¡Gracias!

I just finished a book called, ¡Gracias! It's a book by Henri Nouwen, comprised of daily journal entries during a 6-month exploratory trip to Bolivia and Peru. Nouwen is a Catholic priest exploring his call to know and love the poor and a potential vocational call to minister in Latin America. It's full of great nuggets of wisdom. Here are just a few that stood out to me. Enjoy!

"I was helped by the insight that I had to move directly and aggressively in the direction I want to go. Waiting to be shown the best people to meet, the best places to visit, the best events to become part of, only feeds my depression. I am sure that I will find my direction in life when I search actively, move around with open eyes and ears, ask questions, and - in the midst of all that - pray constantly to discover God's will. The Lord searches for me, I am sure, but only when I search for him too will I encounter him and will his word for me become clear. Every time I slip into another depression, I notice that I have given up the struggle to find God and have fallen back into an attitude of spiteful waiting." (Nouwen, 138)

"Wealth takes away the sharp edges of our moral sensitivities and allows a comfortable confusion about sin and virtue. The difference between rich and poor is not that the rich sin more than the poor, but that the rich find it easier to call sin a virtue. When the poor sin, they call it sin; when they see holiness, they identify it as such. This intuitive clarity is often absent from the wealthy, and that absence easily leads to the atrophy of the moral sense." (Nouwen, 160)

"Humility is the real Christian virtue. It means staying close to the ground (humus), to people, to everyday life, to what is happening with all its down-to-earthness. It is the virtue that opens our eyes for the presence of God on the earth and allows us to live grateful lives. The poor themselves are the first to help us recognize true humility and gratitude." (Nouwen, 162)

"In the spirituality of the past there was little place for conflict; but anyone who really becomes involved in the daily lives and struggles of the poor cannot avoid moments and periods of conflict. Experiences of abandonment, despair, and deep anguish can enter into the spiritual life itself. It can even lead to a struggle and confrontation with God, who does not seem to make his presence known. Thus a spirituality marked by the struggle for liberation can lead to an experience of deep darkness, which will require true humility. It is this humility that enables us to continue in the struggle, even when we see little progress, to be faithful even when we experience only darkness, to stay with the people even when we ourselves feel abandoned." (Nouwen, 173)

In response to Hebrews 5:7-9...
"Jesus learned obedience from what he suffered. This means that the pains and struggles of which Jesus became part made him listen more perfectly to God. In and through his sufferings, he came to know God and could respond to his call. Maybe there are no better words than these to summarize the meaning of the option for the poor. Entering into the suffering of the poor is the way to become obedient, that is, a listener to God. Suffering accepted and shared in love breaks down our selfish defenses and sets us free to accept God'g guidance." (Nouwen, 183)

"What I claim as a right, my friends in Bolivia and Peru received as a gift; what is obvious to me was a joyful surprise to them; what I take from granted, they celebrate in thanksgiving; what for me goes by unnoticed became for them a new occasion to say thanks. And slowly I learned. I learned what I must have forgotten somewhere in my busy, well-planned, and very "useful" life. I learned that everything that is, is freely given by the God of love. All is grace. Light and water, shelter and food, work and free time, children, parents and grandparents, birth and death - it is all given to us. Why? So that we can say gracias, thanks; thanks to God, thanks to each other, thanks to all and everyone." (Nouwen, 187)