The Henri Nouwen Society in Toronto, Ontario, Canada Daily Meditation for Friday, 23 October 2015 "Being in the Church, Not of It" from Henri Nouwen's Bread for the Journey

The Henri Nouwen Society in Toronto, Ontario, Canada Daily Meditation for Friday, 23 October 2015 "Being in the Church, Not of It" from Henri Nouwen's Bread for the Journey

Often we hear the remark that we have to live in the world without being of the world. But it may be more difficult to be in the Church without being of the Church. Being of the Church means being so preoccupied by and involved in the many ecclesial affairs and clerical "ins and outs" that we are no longer focused on Jesus. The Church then blinds us from what we came to see and deafens us to what we came to hear. Still, it is in the Church that Christ dwells, invites us to his table, and speaks to us words of eternal love.
Being in the Church without being of it is a great spiritual challenge.

For further reflection...
"So do not throw away your confidence; it will be richly rewarded. You need to persevere so that when you have done the will of God, you will receive what he has promised."[Hebrews 10: 35,36 (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.
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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.
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