Week 4 – Love

I know that, alone, I cannot see, hear or touch God in the world.  But God in me, the living Christ in me, can see, hear and touch God in the world, and all that is Christ’s in me is fully my own.  His simplicity, his purity, his innocence are my very own, because they are truly given to me to be claimed as my most personal possessions…  All that there is of love in me is a gift from Jesus, yet every gesture of love I am able to make will be recognized as uniquely mine.  That’s the paradox of grace.  The fullest gift of grace brings with it the fullest gift of freedom.  There is nothing good in me that does not come from God, through Christ, but all the good in me is uniquely my own.  The deeper my intimacy with Jesus, the more complete is my freedom. 

–   Henri Nouwen