Category: Advent 2018 – Here and Now

Reading: Here and Now, Afterword (p. 201 to 202)

My words were only to encourage you to find your own words,
and my thoughts were only to help you
discover your own thoughts. 
Here and Now, Afterword (p. 201)

Friends,

As we come to the end of our Advent journey, my heartfelt thanks to each of you for joining us along the way. Your active engagement, your deep and honest comments, and your commitment to establishing a caring virtual community are a powerful example of what it means to live in the Spirit, Here and Now. You have taken Henri’s words to heart and used his meditations as a springboard to the thoughts, insights, and encouragement you have so freely and beautifully shared.

In these last days before the coming of Jesus, you are encouraged to look back and to identify a few meditations or a chapter that especially touched your heart during our time together. You might consider: Why were Henri’s words meaningful to you now? Are there things in your life that you see differently as a result? Is there a discipline you plan to adopt, a practice you commit to strengthen, or an action you intend to take Here and Now as a result of this Advent journey? Please share your reflections to the extent you are comfortable.

At the time Henri wrote these reflections he had been living at L’Arche Daybreak for about eight years. He had finally found the home for which he had been searching his entire adult life.  I thought you might enjoy seeing a photo of Henri at Christmas time at Daybreak. Henri’s friend and teacher Adam (p.112), is to his immediate left.

May you and yours have a blessed and joyous Christmas. And, in the words of St. Francis, may the Lord give you peace.

Ray

P.S. I hope that many of you will rejoin us for our Lenten book discussion.  We will begin on Ash Wednesday, March 6, 2019.  Watch the Daily Meditations email or visit the Henri Nouwen Society website for the book selection and further information in the coming weeks.

Reading: Here and Now, Chapter IX to Chapter XI (p. 155 to 200)

Our true identity is that we are God’s children, the beloved
sons and daughters of our heavenly Father… We are
God’s beloved… because God freely chose us.
Here and Now, Who We Are, Two (p. 189) & Three (p. 192)

Thanks, once again, to each of you for joining us and participating in this meaningful and Spirit-filled Advent journey.  All of us, whether commenting online or not, have all been greatly blessed by the thoughtful and inspiring responses to Henri’s meditations on living in the Spirit.   According to Henri, “If we truly  believe that God loves us with an unlimited, unconditional love, then we can trust that there are men and women in this world who are eager to show us that love.  But we cannot wait passively until someone shows up to offer us that friendship.”  (p. 184)  We who belong to this loving and supportive Advent virtual community have chosen to believe in God’s love, to  trust in each other, and to gather together and share with each other here and now.  We are grateful for your presence, your participation, and your friendship.

In the Introduction post as we began our discussion, Nouwen archivist and editor Gabrielle Earnshaw’s  observed, “Here and Now is Henri Nouwen’s statement of faith. It covers almost everything he ever thought and experienced about the Christian spiritual life.”  During the past few weeks Henri has shown us key aspects of living a spiritual life, often focusing on actions we can take and disciplines we can adopt. This week Henri asks us to reflect on the importance of healthy relationships–with family and those we choose as friends. He writes, “All human relationships… are meant to be signs of God’s love for humanity, as a whole and each person in particular.”  That leads to the concluding chapter where Henri poses the question, “Who are we?”  His compelling answer, shown in the quotation at the top of this post, is central to his understanding of the spiritual life. Discovering the truth of who we are, believing that truth, and living in that truth and sharing it with others is what it means to live a spiritual life.

There’s much to reflect on in the readings this week.   You are especially encouraged to prayerfully consider your answer to the question “Who are we?” in light of Henri’s meditations. The reflection process from prior weeks is shown below.  We look forward to you sharing whatever touched your heart to the extent you are comfortable. Finally, all comments are welcome be they long or short, simple or complex, or from a regular commenter or someone commenting for the first time.

Let’s have a blessed discussion this week and don’t forget to return next Sunday for the Afterword and a chance to wrap up our Advent journey together.

Peace and all good.

Ray

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Here is a process that you might find helpful as you explore the readings.

