Henri Nouwen is considered one of the greatest spiritual writers of our day and is without question one of the best-selling, with titles such as Life of the Beloved and Return of the Prodigal Son to his name. He taught at Harvard, Yale, and Notre Dame.
To commemorate the 70th anniversary of Nouwen's birth, Crossroad is issuing this remarkable anthology of the best of the writings of Nouwen, along with insights from people who knew him in person. Key themes in these writings include: a personal relationship with God, suffering, and living for others.
Henri Nouwen on suffering:
"My own experience with anguish has been that facing it and living it through, is the way to healing. But I cannot do that on my own. I need someone to keep me standing in it, to assure me that there is peace beyond the anguish, life beyond death and love beyond fear. But I know now, at least, that attempting to avoid, repress, or escape the pain is like cutting off a limb that could be healed with proper attention."
"The deep truth is that our human suffering need not be an obstacle to the joy and peace we so desire, but can become, instead, the means to it. The great secret of the spiritual life...is that everything we live, be it gladness or sadness, joy or pain, health or illness, can all be part of the journey toward the full realization of our humanity."
