Daily Devotions
Meditation, Prayers, and Assorted Stuff for April 4, 2020
Henri Nouwen, Bread for the Journey, “Daring to Become Dependent”
When someone gives us a watch but we never wear it, that watch is not really received. When someone offers us an idea but we do not respond to it, that idea is not truly received. When someone introduces us to a friend but we ignore him or her, that friend does not feel well received.
Receiving is an art. It means allowing the other to become part of our lives. It means daring to become dependent on the other. It asks for the inner freedom to say, “Without you I wouldn’t be who I am.” Receiving with the heart is, therefore, a gesture of humility and love. So many people have been deeply hurt because their gifts were not well received. Let us be good receivers.
Today’s prayer comes from the website jesuitresource.org
Yes, there is panic buying. Yes, there is sickness. Yes, there is even death. But, they say that in Wuhan after so many years of noise You can hear the birds again. They say that after just a few weeks of quiet The sky is no longer thick with fumes But blue and grey and clear. They say that in the streets of Assisi People are singing to each other across the empty squares, keeping their windows open so that those who are alone may hear the sounds of family around them. They say that a hotel in the West of Ireland is offering free meals and delivery to the housebound. Today a young woman I know is busy spreading fliers with her number through the neighbourhood so that the elders may have someone to call on. Today Churches, Synagogues, Mosques and Temples are preparing to welcome and shelter the homeless, the sick, the weary. All over the world people are slowing down and reflecting. All over the world people are looking at their neighbours in a new way. All over the world people are waking up to a new reality To how big we really are. To how little control we really have. To what really matters. To Love. So we pray and we remember that…
Yes, there is fear. But there does not have to be hate. Yes, there is isolation. But there does not have to be loneliness. Yes, there is panic buying. But there does not have to be meanness. Yes, there is sickness. But there does not have to be disease of the soul. Yes, there is even death. But there can always be a rebirth of love. Wake to the choices you make as to how to live now. Today, breathe. Listen, behind the factory noises of your panic— The birds are singing again. The sky is clearing. Spring is coming. And we are always encompassed by Love. Open the windows of your soul and though you may not be able to touch across the empty square, Sing.
- Written by Fr. Richard Hendrick, OFM, March 13th 2020
Today’s cartoons come from pastor and cartoonist Cuyler Black. Look to see more of his work here…
Today’s links!
Watch some puppies from the Atlanta Humane Society wander through the Georgia Aquarium.
Here’s just the tool you’ve been waiting for: a toilet paper calculator that will tell you EXACTLY how many rolls you’ll need to restock. Let’s just say it’s very detailed…
And, while we’re on the subject, here’s another skit from The Carol Burnett Show where a woman’s choice of toilet paper goes horribly wrong.
Stay safe and stay well!