I held this stone in my hand and imagined it reddening to the colour of blood, while my hand turned to stone. I can be hard-hearted, so this shocking vision felt like a reprimand. But perhaps all hearts of stone can be returned to flesh and blood. Henri Nouwen felt keenly the importance of world peace. He wrote this: To pray, that is, to listen to the voice of the One who calls us the "beloved", is to learn that that voice excludes no one. Where I dwell, God dwells with me and where God dwells with me I find all my sisters and brothers. And so intimacy with God and solidarity with all people are two aspects of dwelling in the present moment that can never be separated. |