Reading & Discussing Henri Nouwen

Reading: Prologue, The Accident, The Hospital, p. 15 to 42

My accident brought me to the portal of death and led me to a new experience
of God. Not writing about it would have been unfaithful to my vocation
to proclaim the presence of God at all times and in all places.
Prologue, p. 15

Thank you for all the wonderful introductions as we gathered. We welcome friends old and new from across North America and United Kingdom to our virtual community for this special book discussion as we prepare for the 25th anniversary of Henri’s death. We are enriched by your participation and the presence of those who are following along silently.

No one can accuse Henri Nouwen of burying the lede. In the excerpt from the first paragraph of the prologue shown above, Henri clearly states why he wrote this little book. Henri felt compelled to share this new experience of God—an experience that influenced him and his writing for the remainder of his life. In our reading this week, Henri tells us the backstory that led to the accident, he reflects on why he writes, and he describes the events of Thursday, January 26, 1989 from when he left his house at 6:00 a.m. until early-evening in the hospital intensive care unit in critical condition with five broken ribs and a bleeding spleen. More important, Henri shares how his state of mind changes from stubborn determination, anxiety, and anger before the accident; to powerlessness in its immediate aftermath; to one of “peace, joy, and an all-pervading sense of security” (p. 42) despite the danger of losing his life.

You are encouraged to share and discuss whatever came up for you in the readings. You are also welcome to share your reflections and insights prompted by the comments of others. Here are a few questions that may help to start the discussion, but please don’t feel bound by them.

1. “(I)t has been the interruptions to my everyday life that have most revealed to me the divine mystery of which I am a part.” (p. 15) Henri goes on to say that these interruptions “invited me to look in a new way at my identify before God.” (p. 16)
   Have there been interruptions in your life that have “presented themselves as opportunities” (p. 16) for your personal and spiritual growth? What was your response and the outcome?
2. “It had been a very busy week, filled with many little things, none of them terribly important, but still taking up every hour of my time and leaving me quite tired, even somewhat irritated. There never seemed to be the space to come into direct contact with my own inner source.” (p. 24)
   How does Henri’s experience compare with your own? What do you do when facing similar circumstances? What steps do you take to come in contact with your “inner source.”
3. “I felt as if some strong hand had stopped me and forced me into some kind of necessary surrender (p. 31). . . I realized that the mirror of the passing van had forced me to look at myself in a radically new way.” (p. 38)
   Have you had a similar experience in your life? If so, please share to the extent you are comfortable.
4. “I had become truly ‘passive.’ . . . . I expected this new situation to be extremely frustrating. But the opposite occurred. . . . I had a completely unexpected sense of security.” (p. 39) Why do you think Henri responded in this way? How would you respond?

We have a rich week of discussion ahead. The thoughts and insights you share are the heartbeat of every Henri Nouwen book discussion. We look forward to hearing from you.

Peace and all good,
Ray

Reading: Foreword by Robert Durback, p. 9 to 14

There is something enchanting about mirrors. (p. 9) For Nouwen
death itself became a mirror that brought him face to face
with the question, “Who am I?” (p. 12)
Robert Durback, from the Foreword

Welcome to this special September edition of the Henri Nouwen Society book discussion. We are gathering together to mark the 25th anniversary Henri Nouwen’s unexpected death on September 21, 1996 at age 64. He had just completed a sabbatical year and while he was en route to St. Petersburg, Russia to film a documentary about Rembrandt’s painting of the Prodigal Son, Henri suffered a heart attack in The Netherlands. At the hospital, Henri said to his friend Nathan Ball, “If I die, just tell everybody that I am grateful, that I’m enormously grateful.”

To help us better understand the source of Henri’s gratitude, we will read and discuss Henri Nouwen’s Beyond the Mirror: Reflections on Death and Life. In this short and poignant book, Henri shares his spiritual journey of near death and recovery after being hit by a car while walking on a busy road near L’Arche Daybreak on an icy morning in January 1989. This accident occurred only six months after Henri had returned to Daybreak following his lengthy recovery from a severe depression.

The confluence of these transformative events led Henri to crystalize his insights about life’s fundamental question, “Who am I?”. Henri’s answer—“I am God’s beloved child”—became his core spiritual insight and timeless gift to the world. We see it bearing great fruit in Henri’s books published in the years after Beyond the Mirror (1990), including the spiritual classics The Return of the Prodigal Son: A Story of Homecoming (1992) and Life of the Beloved: Spiritual Living in a Secular World (1992). As Robert Durback writes, “Nouwen shows us how an awareness of our mortality can in fact enrich our lives.” And, in the case of Henri Nouwen, this also includes enriching the lives of millions of spiritual seekers who have been inspired and influenced by his life and work. Thank you for joining us for what I’m confident will be an enlightening and spirit-filled discussion.

