Well, we have come to the end of Henri’s book but not to the end of our discussion! It is our hope that this community we have all gathered and nurtured will continue the sharing that has taken place over the last six weeks. With Henri as guide, we have meditated on many components of […]
“The conversion of the world calls for a prophetic witness who dares to criticize it. . . . Critical prophets are people who attract others by their inner power. [They] are moved by what happens around them but don’t let it oppress or shatter them.” Henri goes on to describe these “revolutionaries” as having an inner […]
Henri says that “to pray means to stop expecting from God the same small-mindedness which you discover in yourself. . . . Compassion grows with the inner recognition that your neighbor shares your humanity with you.” How do you ignite your compassion when you pray, especially when you pray for someone who has hurt you […]
Many of us our familiar with that old maxim, “It is better to give than to receive.” But Henri suggests that “perhaps the challenge of the gospel lies precisely in the invitation to accept a gift for which we can give nothing in return. For the gift is the life-breath of God.” Henri then reminds […]
Henri has a powerful definition of hope: daring to stay open to whatever today will bring, or tomorrow, or this year, no matter whether it’s the “answer” we were specifically seeking in prayer. People often say “life isn’t fair” as if we really believe it’s supposed to be fair. Do you think it’s true that […]
In chapter two of With Open Hands, Henri Nouwen says we know there is a connection between prayer and silence. He talks about two challenges in our search for silence: quieting the outside world and quieting our inner world. “To be calm and quiet your yourself . . . offers the freedom to stroll through your […]
With Clenched Fists . . . Henri tells us the story of the deeply troubled woman in a psychiatric centre who would not unclench her fist that held a small coin. “It was as though she would lose her very self along with the coin. If they deprived her of that last possession, she would […]
Warm greetings! We’ll be starting our book discussion on Wednesday February 25th. If you don’t have a copy of With Open Hands (Henri’s first book on prayer), you can order it from www.HenriNouwen.org/shopcart or contact Steve Ellis at Daybreak Books & Media: nouwenbooks@larchedaybreak.com, 1-800-853-1412.
We’ve posted a discussion schedule in the Pages section, found on the righthand side […]