Henri J. M. Nouwen (1932–1996)
Author of The Return of the Prodigal Son: A Story of Homecoming
About the Author
He was born in the Netherlands in 1932. An ordained priest and gifted teacher, he taught at several universities including Notre Dame, Harvard and Yale. He was a missionary in Peru. He died of a heart attack in 1996. (Publisher Provided) Henri J. M. Nouwen was born in Nijkerk, The Netherlands on show more January 24, 1932. He was ordained a priest in 1957. He taught theology at Yale University Divinity School from 1971 to 1981 and at Harvard Divinity School from 1983 to 1985. He was the pastor at Daybreak, the L'Arche community for the mentally handicapped in Toronto, Canada from 1986 to 1996. He wrote over 30 books on spirituality, healing, and ministry including Reaching Out, The Genesee Diary, The Wounded Healer, The Road to Daybreak, The Return of the Prodigal Son, and Can You Drink the Cup? He died of a heart attack on September 21, 1996 at the age of 64. (Bowker Author Biography) show less
Series
Works by Henri J. M. Nouwen
Clowning in Rome: Reflections on Solitude, Celibacy, Prayer, and Contemplation (1979) 551 copies, 1 review
Henri Nouwen (Modern Spiritual Masters): Writings Selected With an Introduction by Robert A. Jonas (1988) 257 copies, 1 review
Lent and Easter Wisdom from Henri J. M. Nouwen: Daily Scripture and Prayers Together with Nouwen's Own Words (Lent & Easter Wisdom) (2005) 142 copies
A Sorrow Shared: A Combined Edition of the Nouwen Classics "In Memoriam" and "A Letter of Consolation" (1987) 48 copies, 1 review
The Return of the Prodigal Son Anniversary Edition: A Special Two-in-One Volume, including Home Tonight (2016) 41 copies, 1 review
Hope for Caregivers: A 42-Day Devotional in Company with Henri J. M. Nouwen (2017) 17 copies, 1 review
O Curador Ferido - Ministerio na sociedade contemporanea (Em Portugues do Brasil) (2019) 5 copies, 1 review
Espaço Para Deus 4 copies
The seven Laws of the harvest 4 copies
Den sårede hjelper : hvordan vi med vår sårbarhet kan bli en kilde til liv for andre (2004) 3 copies
El Lenguaje del corazon/ The Only Necessary Thing: Un Camino Hacia Tu Interior (Senderos/ Paths) (Spanish Edition) (2013) 3 copies
Inner Voice of Love 2 copies
Letter of consolatiion 2 copies
Way of the Heart 2 copies
Maria de betrouwbare gids 2 copies
A Conversation with Henri Nouwen 2 copies
Simpler Living, Compassionate Life 2 copies
بأيد مفتوحة 2 copies
Adan, el amado de Dios 1 copy
La voz interior del amor 1 copy
Pastoraat en spiritualiteit, Het verzamelde werk, Nabij zijn, Delen, Helen, In de naam van Jezus (2010) 1 copy
With open hands 1 copy
En el nombre de Jesús 1 copy
A Way of the Heart 1 copy
El sanador herido 1 copy
Creative Ministry 1 copy
Un grido per la pace 1 copy
The Inner voice of Love 1 copy
De vlieger en de vanger 1 copy
Meister Eckhart 1 copy
Cry for Mercy 1 copy
EL CORAZÓN HABLA AL CORAZÓN 1 copy
Creativy Ministry 1 copy
Diario desde el monasterio 1 copy
Returning to God 1 copy
Way of the cross meditations 1 copy
Revenir à la maison ce soir : Nouvelles réflexions sur la parabole de l'enfant prodigue (2009) 1 copy
Het uur van de dageraad 1 copy
Loslassen und fliegen: Henri Nouwens ungewöhnliche Freundschaft mit Zirkus-Artisten (2023) 1 copy, 1 review
Care and the elderly 1 copy
Solitude 1 copy
Merton's Palace of Nowhere 1 copy
Escritos esenciales de Henri Nouwen: Introducción y edición de Robert A. Jonas (Pozo de Siquem) (Spanish Edition) (1999) 1 copy
De gewonde heler 1 copy
Latin American Journal 1 copy
Kalež našega života 1 copy
The Communion of Love 1 copy
A Cry for Mercy c.2 1 copy
The Wounded Healer c.2 1 copy
The Genese Diary 1 copy
Spirituality of Fundraising 1 copy
Stillheten som skaper 1 copy
O Amado De Deus 1 copy
CARTAS A MARC SOBRE JESUS 1 copy
O Caminho da Esperança 1 copy
Intimacy - Reissue 1 copy
God’s Abiding Love 1 copy
Uma Espiritualidade do Viver 1 copy
A volta do filho prodigo 1 copy
Foreign to Familiar 1 copy
Associated Works
Watch for the Light: Readings for Advent and Christmas (2004) — Contributor — 902 copies, 10 reviews
Leading from Within: Poetry That Sustains the Courage to Lead (2007) — Contributor — 115 copies, 3 reviews
A Dry Roof and a Cow: Dreams and Portraits of Our Neighbours (1994) — Introduction, some editions — 42 copies
