“Whoever wishes to become great among you must be your servant, and whoever wishes to be first among you must be lover of all.” (Mark 10:35-38, 41-44)

By Henri Nouwen

“This all-pervasive competition, which reaches into the smallest corners of our relationships, prevents us from entering into full solidarity with each other, and stands in the way of our being compassionate.

We prefer to keep compassion on the periphery of our competitive lives.
Being compassionate would require giving up dividing lines and relinquishing differences and distinctions.

And that would mean losing our identities.

This makes it clear why the call to be compassionate is so frightening and evokes such deep resistance."

(Submitted by Rev. Mary Poole from Lent and Easter Wisdom from Henri J. M. Nouwen)

Lenten Devotions
March 11, 2021