from henry nouwen on “A Spirituality of Waiting”
Our passion
Not to be in control is part of the human condition. It is important for us to realize that when Jesus says, “It is accomplished” (John 19:30), he does not simply mean, “I have done all the things I wanted to do.” He also means, “I have allowed things to be done to me that needed to be done to me in order for me to fulfill my vocation.” Jesus does not fulfill his vocation in action only, but also in passion.
Passion is a kind of waiting – waiting for what other people are going to do. In a way, his agony is not simply the agony of approaching death. It is also the agony of having to wait. It is the agony of a God who depends on us for how God is going to live out the divine presence among us. It is the agony of the God who, in a very mysterious way, allows us to decide how God will be God.
All action ends in passion because the response to our action is out of our hands. That is the mystery of friendship, the mystery of community – they always involve waiting. And that is the mystery of Jesus’ love.