Möge Gott dich halten, wenn der Boden schwankt. Segensworte für jeden Tag (2005) — Contributor — 1 copy
Tagged
Common Knowledge
- Legal name
- Nouwen, Henri Jozef Machiel
- Other names
- ç§é²
ç´æ
Nouwen, Henri J. M. - Birthdate
- 1932-01-24
- Date of death
- 1996-09-21
- Gender
- male
- Education
- University of Nijmegen (Ph.D., psychology, 1964)
University of Nijmegen (Ph.D., theology, 1971 - Occupations
- Catholic priest
- Organizations
- Roman Catholic Church
Menninger Clinic
University of Notre Dame
University of Utrecht
Catholic Theological Institute
Yale University (show all 8)
Harvard Divinity School
L'Arche Daybreak Community - Short biography
- Henri J. M. Nouwen was born in 1932,and ordained into the priesthood in 1957. He pursued an academic career,specializing in psychology from 1964 to 1982,with positions at the Menninger Clinic,Notre Dame,the University of Nijmegen,Harvard,and Yale. Nouwen next spent time as a missionary to the poor in war and poverty-torn areas of Latin America,including Bolivia,Peru,Mexico,Nicaragua,and Honduras. In his last years of life,he was a pastor at L'Arche Daybreak,a community for handicapped adults in Canada. Henri Nouwen was the author of over 30 books,including The Wounded Healer; Our Greatest Gift; Life of the Beloved; and others.
http://store.soundstrue.com/nouwenh.h... - Nationality
- Netherlands
- Birthplace
- Nijkerk, Netherlands
- Places of residence
- Nijkerk, Netherlands (birth)
- Place of death
- Hilversum, Noord-Holland, Niederlande
- Burial location
- Sacred Heart Cemetery, King City, Ontario, Canada
- Associated Place (for map)
- Nijkerk, Netherlands
Members
Reviews
Caregiving, at its truest, is not measured in tasks. It is measured in presence.
Reading this devotional felt like stepping into language for something I have lived but rarely tried to define. My love for the one I cared for did not feel conditional or reluctant. It felt wholehearted. Limitless. Peace was not something I was trying to manufacture. It was already there, woven into the quiet rhythm of showing up again and again.
“The mystery of ministry is that we have been chosen to make our show more own limited and very conditional love the gateway for the unlimited and unconditional love of God.” That sentence humbled me. I have experienced caregiving as a holy privilege. Nouwen gently reminds us that even our most wholehearted love is still carried by Someone deeper, Someone eternal.
“Caregiving … we want to ease pain, to restore calm and peace to those in need.” For me, that restoration often began in the simple act of being present. Of holding a hand. Of staying. Peace did not always mean the absence of suffering. It meant love remaining steady in the midst of it.
“God’s deep love is a revitalizing force lifting us when we have no more strength for the challenges of giving care. We see God’s love in and through one another.” There were nights when sleep was longed for and strength was stretched thin. Yet love did not feel diminished. If anything, it felt clarified. This devotional names that hidden strength and roots it in God’s sustaining grace and power.
Each entry draws the heart toward Christ’s self-giving love. Caregiving becomes participation in something eternal. More than service. More than sacrifice. Communion.
This book met me in a place of deep gratitude. It affirms that caregiving plants roots in eternity. Those who have loved someone through vulnerability, illness, or dependency will recognize themselves within these pages.
Hope for Caregivers does not magnify exhaustion. It magnifies love.
I received a digital ARC of this book from the publisher via NetGalley. I am not required to write a positive review nor paid to do so. This is my honest and unbiased review. My thoughts and opinions expressed in this book review are my own. My review focuses on the writing and the story’s content, ensuring transparency and reliability. show less
Reading this devotional felt like stepping into language for something I have lived but rarely tried to define. My love for the one I cared for did not feel conditional or reluctant. It felt wholehearted. Limitless. Peace was not something I was trying to manufacture. It was already there, woven into the quiet rhythm of showing up again and again.
