Beyond Blue: Henri Nouwen On the Spiritual Life

[antoniogotovac]

What an inspiration Nouwen's "Inner Voice Of Love" has been to me in the hardest moments of my life. Thank God for blessing Henri with honesty, courage and the gift of putting in words the tragedy of depression.

[hopkins4545]

Poor Fr. Nouwen--tortured to death by our Church for being gay

[Kidplunk]

Loved his book The Wounded Healer, however Henry seemed more confused than any other priest I ever read.

[Ponderosa65]

The life of faith is a winding, oft confusing one. Henri clung to God despite his confusion. Henri would be the first to tell you-- when you choose to follow God, do not expect a life of certitude and easy peace. There will be great highs and great painful challenges.

It should be noted that Henri wrote Wounded Healer earlier in his ministry (the 60s?)

[Chiangmai007]

That was really thoughtful and heartfelt.  So many idols along this narrow road Home offering themselves as better destinations than eternal life. Sometimes the reality of the path is not even remembered until Pain faithfully reminds us.

[weebals]

This metaphor sort of reminds me of chakras.

The difference is opening vs. closing.

As we open each of our seven chakras we become more balanced and closer to the likeness of God(The last Chakra to fully open is our third eye and it opens fully when were near death).So it's like to be totally spiritually minded and perfect we must leave behind are sinful bodies because only in the spirit can we be Glorified.

[TheOrlandoCatholic]

@weebals I understand your point, but it really depends on how one understands God. If one's God is Incarnate, Who took on flesh & blood, then one sees things differently. If God took a body, then the body cannot be sinful or bad. Catholics believe the body is as good as the spirit, not more nor less. And our bodies are us, as much as our spirits are...inseparable part of our human nature. And it is GOOD, because the One who made us is GOOD & perfect , and cannot do otherwise.

[TheOrlandoCatholic]

@weebals In recent times, this knowledge of ourselves [body & spirit] in the 'image & likeness of God', which is 2000 yrs old, has taken even more meaning since JP II wrote his Theology of the Body, to affirm that our bodies contain & express knowledge about God, for it is designed in His 'image'. Therefore, our bodies are sacred, as our spirits are too. Our bodies are to be protected because we instinctively protect that which is sacred, and which belongs to God ultimately.