Forgiveness means that I continually am willing to forgive the other person for not being God โ for not fulfilling all my needs. I, too, must ask forgiveness for not being able to fulfill other people's needs. โฆ The interesting thing is that when you can forgive people for not being God, then you can celebrate that they are a reflection of God.
Henri NouwenWhile optimism makes us live as if someday soon things will soon go better for us, hope frees us from the need to predict the future and allows us to live in the present, with the deep trust that God will never leave us alone but will fulfill the deepest desires of our heart... Joy in this perspective is the fruit of hope.
Henri NouwenThe great call for the Church is to not just be concerned about right or wrong behavior, which is moral life, but about communion with God, which is mystical life.
Henri NouwenThrough discipline, discipline is the other side of discipleship. If you want to follow Jesus, you have to have discipline.
Henri NouwenWhen everything is dark, when we are surrounded by despairing voices, when we do not see any exits, then we can find salvation in a remembered love, a love which is not simply a recollection of a bygone past but a living force which sustains us in the present. Through memory, love transcends the limits of time and offers hope at any moment of our lives.
Henri Nouwen