St Luke's Anglican Church in Enmore a lively, inclusive welcoming liturgical community

Sunday 12 January — Nouwen quote

Med­it­at­ive Quote used by Fr John Hawkins at St. Luke’s Enmore, 12th Janu­ary 2020

The voice of des­pair says, “I sin over and over again. After end­less prom­ises to myself and oth­ers to do bet­ter next time, I find myself back again in the old dark places. For­get about try­ing to change. I have tried for years. It didn’t work and it nev­er will work. It is bet­ter that I get out of people’s way, be for­got­ten, no longer around, dead.”

This strangely attract­ive voice takes all uncer­tain­ties away and puts an end to the struggle. It speaks unam­bigu­ously for the dark­ness and offers a clear-cut neg­at­ive identity.

But Jesus came to open my ears to anoth­er voice that says, “I am your God, I have mol­ded you with my own hands, and I love what I have made. I love you with a love that has no lim­its, because I love you as I am loved. Do not run away from me. Come back to me—not once, not twice, but always again. You are my child.… I am your God—the God of mercy and com­pas­sion, the God of par­don and love, the God of ten­der­ness and care. Please do not say that I have giv­en up on you, that I can­not stand you any­more, that there is no way back. It is not true. I so much want you to be with me. I so much want you to be close to me. I know all your thoughts. I hear all your words. I see all your actions. And I love you because you are beau­ti­ful, made in my own image, an expres­sion of my most intim­ate love. Do not judge your­self. Do not con­demn your­self. Do not reject your­self. Let my love touch the deep­est, most hid­den corners of your heart and reveal to you your own beauty, a beauty that you have lost sight of, but that will become vis­ible to you again in the light of my mercy. Come, come, let me wipe your tears, and let my mouth come close to your ear and say to you, ‘I love you, I love you, I love you.’ ”

Nouwen, H. (2019, March 21). Med­it­a­tions. I love you, I love you, I live you. Retrieved from Henri Nouwen Soci­ety Webpage https://henrinouwen.org/meditation/i‑love-you-i-love-you-i-love-you/