Henri Nouwen
Henri Nouwen
Henri Jozef Machiel Nouwen,was a Dutch Catholic priest, professor, writer and theologian. His interests were rooted primarily in psychology, pastoral ministry, spirituality, social justice and community. Over the course of his life, Nouwen was heavily influenced by the work of Anton Boisen, Thomas Merton, Rembrandt, Vincent van Gogh and Jean Vanier...
NationalityDutch
ProfessionClergyman
Date of Birth24 January 1932
prayer silence contemplative
It is to this silence [contemplative prayer] that we all are called.
wine thinking grapes
When we are crushed like grapes, we cannot think of the wine we will become.
block knowledge-of-god wonder
I often wonder if my knowledge about God has not become my greatest stumbling block to my knowledge of God.
unconditional-love son found
I am the prodigal son every time I search for unconditional love where it cannot be found.
nature real ocean
As long as we relate to the trees, the rivers, the mountains, the fields and the oceans as properties which we can manipulate according to our real or fabricated needs, nature remains opaque, and does not reveal to us its true being.
looks treasure
Trust that the treasure we look for is hidden in the ground on which we stand.
love-life people temptation
What makes the temptation of power so seemingly irresistible? Maybe it is that power offers an easy substitute for the hard task of love. It seems easier to be God than to love God, easier to control people than to love people, easier to own life than to love life.
grateful life-is property
Life is a gift to be grateful for and not a property to cling to.
godly getting-older growing
Is my growing old making me any closer to Christ? Am I only getting older or am I getting more godly?
who-we-are beloved moments
From the moment we claim the truth of being the beloved, we are faced with the call to become who we are.
teaching eye wrinkles
A few years ago I met an old professor at the University of Notre Dame. Looking back on his long life of teaching, he said with a funny wrinkle in his eyes: I have always been complaining that my work was constantly interrupted, until I slowly discovered that my interruptions were my work.
lonely quiet gifts-of-life
A life without a lonely place, that is, without a quiet center, becomes destructive.
forgiveness giving people
If we want other people to give us something that only God can give, we become a demon. We say, "Love me!" and before you know it we become violent and demanding and manipulative. It's so important that we keep forgiving one another - not once in a while, but every moment of life.
grateful eye heart
I can choose to grateful when I am criticized, even when my heart still responds in bitterness. I can choose to speak about goodness and beauty, even when my inner eye still looks for someone to accuse or something to call ugly.