Henri NouwenOur inclination is to show our Lord only what we feel comfortable with. But the more we dare to reveal our whole trembling self to him, the more we will be able to sense that his … ▶361LifeLove
Henri NouwenOur humanity comes to its fullest bloom in giving. We become beautiful people when we give whatever we can give: a smile, a handshake, a kiss, an embrace, a word of love, a presen… ▶361HumanityLifeLove
Henri NouwenTrue Hospitality is welcoming the stranger on her own terms. This kind of hospitality can only be offered by those who've found the center of their lives in their own hearts.361LoveTruth
Henri NouwenI trust in you, Lord, but keep helping me in my moments of distrust and doubt. ✨ Henri J. M. Nouwen (1989). Heart Speaks to Heart: Three Prayers to Jesus351LoveTime
Henri NouwenBe surprised by joy, be surprised by the little flower that shows its beauty in the midst of a barren desert, and be surprised by the immense healing power that keeps bursting for… ▶362LifeLovePolitics
Henri NouwenTo learn patience is not to rebel against every hardship. ✨ Henri Nouwen (2004). Turn My Mourning into Dancing, p.10, Thomas Nelson Inc373Politics
Henri NouwenThe pain that comes from deep love makes your love more fruitful. It is like a plow that breaks the ground to allow the seed to take root. ✨ Henri J.M. Nouwen (2017). You Ar… ▶362LifeLoveReading
Henri NouwenDo not despair, thinking that you cannot change yourself after so many years. Simply enter into the presence of Jesus as you are and ask him to give you a fearless heart where he … ▶351LoveThought
Henri NouwenThose who are marginal in the world are central in the Church, and that is how it is supposed to be! Thus we are called as members of the Church to keep going to the margins of ou… ▶374Humanity
Henri NouwenPrayer is not a pious decoration of life but the breath of human existence. ✨ Henri Nouwen (2013). The Wounded Healer: Ministry in Contemporary Society, p.17, Image374HumanityLife
Henri NouwenA life without a lonely place, that is, without a quiet center, becomes destructive.342Life
Henri NouwenMinistry is the least important thing. You cannot not minister if you are in communion with God and live in community.331Reflection
Henri NouwenThose who keep speaking about the sun while walking under a cloudy sky are messengers of hope, the true saints of our day.331HopeTruth
Henri NouwenIn this crazy world, there's an enormous distinction between good times and bad, between sorrow and joy. But in the eyes of God, they're never separated. Where there is pain, ther… ▶364SadnessTime
Henri NouwenLifting our cup means sharing our life so we can celebrate it. When we truly believe we are called to lay down our lives for our friends, we must dare to take the risk to let othe… ▶375Life
Henri NouwenWe need to be angels for each other, to give each other strength and consolation. Because only when we fully realize that the cup of life is not only a cup of sorrow but also a cu… ▶342LifeSadness
Henri NouwenLet us not underestimate how hard it is to be compassionate. Compassion is hard because it requires the inner disposition to go with others to place where they are weak, vulnerabl… ▶331LifeLove
Henri NouwenWe are called to be fruitful - not successful, not productive, not accomplished. Success comes from strength, stress, and human effort. Fruitfulness comes from vulnerability and t… ▶332Humanity
Henri NouwenPerhaps nothing helps us make the movement from our little selves to a larger world than remembering God in gratitude. Such a perspective puts God in view in all of life, not just… ▶376LifeTime
Henri NouwenGod is a God of the present. God is always in the moment, be that moment hard or easy, joyful and painful.321SadnessTime
Henri NouwenDear God, I am so afraid to open my clenched fists! Who will I be when I have nothing left to hold on to? Who will I be when I stand before you with empty hands? Please help me to… ▶376LifeLoveReading
Henri NouwenOne of the most satisfying aspects of writing is that it can open in us deep wells of hidden treasures that are beautiful for us as well as for others to see.354Love
Henri NouwenForgiveness changes the way we remember. It converts the curse into a blessing. Forgiveness indeed heals memories . . . ✨ Henri J. M. Nouwen (2009). Bread for the Journey: A… ▶377HopePhilosophyReading
Henri NouwenMinistry is a very confronting service. It does not allow people to live with illusions of immortality and wholeness. It keeps reminding others that they are mortal and broken, bu… ▶377DeathHumanityThought
Henri NouwenTo be a minister means above all to become powerless, or in more precise terms, to speak with our powerlessness to the condition of powerlessness which is so keenly felt but so se… ▶322HumanityPolitics
Henri NouwenThe resistance to praying is like the resistance of tightly clenched fists. This image shows a tension, a desire to cling tightly to yourself, a greediness which betrays fear.366Humor
Henri NouwenMinistry means the ongoing attempt to put one's own search for God, with all the moments of pain and joy, despair and hope, at the disposal of those who want to join this search b… ▶322HopeSadnessTime
Henri NouwenWhen we honestly ask ourselves which person in our lives mean the most to us, we often find that it is those who, instead of giving advice, solutions, or cures, have chosen rather… ▶377LifePoliticsReading
Henri NouwenOur society is so fragmented, our family lives so sundered by physical and emotional distance, our friendships so sporadic, our intimacies so 'in-between' things and often so util… ▶355Humanity
Henri NouwenPay attention to the people God puts in your path if you want to discern what God is up to in your life. ✨ Henri Nouwen (2013). Discernment: Reading the signs of daily life,… ▶344HumanityLifeReading
