Sunday, May 15, 2011
Nouwen, H. J. (2007). The selfless way of Christ: downward mobility and the spiritual life. Maryknoll, NY: Orbis Books.
When our ministry does not emerge from a personal encounter , it quickly becomes a tiring routine and a boring job. On the other hand, when our spiritual life no longer leads to an active ministry, it quickly degenerates into introspection and self scrutiny and thus loses its dynamism. 16
To live a spiritual life means to become living christs. It is not enough to try to imitate Christ as much as possible ; it is not enough to remind others of Jesus; it is not even enough to be inspired by the words and actions of Jesus Christ. No, the spiritual life presents us with a far more radical demand: to be living Christs here and now, in time and history. Pp 20
True growth is something other than the uncontrolled drive for upward mobility in which mKing it to the top becomes its own goal and in which ambition no longer serves a wider ideal. There is a profound difference between the false ambition for power and the true ambition to love and serve. It is the difference between trying to raise ourselves up and trying to lift up our fellow human beings. 26
The great paradox which scripture reveals to us is they real and total freedom is only found through downward mobility. 29
Downward mobility is the divine way, the way of the cross, the way of Christ. It is precisely this divine way of living that our lord wants to give us through his spirit. 39
Our vocation as christians is to follow Jesus on his downward path and to become witnesses to God's compassion in the concrete situation of our time and place. Our temptation is toilet needs for success, visibility and influence dominate our thoughts words and actions to such a extent that we are gripped in the destructive spiral of upward mobility and lose our vocation. It is this life long tension between vocation and temptation that presents us with the necessity of spiritual formation. 69
Formation is transformation and transformation means a growing conformity to the mind of Christ 70
True Christian discipline is the human effort to create the space in which the spirit of Christ can transforms into his lineage. 70
When we read the scripture, we too often read them merely to be informed or to be instructed, to be edified or to be inspired, or what is not infrequent to find a quote to support our own ideas. The holy book becomes a book among other books and is often used in merely that way 77
In the solitude of our heart weccan listen to our questions and gradually grow without even noticing it , into the answer Rilke 87
Let us be grateful for our vocation, and ever committed to life of ongoing formation 93
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To live a spiritual life means to become living christs. It is not enough to try to imitate Christ as much as possible ; it is not enough to remind others of Jesus; it is not even enough to be inspired by the words and actions of Jesus Christ. No, the spiritual life presents us with a far more radical demand: to be living Christs here and now, in time and history. Pp 20
True growth is something other than the uncontrolled drive for upward mobility in which mKing it to the top becomes its own goal and in which ambition no longer serves a wider ideal. There is a profound difference between the false ambition for power and the true ambition to love and serve. It is the difference between trying to raise ourselves up and trying to lift up our fellow human beings. 26
The great paradox which scripture reveals to us is they real and total freedom is only found through downward mobility. 29
Downward mobility is the divine way, the way of the cross, the way of Christ. It is precisely this divine way of living that our lord wants to give us through his spirit. 39
Our vocation as christians is to follow Jesus on his downward path and to become witnesses to God's compassion in the concrete situation of our time and place. Our temptation is toilet needs for success, visibility and influence dominate our thoughts words and actions to such a extent that we are gripped in the destructive spiral of upward mobility and lose our vocation. It is this life long tension between vocation and temptation that presents us with the necessity of spiritual formation. 69
Formation is transformation and transformation means a growing conformity to the mind of Christ 70
True Christian discipline is the human effort to create the space in which the spirit of Christ can transforms into his lineage. 70
When we read the scripture, we too often read them merely to be informed or to be instructed, to be edified or to be inspired, or what is not infrequent to find a quote to support our own ideas. The holy book becomes a book among other books and is often used in merely that way 77
In the solitude of our heart weccan listen to our questions and gradually grow without even noticing it , into the answer Rilke 87
Let us be grateful for our vocation, and ever committed to life of ongoing formation 93
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