jim Wallis happensNovember 14, 2015. For more information, click here.
Visit our website for inspiration, resources, news, events, community.

Text excerpts taken from Bread for the Journey, by Henri J.M. Nouwen, ©1997 HarperSanFrancisco. All Scripture from The Jerusalem Bible ©1966, 1967, and 1968 Darton, Longman & Todd and Doubleday & Co. Inc. Photo by V. Dobson. Scripture chosen by L. Yeskoo.
____________________________