“Somewhere we know that without a lonely place
our lives are in danger.
Somewhere we know that without silence
words lose their meaning,
that without listening
speaking no longer heals,
that without distance
closeness cannot cure.
Somewhere we know that with a lonely place
our actions quickly become empty gestures.
The careful balance between silence and words,
withdrawal and involvement,
distance and closeness,
solitude and community
forms the basis of the Christian life
and should therefore be the subject of our most personal attention.
Let us therefore look somewhat closer,
first at our life in action,
and then at our life in solitude.”
-from Henri Nouwen’s Out of Solitude
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