More on church from Henri Nouwen

For a week or two now, the daily reflections from the Henri Nouwen society have had to do with church, and they've served as strong reminders for me. I've stuck a bunch of them up here for you too.

The one today reminds me of a conversation I had on the phone with a dear friend on the weekend... we talked a bit about church, and recovering from church, and having a heart for the church...

Meeting Christ in the Church

Loving the Church does not require romantic emotions. It requires the will to see the living Christ among his people and to love them as we want to love Christ himself. This is true not only for the "little" people - the poor, the oppressed, the forgotten - but also for the "big" people who exercise authority in the Church.

To love the Church means to be willing to meet Jesus wherever we go in the Church. This love doesn't mean agreeing with or approving of everyone's ideas or behavior. On the contrary, it can call us to confront those who hide Christ from us. But whether we confront or affirm, criticize or praise, we can only become fruitful when our words and actions come from hearts that love the Church.