Meditation
Written by Christopher Klofft, a contemporary Christian author. It is an excerpt from the devotional “From Suffering to Salvation.”
Henri Nouwen wrote: “Once all of our past is remembered in gratitude, we are free to be sent into the world to proclaim good news to others. Just as Peter’s denials didn’t paralyze him but, once forgiven, became a new source of his faithfulness, so can all our failures and betrayals be transformed into gratitude and enable us to become messengers of hope.”
Our culture today suffers from an incorrect and impoverished notion of freedom. We tend to think that freedom means freedom to do whatever we want. In truth, however, freedom is found in submitting our whole selves to the will of God. Authentic freedom gives us the capacity to see our lives in a different way. It allows us to see our past with new eyes and to see how God has been present with us, inviting us toward our final happiness. This recognition should fill us with a sense of gratitude for what we have and empower us to continue the task of evangelization.
Prayer
Written by William Wilberforce (1759-1833), a British politician, philanthropist, and leader of the movement to stop the slave trade.
Almighty God, who created us in your image: Grant us grace fearlessly to contend against evil and to make no peace with oppression; and, that we may reverently use our freedom, help us to employ it in the maintenance of justice in our communities and among the nations, to the glory of your holy Name; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one god, now and for ever. Amen.
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