Read by Dr Hendrick
Reflections by Henri Nouwen when he almost died from an accident.
When Jesus was baptized in the Jordan, He heard a Voice from heaven saying, “This is My Beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased.” (Matthew 3:17) These words revealed the true identity of Jesus as the Beloved. Jesus truly heard that Voice, & all of His thoughts, words & actions came forth from His deep knowledge that He was infinitely loved by God.
Jesus lived His life from that inner place of love. Although human rejections, jealousies, resentments & hatred did hurt Him deeply, he remained always anchored deeply in the Father’s love. I know now the words spoken to Jesus when He was baptized are words also spoken to me & to all who are brothers & sisters of Jesus.
My tendencies towards self-rejection & self-depreciation make it hard to hear these words truly & let them descend into the centre of my heart. But once I have received these words fully, I am set free from my compulsion to prove myself to the world & can live in it without belonging to it. Once I have accepted the truth that I am God’s Beloved Child, unconditionally loved, I can be sent into the world to speak & act as Jesus did. (The Gospel of Grace!)
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