MEDITATION:
Written by Henri J. M. Nouwen, (1932-1996) was a Dutch priest, professor, writer and theologian. This is an excerpt from his book “Thomas Merton: Contemplative Critic.”
Here we have come back to the compassion that must be formed in one’s heart, a compassion that comes out of a deep experience of solidarity, in which one recognizes that the evil, sin, and violence which one sees in the world and in the other, are deeply rooted in one’s own heart. Only when you want to confess this and want to rely on the merciful God who can bring good out of evil are you in a position to receive forgiveness and also to give it to other men and women who threaten you with violence. Precisely because Merton had discovered this nonviolent compassion in his solitude could he in a real sense be a monk, that is to say, one who unmasks through his criticism the illusions of a violent society and who wants to change the world in spirit and truth.
PRAYER:
This prayer is from the Common Service Book of the Lutheran Church, originally issued in 1917.
Lord God, heavenly Father,
because of our many sins
we deserve no peace,
but in your mercy, spare us.
Stop or hinder those who plan evil.
Restrain all violence
and anything that would harm us.
Protect your people.
Correct the wayward.
Heal the hurting.
Grant us peace. Amen.
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