Reading: None
Speak from that place in you heart where you are most yourself. Speak
directly, simply, lovingly, gently, and without apologies. . . .
Trust your heart. – Fred Bratman to Henri Nouwen
A warm welcome to each of you as we gather to share our Advent journey in this year unlike any other. We look forward to greeting 0ld friends and welcoming new ones in our virtual community where we will discover and reflect on Henri Nouwen’s core spiritual insight that, like Jesus, we are God’s beloved children. As we will learn, accepting ourselves as God’s beloved is not easy, but it is life-changing.
In his most popular book The Return of the Prodigal Son, Henri introduces his core insight: “During my time here at Daybreak, I have been led to an inner place. . . where God has chosen to dwell. It is the place where I am held safe in the embrace of an all-loving Father who calls me by name and says, ‘You are my beloved son, on you my favor rests.'” Those of you that participated in our Lent and summer book discussions earlier this year have some appreciation for the deep spiritual and emotional struggles that led Henri to this insight over a period of years.
In Life of the Beloved – Spiritual Living in a Secular World Henri explores and expands on our belovedness in response an appeal from his friend Fred Bratman (see quote above) to present spirituality in a way that speaks to men and women in a secularized society. Henri wrote from the heart and his life’s experiences in the form of a lengthy personal letter to Fred. This Advent we have the chance to “listen in” to the words of a spiritual master talking to a friend.
Let’s briefly describe how our online book discussion works. If you’ve joined us before, this will serve as a review.
Beginning on November 29th, the First Sunday of Advent, and each Sunday through December 20th, 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.
You should always post your comment in the current week. If you are unsure, navigate to the current week by clicking on the Home link in the black bar under the photograph at the top of the blog. Then click on the bold title to open the post and any comments. Finally, the instructions on how to submit and reply to comments are also included with the Reading Schedule found by at following the the link black bar.
As we begin our journey together, we’d like 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
Welcome to each of you and I look forward to your introductions!
We begin our discussion of Life of the Beloved – Spiritual Living in a Secular World in earnest this Sunday, November 29th. Join us to begin a spirit-filled and enriching Advent journey.
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. 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 candidates in the Secular Franciscan Order (OFS). You may contact Ray by email at [email protected] and you can follow him on Twitter at twitter.com/@RayGlennon.
