What is Henri Nouwen’s Legacy?
In the spring 2006 issue of Harvard Divinity Today six of Henri’s graduate assistants who worked with him at Harvard in 1985 reflect on how he influenced their lives. Peter Weiskel, recalling when he first encountered Henri in 1973 writes, “Henri reflected on themes of solitude, compassion, and community. (The sermons were later published as the book Out of Solitude.) The style was intense and personal, the message grounded in the gospel texts, and the effect on the congregation was electric. . . . I sensed that we were hearing a word that was both traditional and contemporary, very old and yet completely fresh. . . . For me what was most important was his practice of deep ecumenism of the heart that seeks unity beyond conventional social and religious boundaries.”
How were you introduced to Henri Nouwen’s writing? Have his writings influenced your life in some way? If so, could you tell us about that? What does (or doesn’t) resonate with you? If you met him or heard him speak, we invite you to share your experience. What, for you, is Henri Nouwen’s legacy?
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May 29th, 2006 @ 3:12 am
I read at least The Wounded Healer, and one other book about love and the heart that I can’t remember the title of, about 15 years ago before I was Catholic, and attended a non-Catholic seminary (not to be ordained….very long story that I will spare you). I did NOT read them for any class.
Now I find myself beginning his book “Lifesigns”, and, the introduction about our society and fear, especially his quote on page 17: “…it is not hard to understand why a message of love has little chance of being heard.” seems very relevant to my own personal struggle and to our society/Church.
This book was published 20 years ago. I wrote someone that it could have been written today.
Fear.
Love.
Which will we choose?
–Ritagail…who can’t believe nobody else has posted here yet!
June 12th, 2006 @ 9:17 pm
I am wondering how much writing Fr. Nouwen did about children…. I am doing a dissertation on how children develop compassion with a global world view…
Wendy S
June 14th, 2006 @ 5:48 am
My leagcy is to continue Henri’s desire to bring the “broken and vulnerable” to a place where they can be touched by God. Henri asks-”Can you Drink the Cup of Jesus? Can you grasp it? Lift it? Drink it? Use the Cup and its content to bring forth new life?
My research and ministry in the Archdiocese of Chicago is to share a new sprituality-what I call-”New Vision Humpty Dumpty Spirituality”
In this vision, (Inspired by Henri and my workd with many who have “worse case scenario” physical brokenness) Jesus is the new king, we are the Jesus-king’s horses and men and women in community) like L’Arche-together,– in Christ,– we can change the world-nothing is impossible.
Humpty Dumpy needn’t remain broken, ZHumpty can rise-as the Gospel of Mark illustrated with the 4 friends who lower their paralyzed friend to the feet of Jesus for healing-even through a roof!
I am seeking New Humpty Dumpty-Henri Nouwen stories. Please help me find them and share them????
The conference was tremendously inspiring and affirms the research I am pursuing branching off of Henri’s work. I loved and so adored L’Arche. The speakers were fabulous!
May I seek you help?
Do you know of stories that help show how the Spirit becomes a tool for rebuilding one’s life in the face of disability?
What tools (spiritual) do persons use when confronted with any “extra challenges” they perceive associated with a need to adapt or accommodate aspects of their person affected by disability?
What are “breakthrough moments” where the hand of God or God’s spirit provide inspiration, talents insights that become a internal guide or pathway one uses to achieve goals? Purpose? Destiny?
What are manifestations of “spiritual resilience” personal strengths of character and repertorie of talents and skills that enable, transcend and serve to assist a rising beyond a status of brokenness, defeat?
What are noteworthy illustrative instances where a person enjoins; family, friends, caregivers, professionals, a community, support group, in making extensions of one’s body and dominion of resources to go beyond limitations, obstacles, handicaps, disabilities and discover pathways to fulfillment, achievement and triumph of the Human spirit?
What are the mysterious forces of attitude, motivation, spirituality that can be harnessed and channeled as a means of power and electromotive force to overcome adverse conditions and bridge formidable circumstances that threaten to curtail or diminish the dignity, drive and determination to persevere and triumph at the end of the day?
Please email stories to me at dgrossnick@aol.com. My hope is to share “praxis” practical illustrations that amplify and express the work of Henri Nouwen.
Blessings
June 14th, 2006 @ 9:35 am
Hi Wendy,
There was a paper presented at the conference that might be of interest to you. It was entitled “Spirituality and Education: Henri Nouwen’s Inspirations to Parent Education” by Astrid Gilles-Bacciu (Archidiocese of Cologne). If you are interested, you can contact the Nouwen Archives for more information about this paper. In addition, you might consider submitting a research request to the Nouwen Archives, and we can discuss other records in the Archives that might be helpful for your dissertation. Please go to http://www.utoronto.ca/stmikes/library/nouwen/ for more information on submitting a research request.