Let’s briefly describe how our online book discussion works. If you’ve joined us before, this will serve as a review.

Beginning this Sunday, September 5th and for the next two Sundays, September 12th and 19th, a new entry or post will be added to the book discussion (the blog) home page. The post will identify the reading for the week, present a brief moderator’s reflection, and suggest some questions for discussion. Participants are invited and encouraged to comment on the post by responding to the suggested questions, by sharing their own reflections, and by replying to the comments of others throughout the week.

To read the comments or to leave a comment of your own, scroll down to the bottom of the post.  If you don’t see any comments, click on the small link at the bottom that says
## Comments.  To leave a new comment, continue scrolling down and use the “Leave a Reply” box.  To reply to someone else’s comment, click the Reply link directly below their comment. After you submit a new comment or a reply, it needs to be “approved” either by me or Will at the Nouwen Society so it may take a few hours before it actually appears on the blog page. If you have any questions or problems, please do not hesitate to contact me by email at [email protected].

As we begin our journey together, it’s always nice to know something about our companions. Over the next few days you are encouraged to introduce yourself. You may choose to share:

• Your general geographic location
• To whom or what you dedicate your days or energy, and why
• How you came to “know/read” Henri Nouwen and whether or not you participated in a previous discussion
• What you hope to experience during this discussion.
• Any thoughts and insights you gained from reading the Foreword by Robert Durback.

Finally, on September 21st the Henri Nouwen Society will be hosting a very special online tribute to the life and legacy of this remarkable man called Remembering Henri: The Gifts of a Fruitful Life. This free global webinar will be a fitting complement to our September book discussion.

Welcome to each of you and I look forward to your introductions!

In gratitude,
Ray

RAY GLENNON: Ray came to know and trust Henri’s written word in a special way in 2004 when he discovered The Return of the Prodigal Son for sale after Mass in Singapore at a transformative point in his life. He began participating in Henri Nouwen Society book discussions in 2010 and has served as a moderator since 2014. He developed and led a six-week adult education course on “Henri Nouwen and A Spirituality of Living.” Ray volunteers in his parish Confirmation program and other ministries. He and his wife are professed members of Secular Franciscan Order (OFS). You may contact Ray by email at [email protected] and you can follow him on Twitter twitter.com/@RayGlennon.

Regrettably, it was necessary to select a title other than the one announced previously. We apologize for the inconvenience.

It’s not our habit to host a book discussion during the month of September.  However, as we are commemorating and celebrating the life of Henri Nouwen throughout the year, we thought it would be particularly appropriate to offer an additional online book discussion to mark the 25^th anniversary year of his death.

Our book selection is equally appropriate.  The featured Henri Nouwen book for the month will be Beyond the Mirror: Reflections on Death and Life.

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In hospital and facing surgery, Nouwen comes face-to-face with the shortcomings, the fears, the rejections, and the grudges that have haunted him throughout his life. Yet, while on the brink of stepping into the next life, he experienced only “peace, joy, and an all-pervading sense of security.” As he recovered and began to rediscover his old self, Henri started to question whether our eagerness to hold on to life doesn’t conflict with the most essential aspect of our spiritual being: “to be gone and to be with Christ.” (Phil 1: 23)

This is a wonderful read for everyone who struggles with understanding death, life… and faith.

“This is not a book of easy answers as to why accidents happen. Instead, Nouwen’s story reveals God as one who will use these interruptions in life to show us that, being anchored in His love, we are free to escape the compulsions of this world.” —New Oxford Review

Please plan to join us on Wednesday, September 1^st for greetings and introductions. Then beginning on Sunday, September 5^th, we’ll dive into Nouwen’s thoughtful and unique reflections on death and life before concluding on September 26^th.

Facilitated by Ray Glennon, our Henri Nouwen Book Discussion can be a special and significant way to enrich your life – and your late summer reading! We do hope you will join us.

No registration is necessary. Simply join us on this page in September.

A reading schedule will be posted prior to the start of the book discussion.

Need a copy of the book? It is available at many bookstores, or you can order it online through the Bookstore tab in the menu bar above.

Please note: September 21, 2021, is the 25th anniversary of Henri Nouwen’s death. It is also the day that the Henri Nouwen Society will be hosting a very special online tribute to the life and legacy of this remarkable man called Remembering Henri: The Gifts of a Fruitful Life. (You can learn more about it on our website henrinouwen.org) This free global webinar will be a fitting complement to our very special September book discussion.