The narrow road of Jesus (Henri Nouwen)

  Suffering and death belong to the narrow road of Jesus.  Jesus does not glorify them, or call them beautiful, good, or something to be desired. Jesus does not call for heroism or suicidal self-sacrifice.  No, Jesus invites us to look at the reality of our existence and reveals this harsh reality as a way to new life. The core message of Jesus is that real joy and peace can never be reached while bypassing suffering and death, but only by going right through them.

  We could say:  we really have no choice.  Indeed, who escapes suffering and death?  Yet there is still a choice.  We can deny the reality of life, or we can face it. When we face it not in despair, but with the eyes of Jesus, we discover that where we least expect it, something is hidden that holds a promise stronger than death itself.  Jesus lived his life with the trust that God’s love is stronger than death and that death therefore does not have the last word.  He invites us to face the painful reality of our existence with the same trust.

--Henri Nouwen,

Show Me the Way

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