Category: Lent 2022 – Letters to Marc About Jesus

Reading: Letter III—Jesus: The Compassionate God (p. 23 to p. 36)

I know now in a completely new way that if I am to succeed
in fully living my life, in all its painful yet glorious
moments, I must remain united to Jesus. (p. 25)

We are grateful for the many personal and thoughtful comments that have made the first week of our Lenten journey together both fruitful and rewarding. Our reading this week—Letter III Jesus: The Compassionate God—was written four days after Letter II. I find it interesting that we are reading these letters over a time interval similar to when they were originally written, as if Henri was writing and sending these letters directly to us in the present day.

Henri opens this letter by telling Marc about his trip to Colmar the previous day to look at the Isenheimer Altar. He notes that he had while he already intended to “write about the suffering and resurrection of Christ. . . . I have a feeling that I had to see (emphasis added) it in order to find the words for the letter.” Deep contemplation of art was a spiritual discipline for Henri as is evident in his spiritual classic The Return of the Prodigal Son and his lesser known Behold the Beauty of the Lord—Praying with Icons, published the same year as Letters to Marc. For Henri, to really see an a piece of art is to allow it to “speak to the heart that searches for God.” (Behold, p. 24) Henri writes, “I remained at the Isenheimer Altar for more than three hours.” (p. 25). The insight that appears at the top of this post was among the fruits Henri harvested after seeing the altar.

In his reflections on the altar, Henri emphasizes, “The record of the suffering and resurrection of Jesus forms the kernel of the “good news” about Jesus. . . The gospel is, first and foremost, the story of the death and resurrection of Jesus, and that story constitutes the core of the spiritual life” and that this is “the most far-reaching event ever to occur in the course of history.” Henri challenges Marc (and us) to allow the truth about Jesus to renew our hearts. Deo volente (or God willing), our discussion this week will help us to do just that.

This is a rich letter. Is the truth about Jesus a reality for you and how does that truth renew your heart? You are encouraged to reflect and share whatever touched your heart. Here are a few thoughts that may help get you started, but please don’t feel limited by them.

1. To look suffering and death straight in the face and to go through them oneself in the hope of a new God-given life: that is the sign of Jesus and of every human being who wishes to lead a spiritual life in imitation of him. (p. 30)
   We see this in a brutally graphic and violent way in Ukraine today. Yet this is a universal challenge. Reflect on the crosses and hopes in your life and share to the extent you are willing.
2. God sent Jesus to make free persons of us. He has chosen compassion as the way to freedom. (p.31)
   What is your understanding of the relationship between are freedom and compassion?
3. Living for other people in solidarity with a compassionate Jesus: that’s what it means to live a spiritual life. In that way you too achieve freedom. (p. 34)
   How has compassion for others in solidarity with Jesus led to you to freedom on your spiritual journey? What challenges do you face and what blessings were received? If possible, please share your story.
4. In the end, my desire is just to get you to read the Bible and develop your spiritual life for yourself. My letters are only meant to spur you on a bit. (p. 36)
   Henri shares his objective with Marc. So, how is he doing thus far? Is Henri spurring you on? What questions or inspirations have arisen for you? What actions might you take as a result?

We look forward to another great week of discussion. Thanks to each of you for joining us whether you are posting comments or following along silently.

May the Lord give you peace.
Ray
Email: [email protected]

Reading:
Letter I—Jesus: The Heart of Our Existence (p.3 to p. 8)
Letter II—Jesus: The God Who Sets Us Free (p. 11 to p. 20)

If you were to ask me point blank, “What does it mean to you
to live spiritually?” I would have to reply,
“Living with Jesus at the center.” (p.7)

Welcome to each of you. What a tremendous start to what promises to be a blessed and meaningful Lenten journey. Thanks to those of you who introduced yourselves—and for those of you that chose not to, you are most welcome here as well. We have a wonderful community from Canada, the United States, Mexico, and the United Kingdom (so far) joining us in this virtual space for our Lenten book discussion of Letters to Marc About Jesus: Living a Spiritual Life in a Material World by Henri Nouwen.

