the voice of henri

Henri Nouwen speaks to me every day through my mail box. Today he told me something I want to share:

Many voices ask for our attention. There is a voice that says, "Prove that you are a good person." Another voice says, "You'd better be ashamed of yourself." There also is a voice that says, "Nobody really cares about you," and one that says, "Be sure to become successful, popular, and powerful." But underneath all these often very noisy voices is a still, small voice that says, "You are my Beloved, my favor rests on you." That's the voice we need most of all to hear. To hear that voice, however, requires special effort; it requires solitude, silence, and a strong determination to listen.

That's what prayer is. It is listening to the voice that calls us "my Beloved."

Hope you all have a good weekend, with some time for solitude and silence. I will be in Seattle at my weekend groovy sister pad through Monday. I'm sure I'll find some time to check in, but if not peace to you all my bloggy friends.

Susan