Clowning In Rome

Reflections On Solitude, Celibacy, Prayer And Contemplation

Four lectures originally given during a five-month stay in Rome. Why "clowning" in Rome? Nouwen explains: "Of the virtuosi we say, ‘How do they do it?’ Of the clowns we say, ‘They are like us.’ The clowns remind us . . . that we share the same human weaknesses." The clown is a "powerful image to help us understand the role of the minister in contemporary society." Playing the clown, Nouwen explores four "clownlike" or "foolish" elements in the spiritual life: being alone, treasuring emptiness, standing naked before God, and simply seeing things for what they are."

(Doubleday Image, 1979, Pp.110)

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