Trust That the Little Bit of Love That I Sow Now Will Bear Many Fruits

Did I offer peace today? Did I bring a smile to someone’s face? Did I say words of healing? Did I let go of my anger and resentment? Did I forgive? Did I love? These are the real questions. I must trust that the little bit of love that I sow now will bear many fruits, here in this world and the life to come.

Henri Nouwen

Did you know that the Ancient Mesopotamiam religion was the first recorded , occurred around 3500 BC, and helped influence the Abrahamic religions. I like to imagine that some Ancient Babylonian from thousands of years ago had similar thoughts to Nouwen’s quote from the 20th century. It’s a comforting thought, that despite thousands of years and vastly different cultures and knowledge, some ancient person woke up in the morning and contemplated existence in very similar ways that we do now.

About the author

Henri Nouwen (January 24, 1932 – September 21, 1996) was a Dutch Catholic priest, professor, writer and theologian. His interests were rooted primarily in psychology, pastoral ministry, spirituality, social justice and community. Over the course of his life, Nouwen was heavily influenced by the work of Anton Boisen, Thomas Merton, Rembrandt, Vincent van Gogh, and Jean Vanier.

After nearly two decades of teaching at academic institutions including the University of Notre Dame, Yale Divinity School and Harvard Divinity School, Nouwen went on to work with individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities at the L’Arche Daybreak community in Richmond Hill, Ontario.