“The mystery of ministry is that we have been chosen to make our show more own limited and very conditional love the gateway for the unlimited and unconditional love of God.” That sentence humbled me. I have experienced caregiving as a holy privilege. Nouwen gently reminds us that even our most wholehearted love is still carried by Someone deeper, Someone eternal.
“Caregiving … we want to ease pain, to restore calm and peace to those in need.” For me, that restoration often began in the simple act of being present. Of holding a hand. Of staying. Peace did not always mean the absence of suffering. It meant love remaining steady in the midst of it.
“God’s deep love is a revitalizing force lifting us when we have no more strength for the challenges of giving care. We see God’s love in and through one another.” There were nights when sleep was longed for and strength was stretched thin. Yet love did not feel diminished. If anything, it felt clarified. This devotional names that hidden strength and roots it in God’s sustaining grace and power.
Each entry draws the heart toward Christ’s self-giving love. Caregiving becomes participation in something eternal. More than service. More than sacrifice. Communion.
This book met me in a place of deep gratitude. It affirms that caregiving plants roots in eternity. Those who have loved someone through vulnerability, illness, or dependency will recognize themselves within these pages.
Hope for Caregivers does not magnify exhaustion. It magnifies love.
I received a digital ARC of this book from the publisher via NetGalley. I am not required to write a positive review nor paid to do so. This is my honest and unbiased review. My thoughts and opinions expressed in this book review are my own. My review focuses on the writing and the story’s content, ensuring transparency and reliability. show less
"Where is the gospel?" or so I found myself asking all throughout. In what is ostensibly an apologetic, Nouwen seems to shy away from any mention of what makes the Christian life at all distinctive and worthwhile: the redemptive power of Christ on the cross. One is taken and adopted as a child of God, through Christ's work. One is blessed and broken, as Christ was blessed and broken. One is given for others, because Christ first gave himself. Here the Eucharist is used as a framing device show more yet entirely emptied of its meaning and power. For one is beloved in the Beloved. It's no surprise, then, to find that his friends found the book uncompelling; how could it, without the gospel? What might have been a tender testament to the salvation that comes only from above becomes only impotent word-wrangling and hollow mysticism. show less
I've read prayers and articles by Henri Nouwen, but this is the first full length book I've read by him. I went into this expecting wisdom and practical guidance for living and I was not disappointed..The book was full of advice about how to have a joyful life and thrive in the midst of pain. I read this book over a month ago and I'm still reflecting on the following observation, "Joy is not some kind of happy medium between rootlessness and routine. It is not that. Joy is not a momentary show more vacation from the heaviness of life. Joy is not something to escape the problems of the world. The joy that Jesus offers is of a spiritual order. It is not just an emotional thing. It is not just a physical thing. It is a spiritual gift. The gift of joy."
Nouwen's advice for fellow Christians is consistently backed up with solid Biblical references. He provides enough context for each quotation while maintaining a relatively broad interpretation of scripture. My favorite parts of the book were the prayers at the end of each chapter. Nouwen is eloquent, but never abstruse. His writing strikes the difficult balance between having broad appeal without being vague or superficial. I would encourage everyone I know to read this one.
Thank you to NetGalley for my advance copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. show less
Nouwen's advice for fellow Christians is consistently backed up with solid Biblical references. He provides enough context for each quotation while maintaining a relatively broad interpretation of scripture. My favorite parts of the book were the prayers at the end of each chapter. Nouwen is eloquent, but never abstruse. His writing strikes the difficult balance between having broad appeal without being vague or superficial. I would encourage everyone I know to read this one.
Thank you to NetGalley for my advance copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. show less
Before writing about the book, a couple of disclaimers as my reasons for reading it have less to do with matters of Christian faith and more to do with curiousity albeit both secular and spiritual. I grew up about a mile as a crow flies from this monastery and many times, especially during the 1970's, attended the midnight mass at Christmas in the company of a Catholic friend. (I also grew up eating Monk's bread--the raisin-cinnamon was the best) so I could well have been at the midnight show more mass Nouwen writes of on his last night at the monastery in 1974. I put the book on my wishlist long ago, the "Genesee" having caught my eye. A friend here gave it to me. The river was less than a quarter mile from our farmhouse. The idea of my own large, messy, noisy and complicated family being so close by to a place of such quietude and contemplation bemused me.
