Missio Dei 9
May 7, 2009
From the Road to Peace comes this quote of Henri Nouwen about the connection between prayer and serving others.
You must make the connection between prayer and life. The closer you are to the heart of God, the closer you come to the heart of the world, the closer you come to others. God is a demanding God, but when you give your heart to God, you find your heart’s desires. You will also find (unto the least of these, unto me) your brother and sister right there. We’re called always to action, but that action must not be driven, obsessive, or guilt-ridden. Basically, it’s action that comes out of knowing God’s love. You want to be with the poor because with them you’re not trying to please the world and be accepted….
Our spirituality should come from living deeply with the poor [perfect integration of prayer and action]. A spirituality of being with vulnerable people and of being vulnerable to them–that’s the great journey!
Also from Nouwen come these nuggets: What real and gutsy praying does is to move us to the center of all life and all love Prayer and action … can never be seen as contradictory or mutually exclusive.
Missional living is a combination of action and contemplation. What do you think of the term “Contemplaction?”
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