Life becomes an unbearable burden whenever we lose contact with the presence of a loving Savior and see only the hunger that needs to be satisfied, the injustice that needs to be named, the violence that needs to be overcome, the wars that need to be stopped, and the loneliness that needs to be shed. All of these are critical issues, and Christians must strive to address them. However, as soon as our interest does not stem from personal contact with the living Christ, we immediately feel the unbearable burden. (…)
Jesus' complete, unlimited, selfless participation in the suffering of the world has opened up the possibility for us to live in this world and face its painful reality without becoming its victims. This is also what Jesus meant when he prayed for his disciples: “I am not asking you to take them out of the world, but to protect them from the evil one.”
(Henri Nouwen /1932–1996/, The Way of Peace)
