This past week I came across these words from the great spiritual writer, Henri Nouwen. (For our purposes here, I've arranged his prose into sense lines.) I would count these words as among the most wise, insightful and powerful texts on the spiritual life that I've ever read. I believe there's something here for every reader... (My own prayer follows after)
Our life is a short time in expectation,
a time in
which sadness and joy kiss each other
at every moment.
There is a
quality of sadness
that pervades all the moments of our lives.
It seems
that there is no such thing
as a clear-cut pure joy,
but that even in
the most happy moments
of our existence
we sense a tinge of sadness.
In
every satisfaction,
there is an awareness of limitations...
In every
success,
there is the fear of jealousy...
Behind every smile,
there is a
tear...
In every embrace,
there is loneliness...
In every friendship,
distance...
And in all forms of light,
there is the knowledge of
surrounding darkness...
But this intimate experience
in which every
bit of life
is touched by a bit of death
can point us beyond the limits
of our existence...
It can do so by making us look forward in expectation
to the day when our hearts will be filled
with perfect joy,
a joy that
no one shall take away from us...
Night Prayer
Lord, grant me the grace to accept in my own life:
that all life is short;
that every joy is kissed by sadness,
every sadness kissed by joy;
that this bittersweet embrace
in this communion of your grace,
is the only place I'll find
the healing promise of your peace
and the faith to trust and hope:
all shall be well, all shall be well,
that in the end, all shall be well...
Protect me, Lord, while I'm awake
and watch over me while I sleep
that awake, I might keep watch with you
and asleep rest in your peace...
Amen.
Searching for music to pair with Nouwen's text and my prayer was not an easy task. Everything song I found that came close was seeking to guide the listener through sadness to joy - and of course, that's not a bad thing! But Nouwen's words speak to how joy and sadness live together... But I finally discovered and I'm offering this instrumental piece by Davis Harwell. You'll hear how the steady, deep pulse of sadness in the composition underlies and accompanies the lighter higher line of joy... Sadness and joy kiss each other...
Joy and at the Same Time Sadness
If a video doesn't appear below, click here!
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