Oct 2015 The Road to Daybreak A Spiritual Journey by Henri J M Nouwen

The Cathedral and the Prayer Room   (Continue from) During World War I, much of the Notre-Dame Cathedral was burned and destroyed. But in 1937, after twenty years of restoration, it was reopened and reconsecrated by Cardinal Suhard, and today visitors come and gaze at its splendour. After some time trying to absorb some of the cathedral's majesty, Mathan and I sat at a little terrace on the cathedral square and just looked at the three saint-filled entrance portals, at the rosette, at the statues of kings and bishops, and at the two massive towers. Cars and buses came and went, people walked in an out of the entrance doors, some took pictures, others just looked and talked, few prayed. I had a slight headache and wanted to go back to the little prayer room of the convent with the one window of the burning bush, and be there with Jesus and pray. And so we did. From Opaqueness to Transparency As Nathan and I talked together, sharing our struggles and our hopes, it became increasingly clear to me that I know quite well the difference between darkness and light but often do not have the courage to name them by their true names. A strong temptation exists to deal with the darkness as if it were light, and with the light as if it were darkness. The more we talked about our lives, the more I became aware of the inner abmiguities that lead me away from the light and make me hide in dark places.

- To Be Continued - © Copyright Shalom 2015. All rights reserved.