Meeting ID: 815 0755 1772
To connect by phone dial: 1-301-715-8592
OPENING PRAYER
Loving God, we give thanks for the life of your
beloved Fr. Henri Nouwen, who lived during our time and gave prolific voice to
the universal search to connect with you, our true Beloved. Daily and throughout
our nights we search with lighted candle for guidance and instruction on how to
walk the inner path of Love and Peace, how to grow your Kin-dom during our
brief life. You have gifted our prayers with Fr. Nouwen as an example, a deeply
loved brother and guide whom we can trust and sink into his life’s work, poured
out in a depth of written and spoken experiences that we shall have forever. Our
hearts and minds overflow with gratitude and loving appreciation, dear Holy
One. May we be open and receptive to the instruction, direction, and intimate
sharing of the spiritual journey of dear Fr. Henri Nouwen and generously share
our knowledge with others on the path we walk. So be it.
https://youtu.be/faQXF33rQuk?si=cSiOqWdBvUtqm86u
REFLECTION 1 Embracing a More Universal View
Henri
Nouwen (now-when) was a Dutch-born Catholic priest, psychologist, professor, author
of 40+ books on spirituality, lecturer, and spiritual director. Yet these
accomplishments pale in comparison to what Fr. Nouwen truly gave us, that is, a
brother walking on the Journey with us who’s own woundedness he courageously entrusted
in an intimate way. His shockingly personal and profound sharing, genius,
sainthood, and mystic companionship shown through his words; he could touch our
heart and mind, baring his most intense feelings and experiences in deeply
human ways which he generously shared. Isn’t
this what we search for every day, someone who completely “gets” us, who
connects with oceans of compassion to our very self?
We
know that “Traditional mysticism refers to the mystical practices,
experiences, and teachings passed down through religious and spiritual
traditions over generations. It involves a direct, personal experience of a
divine or transcendent reality and a transformation of consciousness.” Although we have studied mystics mainly from
the Christian and Buddhist perspectives, we can learn as well from the
Islamic/Sufi, Jewish/Kabbalah, Hindu, and Taoist spiritual traditions that have
provided many examples of mystical experiences. Some we have studied, (St. Teresa of Avila,
St. Francis of Assisi, St. John of the Cross) are steeped in traditional
Catholicism. Others have proffered ideas and beliefs that do not strictly align,
and those mystics have been marginalized by the Roman Church (Thomas Merton;
Teilhard de Chardin; Henri Nouwen) and are called by some “heretical.” By studying an inclusive array of mystics, we
are able to better understand the phenomenon which is universal in nature and
practice, and how we can connect to the universal Holy One, loving and moving in
our lives. Fr. Nouwen is a profound example of just what we need to sharpen our
focus on how to understand, live, and grow through our own “dark night of
the soul” we searchers experience.
SPIRITUAL
DIRECTION 1 from Fr. Nouwen
“Those
you have deeply loved become part of you. The longer you live, there will
always be more people to be loved by you and to become part of your inner
community. The wider your inner community becomes, the more easily you will
recognize your own brothers and sisters in the strangers around you.” H. Nouwen The Inner Voice of Love: A
Journey Through Anguish to Freedom
SPIRITUAL
DIRECTION 2 from Fr.
Nouwen
“For
as long as you can remember, you have been a pleaser, depending on others to
give you an identity. You need not look at that only in a negative way. You
wanted to give your heart to others, and you did so quickly and easily. But now
you are being asked to let go of all these self-made props and trust that God
is enough for you. You must stop being a pleaser and reclaim your identity as a
free self.” H. Nouwen,
The Inner Voice of Love: A Journey Through Anguish to Freedom
VIDEO 2 Henri Nouwen Meditation
https://youtu.be/Nh2vY7tWgu4
POEM Living with Hope by Henri Nouwen
Optimism and Hope Are Radically Different Attitudes
Optimism is
the expectation that things: the weather, human relationships,
the economy,
the political situation, and so on—will get better.
Hope is the trust that God
will fulfill God’s promises to us in a way that leads us
to true freedom.
The optimist speaks about concrete changes in the future.
The person of hope lives in the moment with the knowledge
and trust that all of
life is in good hands.
All the great spiritual leaders in history were people of
hope.
Abraham, Moses, Ruth, Mary, Jesus, Rumi, Gandhi and Dorothy
Day all lived with a promise in their hearts that guided them toward the future
without the need to know exactly
what it would look
like.