Gabrielle Earnshaw
Archivist, The Henri J.M. Nouwen Archives and Research Collection
August 12th, 2006 @ 1:22 am
I first met Henri Nouwen in Philadelphia who asked me to meet with him at the Philadelphia International Airport during a scheduled layover. I was en route to seminary. Later we met again at Yale Divinity School in New Haven, CT where he was professor and a simple Dutch priest. He was a friend and helped me to find myself when I was between seminaries and between denominations. I had lost my family when I was a freshman in high school and was subsequently raised in a couple of different foster famiies (Protestant and Jewish).
September 15th, 2006 @ 10:14 am
I´m Lucas from Rosario, Argentina; and I just wanted to tell you that I have read Henri Nouwen’s book “The return of the prodigal son” and that God spoke to me a lot through it. I read it in a time in which I needed to identify myself to and remind myself about my spiritual essence. Reading it made me feel almost the same that Nouwen felt when he put himself in the place of each of the characters of Rembrandt’s painting and it reminded me once more about the Father’s unconditional Love in each of its pages. Although I’m much younger and I have much less experience than Henri had, I know that we are joined by the same blood, the same Father and the same calling, the calling to be children so as to achieve to be fathers; I feel the same fear he felt, but I also feel that I want to get to Jesus’s hug, where I can find everything I need. I’m deeply thankful to God for having brought this book to my hands. On the other hand, I’m also thankful to Henri for exposing his heart on those pages going beyond religion, church, denomination and institution, etc. in which God has little interest. I’m you must have received thousands of e-mails about this book but I could not help but expressing you what was in my heart.
I bless you in the name of Jesus.
Lucas
September 19th, 2006 @ 3:34 pm
This is the how and why of finding your website;
My little story for you:
“Many years ago I was chatting with our Pastor. He mentioned AA and our Twelve Step Work. He felt it was a very positive attribute of AA. He said, You guys are “Wounded Spiritual Healers”. I laughed out loud! I said, “Wow my ego really loves that.”
I paused for a moment and responded, “Pastor, I think I am a Good Man who is trying to get better. Who occasionally gets lucky when God puts another alcoholic in my life for me to try to help him learn that he too is a Good Man who can get better.”
Henri Nouwen is giving me much more insight into the meaning of “The Wounded Healer”. Your website has been very inspirational.
September 28th, 2006 @ 1:44 pm
I first became acquainted with the writings of Henri Nouwen when I ask a friend to recommend a book. The book recommended was “Reaching Out.”
Since I have read everything I possibly can.
Henri’s legacy is faithfulness to God through the exteme lonely condition each of us share. To face this result of sin and know that one day we will be together with our Father. One aspect of the loneliness: recognizing our deepest need—this may be the vocation.
I read this at a time when I was struggling, I loved my work with DD adults, children and infants. The conditions were difficult for working and I felt such joy. Others, friends, some adult family members thought I was not to do this work. My husband and our youngest child encouraged me.
Thirteen years later I remain with this my joy, and a part of my vocation. A very big part.
Henri has suffered, he teaches us how to deal with rejection by those we love and thought we needed the most. For me his legacy is this: he has taught me to carry on the work of the Saviour, love those who hate or hurt me, and to know we all need welcoming.
When I could not read the Bible the works of Father Nouwen directed me back to the Holy Word rather than the harsh words of people.
His legacy is one of commitment to the Church, our Saviour and refining himself while he surroundedhimself with the love God provided.
November 2nd, 2006 @ 12:05 pm
I was first introduced to Henri Nouwen at a Spiritual Formation Academy retreat in Puerto Rico. One of the main speakers used “The return of the Prodigal Son” as the main focus. That was 4 1/2 years ago, and I’ve become a fervent reader of Nouwen’s books, in Spanish and English. I am a Methodist pastor and often use his reflections on various topics, specially on death.
November 9th, 2006 @ 12:35 pm
A Testimony: Fr. Henri in my life
It was in the year 1996 a priest introduced to me the name of Henri J. M. Nouwen. This is how it happened: he had read Fr. Henri’s The Return of the Prodigal Son and he suggested to me that I too read it. Anyway, that was only my second year in the seminary (I am a candidate to the priesthood), and at that time my knowledge in the English language was insufficient to understand the content/message of the book. Then in 1998, during a spiritual conference another priest talked about the life of Fr. Henri in L’Arche communities. I was really taken by what I heard. It was in the year 1999 when I was in the novitiate, the priest who suggested to me The Return of the Prodigal Son summarized in one hour the message of In the Name of Jesus. In the year 2004, a friend of mine gifted to me on Christmas day The Only Necessary Thing, which I used for my morning meditations. It took about eight months for me to finish the whole book since I read only a small portion everyday. This book on prayer life touched me deeply.
