Category: Lent 2019 – Walk With Jesus

“There is immense pain in the wide world around us; there is immense pain in the small world within us. But all pain belongs to Jesus and is transformed by him into glorified wounds that allow
us to recognize him as our risen Lord.”
Henri Nouwen
Walk With Jesus, Preface

Reading: Publisher’s Note 25th Anniversary Edition and Preface

A warm welcome to each of you as we begin our Lenten journey together. I’m looking forward with joy and anticipation to greeting old friends returning for another fruitful discussion and to meeting new friends joining us for the first time. As in years past, a spirit-filled community of people will gather to read and reflect on the words of Henri Nouwen and to share their wisdom, insights, and stories with each other.  Thank you for joining us as we “come apart and rest a while” (Mark 6:31) during this Lenten season.  This is a wonderful opportunity to learn, connect, and grow as we prepare for Easter.

This Lent we’re reading and discussing Henri’s Walk With Jesus – Stations of the Cross. Henri’s meditations were written to accompany Sister Helen David’s the powerful illustrations of our suffering brothers and sisters.  As Henri’s friend and publisher Robert Ellsberg notes, “Henri Nouwen promoted a central, consistent theme: that the Christian life is a matter of following in the footsteps of Jesus.” I can think of no better way of doing so than by joining Jesus on the Via Dolorosa (Way of Sorrows).

These illustrations were inspired by painful situations affecting specific people in particular locations in the late-20th century.  However, the poverty, suffering, violence, and abandonment that are portrayed are ever with us and we are called to respond with love and compassion as Jesus did.  Henri was believed that what was most personal was the most universal.  These meditations and illustrations are timeless and, as Henri wrote, “able to touch the hearts of people living in very different places, in very different times, and in very different circumstances.” (Nomura and Nouwen, Desert Wisdom, Introduction. Orbis Books, 2001).

But before we get started, let’s briefly describe how the discussion works. If you’ve joined us before, this will serve as review:

Each Sunday during Lent you will discover a new “post,” indicated by the bold title, on the blog’s Home page.  Click on the title to enter the post.  There you will find the week’s readings and some questions for discussion.  To leave a comment scroll down to the bottom of the page where you will find the “leave a reply” box.  It works best if you always add any new comment to the newest post, even if you are referring to an earlier post. That way, everyone will see your comment. After you submit a comment, either Ray as moderator or Will at the Nouwen Society need to “approve” it, so it may take a few hours before it actually appears on the blog page.  The instructions on how to submit and reply to comments are also included at the bottom of the reading schedule. If you have any questions about the blog,  please feel free to ask.  To ask a question you can submit a comment or send Ray an email at the address in his bio below.

As we begin our journey together, it’s always nice to learn a little bit about each of you. Over the next few days you are invited to introduce yourself. You may choose to share:

a) Your general geographic location
b) To whom or what you dedicate your days or energy, and why
c) How you came to “know/read” Henri Nouwen and whether or not you participated in a previous discussion.
d) Insights, thoughts or questions that arose as you read the Publisher’s Note and Preface.
e) What you hope to experience during this discussion

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

We begin our Walk With Jesus in earnest this Sunday, March 10th.

In gratitude,

Ray

RAY GLENNON: Ray volunteers in his parish Confirmation program and other ministries. He and his wife are members of the Secular Franciscan Order (OFS) and a Catholic charismatic community.  Ray came to know and trust Henri’s written word in a special way in 2004 when he found The Return of the Prodigal Son for sale after Mass at the cathedral in Singapore at an important point in his life.  He is currently leading a six-week adult education course on “Henri Nouwen and A Spirituality of Living.”

You may contact Ray at [email protected] and follow him on Twitter at twitter.com/@RayGlennon.

Please plan to join us this Lent season as we read and discuss Henri Nouwen’s Walk With Jesus: Stations of the Cross.

At first glance, one might think this book may appeal principally to Catholics. Yet, the Stations of the Cross hold deep significance to Christians of all denominations who practice  a spiritual pilgrimage through contemplation of the Passion of Christ.

Facilitator Ray Glennon feels that this book selection is apt and timely as Henri’s reflections at each station address universal human concerns.  Although Henri is describing specific situations in particular countries at the time he was writing, the issues of poverty, immigration, marginalization, human suffering, and compassion are ever with us and in the news today.   Henri’s reflections will help all Christians and other spiritual seekers to walk with Jesus on their Lenten journey.

Here’s a description of this powerful book taken from the publisher’s website: Inspired by the drawings of Sister Helen David, Henri Nouwen sees in these images the ongoing passion of Christ in our world today. Stark and moving, her drawings—of an abandoned child, of a political prisoner behind bars, a peasant burdened by a load of firewood, a mother grieving for he murdered son—still do not lead us to despair. Rather, as Nouwen notes, they “help us unite our own broken humanity with the humanity of the men, women, and children portrayed . . . . This union become possibly through the suffering and risen body of Jesus. In and through Jesus, our world can become one because in this divine love he embraces all of us, and desires that we all be one, as he and his father are one.”

Join us on Wednesday, March 6th for greetings and introductions. Then beginning on Sunday, March 10th, we’ll journey together through Lent reading and sharing insights learned from this profound devotional.

The Lent online book discussion is a wonderful way to spiritually enrich your Lenten observances.

We do hope you will join us. The reading schedule is posted and can be accessed by clicking on the Reading Schedule tab in the menu bar above.

Need a copy of the book? You can order it online through the Bookstore tab in the menu bar above.