1. Concentrate on one chapter per day.
2. Read all of the meditations in the selected chapter in the order presented to gain insight into Henri’s approach to this element of the spiritual life.
3. Select a few (perhaps 2 or 3) of the meditations that stand out to you, and read them thoroughly, perhaps several times and reflect on what they are saying. Consider:
   1. The thought or concept that stands out to you
   2. How does it relate to your personal experience? Look at your experience with the benefit of Henri’s insight.  Does that help you to see things differently or to know yourself better?
   3. What is God speaking to your heart?  Henri turned to scripture daily and that is reflected in many of these meditations.  You might find it fruitful  to seek out  the Scriptural truths that Henri mentions or that God is speaking to your heart.
   4. How you will respond? Carefully (prayerfully) consider how your heart responds to the insights gained during your reflection. Are there small steps you can take to incorporate these insights and to apply this element to strengthen your spiritual life?
   5. Pray!
   6. You might also consider the questions in the Guide for Reflection (p. 203)
4. Move on to another chapter.

Reading: Here and Now, Chapter V to Chapter VIII (pages 85-153)

The purpose of spiritual reading, however, is not to master knowledge
or information, but to let God’s Spirit master us… 
it helps us to give meaning to our lives.
Here and Now, Disciplined Living, Five (p. 95) & Six (p. 96)

Wow!  It’s a great blessing to be a part of this wonderful, Spirit-filled,  and joyful virtual community sharing our Advent journey together. Last week was a truly amazing week of thoughtful, honest and thought-provoking sharing. A sincere thanks to each of you who shared.  And thanks to the many folks who are following along, but may be be less active in sharing comments.  Your presence strengthens our community. 

In our readings this week, Henri encourages us to continue our conversion and to claim and share God’s love by being disciplined, prayerful, and compassionate. We are presented with 31 meditations that encourage us to go deeper in our spiritual life and our relationships with the Lord and our community, especially those who suffer.

Henri highlights the discipline of spiritual reading and reading spiritually (quote above)– a discipline that is clearly evident among this community here and now.  In reflecting on Henri’s meditations last week, many of you recalled and shared insights from a variety of sources that broadened our perspective and enriched our understanding.  Thank you.  Henri then challenges us to look at how we are living our life today.  He reminds us that prayer is the way to know the Lord and that it is through compassion that we build up community.  There’s lots to ponder here and what we discover may be life-changing.

As always, you are invited to share the insights you have gained to the degree you are comfortable.  Several of you found the reflection process suggested last week to be helpful;  it is included again below. Finally, it seems to be a good time to say that your comment doesn’t have to be perfect, profound or polished.  You are not being evaluated based on your comment.  We will all gain by hearing from you as we continue what has quickly become a fruitful discussion among friends brought together by our shared interest in Henri Nouwen.

Once again, thanks for joining us this Advent as we prepare ourselves to receive the only gift of Christmas that matters–the Lord Himself.  We very much look forward to hearing from you in the week ahead!

May the Lord give you peace.
Ray

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Here is a process that you might find helpful as you explore the readings.

1. Concentrate on one chapter per day.
2. Read all of the meditations in the selected chapter in the order presented to gain insight into Henri’s approach to this element of the spiritual life.
3. Select a few (perhaps 2 or 3) of the meditations that stand out to you, and read them thoroughly, perhaps several times and reflect on what they are saying. Consider:
   1. The thought or concept that stands out to you
   2. How does it relate to your personal experience? Look at your experience with the benefit of Henri’s insight.  Does that help you to see things differently or to know yourself better?
   3. What is God speaking to your heart?  Henri turned to scripture daily and that is reflected in many of these meditations.  You might find it fruitful  to seek out  the Scriptural truths that Henri mentions or that God is speaking to your heart.
   4. How you will respond? Carefully (prayerfully) consider how your heart responds to the insights gained during your reflection. Are there small steps you can take to incorporate these insights and to apply this element to strengthen your spiritual life?
   5. Pray!
   6. You might also consider the questions in the Guide for Reflection (p. 203)
4. Move on to another chapter.