In 2005, I had an opportunity to go to India. Once before making a long train trip, I asked one of my friends there to lend me a book to be read during the journey. What he gave me was The Wounded Healer of Fr. Henri, which I finished reading almost the same day. By now I have read a couple of titles by Fr. Henri. They include: Intimacy, Out of Solitude, With Burning Hearts, Letters to Mark about Jesus, Adam Arnett—God’s Beloved, Finding My Way Home and Can you Drink the Cup?. At present I am using The Inner Voice of Love for my morning meditations.
After reading Fr. Henri I could observe some notable changes in me, particularly in my perspectives about God, prayer and (priestly) ministry. “Being the beloved of God” is a dominant theme in Fr. Henri’s writings and in one of his books he expresses the following idea: just living and living with the consciousness that I am a beloved of God are two things and the latter makes a world of difference in us (not the exact words), and I have found this thought amazingly true. Fr. Henri treats prayer in an entirely different and simple way. Fr. Henri believes that without moments of solitude life becomes meaningless. According to this much-loved spiritual author, a life that is not reflected upon is not worth living. I think these are powerful thoughts which all of us should seriously reflect upon.
I have written these lines to encourage all men and women to get hold of at least one book of Fr. Henri, which I hope has the potential to effect a turning point in the lives of all, no matter what walks of life, race, caste, or county they may be belonging to.
We, a group of young seminarians are beginning a readers’ club shortly in order to create an interest among the seminarians in the writings of Fr. Henri and to read, discuss and live as far as possible the vision of Fr. Henri in our lives. May the Good Lord bless our and your work!
J.M. Joseph Jeyaseelan CMF
Sri Lanka
December 13th, 2006 @ 3:44 pm
Sabbatical Angel
On the eve of his 1995 sabbatical, a particular Angel icon made a strong impression on Nouwen. He found the work of art reproduced on the cover of a little 5” by 8” notebook. It was a detail from a larger work: Perussis Altarpiece, composed of tempera, oil, and gold on wood in France in 1480. The Metropolitan Museum of Art had published the notebook in 1992 as part of its series, Museum Notes.
As he began his daybook for friends at Harper San Francisco, a routine came together: His “Angel book” would became an intimate companion, and he would begin each entry asking, “Do you have a thought for your Angel?” In his public lectures and writings Nouwen rarely made references to Angels. So it is striking that, when he began that sabbatical, recalling the biblical Jacob who wrestled with an Angel, and was given a new name, Nouwen wrote in his journal, “Free at last… Free most of all to fight with the Angel of God and ask for a new blessing.” (Sabbatical Journey, 1998)
Nouwen’s only other published reference to Angels that I know of is in his study of Andrew Rublev’s icon of the Holy Trinity (Behold the Beauty of the Lord: Praying with Icons, 1987). In the icon, the three angels who visited Sarah and Abraham become a vision of the Trinity: “…the prefiguration of the divine mission by which God sends us his only Son to sacrifice himself for our sins, and gives us new life through the Spirit.”
Nouwen is interested in what Angels point toward. His daybook, Bread for the Journey, became focused on Jesus. Perhaps that is why, in the introduction, all the references to his Angel are noticeably left out. His “Angel book” becomes his “little book” and so on. The Angel pointed Nouwen to Jesus, then, so as not to distract the general reader from that focus, departed.
Undaunted, I was interested enough in that little Angel, that I ordered a copy of Museum Notes, the edition with that Angel on the cover. I found it a striking and powerful image indeed. The underside of the Angel’s outstretched wings are orange and yellow, the colors of blazing fire obviously intended, the Angel’s deep red cloak is in motion, giving an impression of whirling and descent. I heard an almost audible “whoosh” sound when I first saw the image. Yet, amidst all the motion, the face of the Angel is beautifully serene, contemplative. Other details reward further inspection: the wings are edged with “eyes” like those in peacock feathers and the angel’s hands are crossed and gracefully arced.
This is no boring Angel icon. It gives an energizing first impression, and also rewards further study. But let’s keep it somewhat secret, remembering mainly who the Angel points us toward.
G. Ryan
I welcome comments that might help me better understand the significance of Nouwen’s sabbatical Angel, and what the Angel meant to Nouwen. Please post comments to me directly at ghartzlermiller@netscape.net
January 7th, 2007 @ 10:14 am
What is Henri’s legacy?
ENCOURAGEMENT
-the facilitator of hearts overcoming fear.
Through the mystery of the communion of saints I met my friend Henri after he passed from this life. His words pull us on to new life and speak of the timeless truth-saints are sinners who keep on trying to find the glory of God in everything and every place.
February 23rd, 2007 @ 7:25 am
My name is Mary and I’m 71 and studying (rather late!) for an MA in Pastoral Theology (Cambridge UK)and writing an essay on Henri Nouwen’s Spirituality to be handed in in May. As a psychotherapist I am very interested in the psycho-spiritual in his writings and the influence on him of Anton Boisen.
My own spiritual journey has been much helped by Henri’s books.