Hearts Speaks to Heart
Three Gospel Meditations on Jesus
With a new foreword from friend and author Christopher de Vinck, Heart Speaks to Heart follows Henri Nouwen during a Holy Week retreat during which he desired to write about the Sacred Heart. As his words took shape, he instead spoke directly to the heart of Jesus. The resulting book shares Nouwen’s view of his own faithful, but often painful, journey to the Lord. A Prologue and Epilogue shares Nouwen’s own account on the creation of this book, which was inspired by a friend’s devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus.
More About this Book
This very short book has its origins in a request from Pauline Vanier (Jean Vanier’s mother) for Nouwen to write a contemporary interpretation of the devotion of the Sacred Heart of Jesus. Nouwen decides instead to “let the heart of Jesus touch my own heart” and writes, in prayer, three meditations to the heart of Jesus. His inspiration comes from scripture – Matthew 11:28-30 “Come to me, all you who labor and are overburdened” John 19:31-37 (“the soldiers pieced his side with a lance”) and John 20:19-20, 24-29 (“Blessed are those who have not seen and yet believe”). The result is an intimate glimpse into Nouwen’s heart including his struggles with doubt, vulnerability and faithfulness. Nouwen hoped that “all who will pray these prayers will also experience the healing and renewing love that flows from the heart of Jesus.”
Themes: Jesus, Prayer, Suffering, Heart, Trust, Faithfulness, Brokenness, Unity, Love, Wounds, Home, Inner peace, Pauline Vanier, Nouwen’s relationship with Jesus (his inner dialogue)
Ave Maria Press, 1989
Reviews for "Heart Speaks to Heart"
"Nouwen is my devotional Master. I highly recommend reading this short book of prayers as part of your Easter celebration." -Don
"What I found particularly special about the prayers is I saw myself in each of them. That's the wonder of Nouwen's writing: he is able to capture the essence of the "everyman" in his words." -Ian
"Beautiful, simple and so real. For those looking to deepen a relationship with the heart of Christ." -Kathleen