Out of Solitude

Three Meditations on the Christian Life

Drawing on three moments in the life of Jesus, Henri Nouwen invites us to reflect on the tension between our desire for solitude and the demands of contemporary life. He reminds us that it was in solitude that Jesus found the courage to follow God’s will. And he shows us that fruitful love and service must spring from a living relationship with God.

Beautifully written, elegantly simple, Out of Solitude is as fresh today as it was thirty years ago.

More About this Book

A Nouwen classic. This short book is based on three sermons.  Nouwen reflects on Mk 1:32-39 (“In the morning long before dawn, he got up and left the house, and went off to a lonely place and prayed there.”), Mk 6:32-44 (Five loaves and five fish) and Jn 16: 16-22 (In a short time you will no longer see me, and then a short time later you will see me again…you are sad now, but… your hearts will be full of joy, and that joy no one shall take from you).  He addresses the importance of finding a “lonely place” for solitude as preparation for a life of action, caring through “participation in pain,” and living in expectation with patience and joy.  The book is enhanced by photographs by Ron van den Bosch, a friend of Nouwen’s and a regular collaborator with Nouwen.

Themes: Jesus, Solitude, Service, Contemplation, God, Ministry, Pastoral Care, Silence, Spiritual life

Ave Maria Press, 1974

Praise for "Out of Solitude"

"I always find such comfort reading Henri Nouwen. It is like listening to a trusted, wise friend." -Christy

"This is such a slim, small book, yet it has depths of the deepest ocean within. This is absolutely essential reading!" -Jane

"There is more wisdom, power, and urgency in this 60-page booklet than most books of thrice that length could ever hope to capture. Nouwen’s insights are as timely and meaningful as they could ever be." -Billy