We can
continue to live with hope, because Jesus has given us His promise that He will
stay with us at all times. He is the God of the living. He has overcome evil
and death and His love is stronger than any form of death and destruction. That
is why I feel that we should continually avoid the temptation of despair and
deepen our awareness that God is present in the midst of all the chaos that
surrounds us, and that that presence allows us to live joyfully and peacefully
in a world so filled with sorrow and conflict. Let us live with hope.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lZqwHtRxDYU
REFLECTION
2 Henri
Nouwen: the “Wounded Healer”
"In our woundedness, we can
become sources of life for others."
Although
influenced by an early Jesuit education, Fr. Nouwen chose to be ordained a
Diocesan priest in the Archdiocese of Utrecht, Netherlands, as he felt called
to a more pastoral ministry than the Jesuit charism. He realized that he needed
to also become a psychologist, which was driven by his pastoral concern to be
able to understand and use psychological insights into human behavior. He “used
psychology as a tool to explore the emotional, relational, and spiritual
dimensions of human life, which he believed were being overlooked in
theological discussions. He sought to bridge the gap between pastoral care and
the human sciences, aiming to understand how psychological insights could enrich
spiritual formation and ministry”.
Having
an “understanding of human behavior and emotion combined with theological
insight” was unique and rare in the religious and spiritual realm. Fr.
Nouwen used this depth of human understanding, and his personal sufferings to
give us a way to better connect with Jesus in our lives. “He was inspired by
the work of Anton Boisen, who founded the clinical pastoral education movement
as he worked toward understanding how joy, sorrow, brokenness, and the hunger
for God interrelate in human life.” After earning a doctorate in Psychology at
University in the Netherlands, Fr. Nouwen taught psychology at Notre Dame
University in the U.S., then at Yale Divinity School, and Harvard Divinity
School.
After
two decades in Academia where he was an overwhelmingly popular, successful Professor,
prolific writer and speaker, Nouwen began a “dark night of the soul”
experience, and left Academia behind. He was weary and disillusioned by the
highly competitive, intellectually driven life, which left him spiritually
exhausted and emptied. He suffered
greatly from loneliness, tensions and struggles with celibacy, as he was a gay
man, and refused to break his vows, working tirelessly to counteract negative
stereotypes of LGBTIQ persons. His life took a turn slowing down the relentless
travel and teaching schedule, leaving academia to become the Pastor at L’Arche
Daybreak, a Community near Toronto, Canada that served people with profound
intellectual and developmental disabilities. Henri Nouwen Society (website)
VIDEO 4 Henri Nouwen Meditation on Longing from: Bread for the Journey
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vEU7oYuDo1c End video after 1 minute
ADAM
In
1986 Fr. Nouwen became Pastor a L’Arche Daybreak/Toronto, one of their many
homes. It was an abrupt vocational change of directions. At Daybreak, Fr.
Nouwen was assigned to be caretaker of one of the residents named Adam Arnett,
a 25-year-old man with profound physical and developmental disabilities. Adam
could do nothing for himself and depended on assistance for basic necessities
such as bathing, eating, dressing; Adam could not speak and had frequent
seizures. Fr. Nouwen cared for him, and Adam gradually became the central
aspect of his spiritual journey. Slowly Fr. Nouwen realized and used Adam’s
story “to express his understanding of the Gospel, emphasizing that all
human beings—broken and yet beloved—live in a world charged with the mystery of
God’s overwhelming love. Adam’s life and death became a central theme in
Nouwen’s spiritual legacy, illustrating his belief in mutuality, vulnerability,
and the transformative power of love.”
Henri Nouwen Society.
