Reflection of the Week - 2nd April 2024

By Henri Nouwen

Posted Apr  2, 2024 in Faith

God’s Non-Violent Love

On the cross, Jesus has shown us how far God’s love goes. It’s a love that embraces even those who crucified him. When Jesus is hanging nailed to the cross, totally broken and stripped of everything, he still prays for his executioners:

‘Father, forgive them; they do not know what they are doing.’

Jesus’ love for his enemies knows no bounds. He prays even for those who are putting him to death. It is this, the enemy-loving God, that is offered to us in the Eucharist.

To forgive our enemies doesn’t lie within our power. That is a divine gift. That’s why it’s so important to make the Eucharist the heart and centre of your life. It’s there that you receive the love that empowers you to take the way that Jesus has taken before you: a narrow way, a painful way, but the way that gives you true joy and peace and enables you to make the non-violent love of God visible in this world.

Reference:

Henri Nouwen Society: https://henrinouwen.org/meditations/gods-non-violent-love/

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