Be in the World Without Being of the World
Being
in the world without being of the world.” These words summarize well
the way Jesus speaks of the spiritual life. It is a life in which we are
totally transformed by the Spirit of Love. Yet it is a life in which
everything seems to remain the same. To live a spiritual life does not
mean that we must leave our families, give up our jobs, or change our
ways of working; it does not mean that we have to withdraw from social
or political activities, or lose interest in literature and art; it does
not require severe forms of asceticism or long hours of prayer. Changes
such as these may in fact grow out of our spiritual life, and for some
people radical decisions may be necessary. But the spiritual life can be
lived in as many ways as there are people. What is new is that we have
moved from the many things to the Kingdom of God. What is new is that we
are set free from the compulsions of our world and have set our hearts
on the only necessary thing. What is new is that we no longer experience
the many things, people, and events as endless causes for worry, but
begin to experience them as the rich variety of ways in which God makes
his presence known to us.
Henri Nouwen
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