The only Necessary Thing is Living a Life of Prayer
Henri’s Core Teaching:
One of the central aspects of Jesus’ teaching
was his continuous attempts to teach us that we are all one in the home of the
Universal One. Persons of all or no religions are welcome to immerse themselves
in the stream of life and love of the Universal Being. Michael Morwood reminds
us that the religion most of us grew up in did not encourage our sense of
closeness to the Holy One, that we are unworthy and only a few have access to
this Great Mystery. From Jesus’ own reconfiguring our idea of “his Abba” and
throughout history the mystics and prophets kept after us to understand and
commit to placing ourselves deep within the sea of love, connection,
compassion, and grow toward oneness. It takes all the courage, moxie, example,
and toughness we can muster to keep on returning to the path that ever-leads us
to the sea of humanity wholly enveloped in the Gracious One. Henry Nouwen Society website
CLOSING THOUGHTS: Success
vs. Fruit
https://youtu.be/VO69nSZYfdA?si=TlsWnIP2Phtd4ldE
REFERENCES AND RESOURCES
The Notre Dame Years 1966-1968
Intimacy: Pastoral Psychological Essays (1969)
Pray to Live: Thomas Merton: Contemplative
Critic (1972)
With Open Hands (1972)
The Living Reminder: Service and Prayer in
Memory of Jesus Christ (1977)
The Wounded Healer: Ministry in Contemporary
Society (1972)
Clowning In Rome: Reflections on Solitude,
Celibacy, Prayer, and Contemplation (1979)
Out Of Solitude: Three Meditations on the
Christian Life (1974)
In Memoriam (1980) (Reissued as A Sorrow
Shared: A Combined Edition of the Nouwen
Classics In Memoriam and A Letter of
Consolation (2010))
Aging: The Fulfillment of Life, with Walter
Gaffney (1974)
The Genesee Diary: Report from a Trappist
Monastery (1976)
Making All Things New: An Invitation to the
Spiritual Life (1981)
The Way of the Heart: Desert Spirituality and
Contemporary Ministry (1981)
A Cry for Mercy: Prayers from the Genesee
(1981)
Compassion: A Reflection on the Christian Life,
with Donald P. MacNeill and Donald A.
Morrison (1982)
A Letter Of Consolation (1982)
Reaching Out: The Three Movements of the
Spiritual Life (1975)
Creative Ministry (1971)
Latin America Interlude 1981-1982
Gracias!: A Latin American Journal (1983)
Love In A Fearful Land: A Guatemalan Story
(1985)
The L’Arche Years 1986 -1996
The Inner Voice Of Love: A Journey Through
Anguish to Freedom (1996)
Peacework: Prayer, Resistance, Community (2005)
Lifesigns: Intimacy, Fecundity and Ecstasy in
Christian Perspective (1986)
Life Of The Beloved: Spiritual Living in a
Secular World (1992)
Behold The Beauty Of The Lord: Praying With
Icons (1987)
The Return Of The Prodigal Son: A Story of
Homecoming (1992)
The Road To Daybreak: A Spiritual Journey
(1988)
Jesus & Mary: Finding Our Sacred Center
(1993)
Letters To Marc About Jesus: Living a Spiritual
Life in a Material World (1988)
Here And Now: Living in the Spirit (1994)
In The Name of Jesus: Reflections on Christian
Leadership (1989)
Our Greatest Gift: A Meditation on Dying and
Caring (1994)
Walk With Jesus: Stations of the Cross (1990)
The Path Series: The Path of Power, The Path of
Waiting, The Path of Freedom (1995)
Beyond The Mirror: Reflections on Life and
Death (1990)
Heart Speaks To Heart: Three Gospel Meditations
on Jesus (1989)
With Burning Hearts: A Meditation on the
Eucharistic Life (1994)
Posthumous – New Works from the Literary Estate
of Henri Nouwen
The Inner Voice Of Love: A Journey Through
Anguish to Freedom (1996)
Peacework: Prayer, Resistance, Community (2005)
Lifesigns: Intimacy, Fecundity and Ecstasy in
Christian Perspective (1986)
Life Of the Beloved: Spiritual Living in a
Secular World (1992)
Behold The Beauty of the Lord: Praying with
Icons (1987)
The Return of the Prodigal Son: A Story of
Homecoming (1992)
The Road to Daybreak: A Spiritual Journey
(1988)
Jesus & Mary: Finding Our Sacred Center
(1993)
(Out of print. Half of the book has been
published in Finding Our Sacred Center: A Journey to
Inner Peace (2011))
Letters To Marc About Jesus: Living a Spiritual
Life in a Material World (1988)
Here And Now: Living in the Spirit (1994)
In The Name of Jesus: Reflections on Christian
Leadership (1989)
Our Greatest Gift: A Meditation on Dying and
Caring (1994)
Walk With Jesus: Stations of the Cross (1990)
The Path Series: The Path of Power, The Path of
Waiting, The Path of Freedom (1995)
VIDEO & WEBSITES
L’Arche Communities https://youtu.be/1Sy5LP-3Vm8?si=lfx0wLJPC8CItFcp
https://www.journeywithjesus.net/theeighthday/2441-henri-nouwen-revisited
https://carbonatedgrace.wordpress.com/tag/richard-rohr-andhenri-nouwen-and-matthew-fox/
https://christianstandard.com/2015/02/the-struggles-of-henri/
https://www.monergism.com/henri-nouwen-0
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