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24673 |
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Date: November 29, 2023 at 09:48:24
From: Nevada, [DNS_Address]
Subject: ...loving our way through times and acts of war... |
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Always in God’s Presence
Why is there a war?… Because I and my neighbor and
everyone else do not have enough love. Yet we could
fight war and all its excrescences by releasing, each
day, the love that is shackled inside us, and giving it
a chance to live.
—Etty Hillesum
Richard Rohr has long drawn comfort and wisdom from the
writings of the young Jewish woman Etty Hillesum (1914–
1943), believing her to be a voice of inspiration for
our times. Shortly before her departure for internment
at the Westerbork transit camp, Hillesum wrote in her
journal:
One thing is becoming increasingly clear to me: that
You cannot help us, that we must help You to help
ourselves. And that is all we can manage these days and
also all that really matters: that we safeguard that
little piece of You, God, in ourselves. And perhaps in
others as well. Alas, there doesn’t seem to be much You
Yourself can do about our circumstances, about our
lives. Neither do I hold You responsible. You cannot
help us, but we must help You and defend Your dwelling
place inside us to the last. [1]
Etty Hillesum fully accepted the “cruciform nature of
reality” and chose to love ever more consciously:
Something has crystallised. I have looked our
destruction, our miserable end which has already begun
in so many small ways in our daily life, straight in
the eye and accepted it into my life, and my love of
life has not been diminished. I am not bitter or
rebellious, or in any way discouraged. I continue to
grow from day to day, even with the likelihood of
destruction staring me in the face. I shall no longer
flirt with words, for words merely evoke
misunderstandings: I have come to terms with life.…
By “coming to terms with life” I mean: the reality of
death has become a definite part of my life; my life
has, so to speak, been extended by death, by my looking
death in the eye and accepting it, by accepting
destruction as part of life and no longer wasting my
energies on fear of death or the refusal to acknowledge
its inevitability. It sounds paradoxical: by excluding
death from our life we cannot live a full life, and by
admitting death into our life we enlarge and enrich
[life]. [2]
Reflecting on Jesus’ words in Matthew 6:34 not to worry
about tomorrow, Hillesum writes:
We have to fight them daily … those many small worries
about the morrow, for they sap our energies.… The
things that have to be done must be done, and for the
rest we must not allow ourselves to become infested
with thousands of petty fears and worries, so many
motions of no confidence in God.… Ultimately, we have
just one moral duty: to reclaim large areas of peace in
ourselves, more and more peace, and to reflect it
towards others. And the more peace there is in us, the
more peace there will also be in our troubled world.
[3]
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Responses:
[24691] [24693] [24692] [24677] |
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24691 |
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Date: December 01, 2023 at 07:03:17
From: akira, [DNS_Address]
Subject: Re: ...loving our way through times and acts of war... |
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Responses:
[24693] [24692] |
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24693 |
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Date: December 02, 2023 at 18:14:08
From: Nevada, [DNS_Address]
Subject: ...understanding our collective "shadows"... |
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...is obviously one of life's bigger spiritual
challenges.
Back in the mid eighties I was blessed to have a close
friend that was also an accomplished psychotherapist
who spent quite some time probing my own personal
shadows.
My takeaway was that the more advanced we become in
life, the more we may actually grow our shadows and
their control over our lives.
Christ teaches us to develop and emphasize love in our
lives and that the rest of our issues will fall into
place.
Turning your shadow self into a positive and loving
companion usually solves some of the more negative
aspects.
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Responses:
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24692 |
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Date: December 01, 2023 at 12:34:36
From: Nevada, [DNS_Address]
Subject: Hope you're well.. |
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...ditto that Akira. I appreciate that Bopp allows me
a "presence" here. Perhaps the day will come when he
grants me the liberty to speak more freely.
Meanwhile the ability to speak freely in a setting put
aside to celebrate the life and philosophy of Jesus
Christ is incredibly liberating.
I appreciate that you continue to post pertinent and
essential information on National and International
even though it seems to go unacknowledged for the most
part.
I'm grateful Bopp still allows you full posting
privileges and wish you well in your efforts to help
keep it real. Thanks for making my day.
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Responses:
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24677 |
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Date: November 29, 2023 at 10:57:12
From: shadow, [DNS_Address]
Subject: (Here's your missing link. You're welcome. ;)(NT) |
URL: https://cac.org/daily-meditations/always-in-gods-presence/ |
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Responses:
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Charles : Bible : Religion ] [ Main Menu ] |