Henri J. M. Nouwen - Show Me the Way

We wish to acknowledge the following publishers for permission to reprint previously published material.

From Compassion by Henri ]. M. Nouwen, D. Morrison, and D. McNeill. Copyright 1982 by Donald P. McNeill, Douglas A. Morrison, and Henri ]. M. Nouwen. Used by permission of Doubleday, a division of Bantam Doubleday Dell Publishing Group, Inc.

From Creative Ministry by Henri J. M. Nouwen. Copyright 1971 by Henri J. M. Nouwen. Used by permission of Doubleday, a division of Bantam Doubleday Dell Publishing Group, Inc.

From A Cry for Mercy by Henri J. M. Nouwen. Copyright 1981 by Henri J. M. Nouwen. Used by permission of Doubleday, a division of Bantam Doubleday Dell Publishing Group, Inc. and by permission of Gill and Macmillan Publishers, Dublin.

From The Genesee Diary by Henri ]. M. Nouwen. Copyright 1976 by Henri ]. M. Nouwen. Used by permission of Doubleday, a division of Bantam Doubleday Dell Publishing Group, Inc.

Excerpts from Gracias! A Latin American Journal by Henri ]. M. Nouwen. Copyright 1983 by Henri ]. M. Nouwen. Reprinted by permission of HarperCollins Publishers.

Excerpts from Heart Speaks to Heart by Henri J. M. Nouwen. Copyright 1989 by Ave Maria Press, Notre Dame, IN 46556. All rights reserved. Used with permission of the publisher.

Excerpts from A Letter of Consolation by Henri J. M. Nouwen. Copyright 1982 by Henri J. M. Nouwen. Reprinted by permission of HarperCollins Publishers.

Excerpts from Letters to Marc by Henri J. M. Nouwen. Copyright 1987, 1988 by Henri J. M. Nouwen. English translation copyright 1988 by Harper & Row, Publishers, Inc. and Darton, Longman & Todd Ltd. Reprinted by permission of HarperCollins Publishers and Gill and Macmillan Publishers, Dublin.

Excerpts from The Living Reminder by Henri J. M. Nouwen. Copyright 1977 by The Seabury Press. Reprinted by permission of HarperCollins Publishers.

Excerpts from Making All Things New by Henri ]. M. Nouwen. Copyright 1981 by Henri J.M. Nouwen. Reprinted by permission of HarperCollins Publishers and Gill and Macmillan Publishers, Dublin.

Excerpts from Out of Solitude by Henri ]. M. Nouwen. Copyright 1974 by Ave Maria Press, Notre Dame, IN 46556. All rights reserved. Used with permission of the publisher.

From Reaching Out by Henri ]. M. Nouwen. Copyright 1975 by Henri ]. M. Nouwen. Used by permission of Doubleday, a division of Bantam Doubleday Dell Publishing Group, Inc.

From The Road to Daybreak by Henri J. M. Nouwen. Copyright 1988 by Henri J. M. Nouwen. Used by permission of Doubleday, a division of Bantam Doubleday Dell Publishing Group, Inc.

Excerpts from The Way of the Heart by Henri J. M. Nouwen. Copyright 1981 by Henri J. M. Nouwen. Reprinted by permission of HarperCollins Publishers.

Excerpts from With Open Hands by Henri J. M. Nouwen. Copyright 1972 by Ave Maria Press, Notre Dame, IN 46556. All rights reserved. Used with permission of the publisher.

Biblical excerpts from the New Jerusalem Bible, copyright 1985 by Darton, Longman & Todd Ltd. and Doubleday, a division of Bantam Doubleday Dell Publishing Group, Inc.

ASH WEDNESDAY

I shall judge each of you by what that person doesdeclares the Lord Yahweh. Repent, renounce all your crimes, avoid all occasions for guilt. Shake off all the crimes you have committed., and make yourselves a new heart and a new spirit! Why die, House of Israel? I take no pleasure in the death of anyonedeclares the Lord Yahwehso repent and live!

Ezek. 18:30-32

The Lenten season begins. It is a time to be with you, Lord, in a special way, a time to pray, to fast, and thus to follow you on your way to Jerusalem, to Golgotha, and to the final victory over death.

I am still so divided. I truly want to follow you, but I also want to follow my own desires and lend an ear to the voices that speak about prestige, success, human respect, pleasure, power, and influence. Help me to become deaf to these voices and more attentive to your voice, which calls me to choose the narrow road to life.

I know that Lent is going to be a very hard time for me. The choice for your way has to be made every moment of my life. I have to choose thoughts that are your thoughts, words that are your words, and actions that are your actions. There are no times or places without choices. And I know how deeply I resist choosing you.

Please, Lord, be with me at every moment and in every place. Give me the strength and the courage to live this season faithfully, so that, when Easter comes, I will be able to taste with joy the new life that you have prepared for me. Amen.

Gods mercy is greater than our sins. There is an awareness of sin that does not lead to God but rather to self-preoccupation. Our temptation is to be so impressed by our sins and failings and so overwhelmed by our lack of generosity that we get stuck in a paralyzing guilt. It is the guilt that says: I am too sinful to deserve Gods mercy. It is the guilt that leads to introspection instead of directing our eyes to God. It is the guilt that has become an idol and therefore a form of pride. Lent is the time to break down this idol and to direct our attention to our loving Lord. The question is: Are we like Judas, who was so overcome by his sin that he could not believe in Gods mercy any longer and hanged himself, or are we like Peter who returned to his Lord with repentance and cried bitterly for his sins? The season of Lent, during which winter and spring struggle with each other for dominance, helps us in a special way to cry out for Gods mercy.

Our Prayer

Faithful God, trusting in you, we begin

the forty days of conversion and penance.

Give us the strength for Christian discipline,

that we may renounce evil and be decisive in doing good.

We ask this through Jesus Christ.

FRIDAY OF THE
FIRST WEEK OF LENT

So then, if you are bringing your offering to the altar and there remember that your brother has something against you, leave your offering there before the altar, go and be reconciled with your brother first, and then come back and present your offering. Come to terms with your opponent in good time while you are still on the way to the court with him.

Matt. 5:23-25

This morning I meditated on Gods eagerness to forgive me, revealed in the words of Psalm 103: As the distance of east from west, so far from us does he put our faults. In the midst of all my distractions, I was touched by Gods desire to forgive me again and again. If I return to God with a repentant heart after I have sinned, God is always there to embrace me and let me start afresh. The Lord is compassion and love, slow to anger and rich in mercy.

It is hard for me to forgive someone who has really offended me, especially when it happens more than once. I begin to doubt the sincerity of the one who asks forgiveness for a second, third, or fourth time. But God does not keep count. God just waits for our return, without resentment or desire for revenge. God wants us home. The love of the Lord is everlasting.

Maybe the reason it seems hard for me to forgive others is that I do not fully believe that I am a forgiven person. If I could fully accept the truth that I am forgiven and do not have to live in guilt or shame, I would really be free. My freedom would allow me to forgive others seventy times seven times. By not forgiving, I chain myself to a desire to get even, thereby losing my freedom. A forgiven person forgives. This is what we proclaim when we pray, and forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who have trespassed against us.