So the book. Henri Nouwen, Dutch, and a devout Catholic, Jesuit-trained but also a restless man (and troubled) with an interest in the places where spirituality and psychology meet, asks to stay at the monastery and is granted the unique gift of a seven-month long residency. Henri, a teacher, writer, speaker, arrives in a burnt-out state, feeling that he is losing sight of his relationship to the core matter of his life, his relationship to God. Every week he spends an hour with the Abbot, John Eudes, a remarkable person in which they discuss his "progress".
Two compulsions form his efforts of the first few months, dealing with restlessness and anger, finding the source of each and ways to move beyond both. In the former it is, he realizes, his competitiveness, a constant measuring of himself versus others that causes him, when he is with people, to exhaust himself. Conversely being alone makes him feel crazily bored and even more so if it involves spending half a day hauling rocks out of a creek for the walls of the new chapel or washing raisins or bread pans. When he is alone he craves people, when with people, he craves being alone. He is not comfortable in himself in the moment. Eudes says "Without solitude there can be no real people. The more you discover what a person is, and experience what a human relationship requires in order to remain profound, fruitful, and a source of growth and development, the more you discover that you are alone--..." Nouwen also experiences flashes of anger (and longer bouts of resentment) when, say, he realizes that one monk is simply "nice" to everyone, not just him. Nouwen grapples with his need to be special, to stand out, to garner praise and not to resent it when others receive more praise than he. These first concerns gradually ease during the months of his stay and he has genuine insights into the underlying causes too which helps a shift and ebbing of turmoil as, gradually, the emotions subside. After six months he finds he can spend the day messing with the rocks or mucking about in the bakery if not quite happily, then contentedly and it feels wonderful. He knows he does not have a vocation to be a monk, so now Henri's hopes begin to turn toward taking what he has learned here with him when he returns to his regular life in the secular world. While in his epilogue he says he didn't do so well with it, I doubt that. I can say unequivocally that there is much here for the secular seeker and that my curiousity was satisfied. I'm happy to think of these good people being nearby, especially during my tumultuous adolescence. I have spent several hours all told in the "new" chapel, built in that year, and it is a lovely tranquil place. I love knowing that Henri Nouwen had a hand in it. ****1/2 show less
So the book. Henri Nouwen, Dutch, and a devout Catholic, Jesuit-trained but also a restless man (and troubled) with an interest in the places where spirituality and psychology meet, asks to stay at the monastery and is granted the unique gift of a seven-month long residency. Henri, a teacher, writer, speaker, arrives in a burnt-out state, feeling that he is losing sight of his relationship to the core matter of his life, his relationship to God. Every week he spends an hour with the Abbot, John Eudes, a remarkable person in which they discuss his "progress".
Two compulsions form his efforts of the first few months, dealing with restlessness and anger, finding the source of each and ways to move beyond both. In the former it is, he realizes, his competitiveness, a constant measuring of himself versus others that causes him, when he is with people, to exhaust himself. Conversely being alone makes him feel crazily bored and even more so if it involves spending half a day hauling rocks out of a creek for the walls of the new chapel or washing raisins or bread pans. When he is alone he craves people, when with people, he craves being alone. He is not comfortable in himself in the moment. Eudes says "Without solitude there can be no real people. The more you discover what a person is, and experience what a human relationship requires in order to remain profound, fruitful, and a source of growth and development, the more you discover that you are alone--..." Nouwen also experiences flashes of anger (and longer bouts of resentment) when, say, he realizes that one monk is simply "nice" to everyone, not just him. Nouwen grapples with his need to be special, to stand out, to garner praise and not to resent it when others receive more praise than he. These first concerns gradually ease during the months of his stay and he has genuine insights into the underlying causes too which helps a shift and ebbing of turmoil as, gradually, the emotions subside. After six months he finds he can spend the day messing with the rocks or mucking about in the bakery if not quite happily, then contentedly and it feels wonderful. He knows he does not have a vocation to be a monk, so now Henri's hopes begin to turn toward taking what he has learned here with him when he returns to his regular life in the secular world. While in his epilogue he says he didn't do so well with it, I doubt that. I can say unequivocally that there is much here for the secular seeker and that my curiousity was satisfied. I'm happy to think of these good people being nearby, especially during my tumultuous adolescence. I have spent several hours all told in the "new" chapel, built in that year, and it is a lovely tranquil place. I love knowing that Henri Nouwen had a hand in it. ****1/2 show less
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Statistics
- Works
- 315
- Also by
- 6
- Members
- 44,026
- Popularity
- #378
- Rating
- 4.0
- Reviews
- 313
- ISBNs
- 847
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- 20
- Favorited
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