For Henri, writing was an essential element of coming to know himself, and understanding his relationship to God and the world. Henri’s great gift as a priest, pastor, and writer was his ability to share the spiritual insights he gained on his life journey in a meaningful and timeless way. And such is the case with this book. As we read in the Preface, these letters to Henri’s nephew Marc were written with the intent of publishing them. But they became more than that as Henri writes in the Preface, “In the course of writing I became aware that I was engaged. . . in rediscovering Jesus and the meaning of my existence for myself.” And what did Henri discover? The quote at the top of this post is one of my favorite Henri quotes—and it says it all. But how do we live with Jesus at the center? These letters point the way.

The first letter was written on Shrove Tuesday in 1986. And Henri immediately begins with a problem that I know that many of us face today—being preoccupied with urgent matters and never getting around to what is essential and “never starting to live, really to live.” Henri restates for Marc, and for each of us, life’s essential questions (p.4) and closes with the foundational question for a Christian, “Who is Jesus for you and me?”—very similar to the question that Jesus asked his Apostles at Caesarea Philippi (Mt 16:13).

Henri, a Catholic priest, is writing to his Catholic nephew in the rapidly secularizing Netherlands. Henri emphasizes his Catholic understanding of the Eucharist throughout the book—making this one of Henri’s most “Catholic” books. Those of you with a different understanding of the Eucharist might consider Henri’s eucharistic reflections as pointing to the presence of Jesus in our world today—the same presence that was experienced by the disciples at Emmaus, “(T)he Jesus in whom they placed all their hopes, the Jesus who was indeed dead and buried, this Jesus is alive.” (p. 14)

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. The thoughts and insights shared by the participants provides the heartbeat for every Henri Nouwen book discussion. Here are a few questions that may help get the discussion going, but please don’t feel bound to them.

1. The spiritual life has to do with the heart of existence. (p. 5)
   Consider Henri’s first letter and reflect on your understanding of the spiritual life. Share what you discover to the extent you are willing.
2. But you know yourself that Freiburg doesn’t tell the whole story. . . . From everywhere there comes news of violence and oppression. (p. 11-12)
   As we journey through Lent, we are witnessing aggression and violence that has not been seen in Europe in eight decades. How have events of the recent past influenced your spiritual life and your attitude entering this Lent?
3. Freedom belongs to the core of the spiritual life. (p. 18)
   How has Henri’s reflection on the gospel story of the disciples on the road to Emmaus and its relationship to spiritual freedom influenced your understanding of freedom and how will you respond?

As we enter in to this first week of Lent there is much to share from our reading and we look forward to hearing from many of you. It is an joy to be gathered with each of you, those posting comments, and those following along silently. Everyone is welcome here.

Peace and all good.
Ray

Reading: Preface, p. vii to viii

In the course of writing I became aware that I was engaged. . .
in rediscovering Jesus and the meaning of my
existence for myself. —Henri Nouwen

As we enter this season of prayer, fasting, and almsgiving in preparation for Easter, we welcome you to the Henri Nouwen Society 2022 Lent book discussion. If you have joined us for previous book discussions, welcome back. And if you are here for the first time, thank you for joining our vibrant and spirit-filled community as we share a fruitful and enlightening discussion on our Lenten journey.

For many Christians, Lent is a season of reflection and conversion when our heart and minds are turned to Christ as we seek to follow in the footsteps of Jesus more faithfully. Our book selection, Letters to Marc About Jesus—Living a Spiritual Life in a Material Word, will inspire, challenge, and encourage us to encounter Jesus, just it did for Henri (see quote above and Preface) when he wrote these letters, primarily during Lent 1986.

Henri was in the midst of a major life transition when he composed these letters to his 19-year old nephew, with the mutual understanding they were intended to be published. In the spring of 1985 he had resigned from his teaching post at the Harvard Divinity School and Henri spent most of the next year living in the L’Arche community in Trosly, France. He was discerning whether he was called to live in community with and to minister to the severely handicapped core members at L’Arche and their assistants. Interestingly, during Lent 1985, just prior to resigning from Harvard, Henri had presented a series of talks at St. Paul Church in Cambridge, Massachusetts that also focused on Jesus. These talks were published for the first time in 2019 as Following Jesus—Finding Our Way Home in an Age of Anxiety. In hindsight, it seems clear that during this time of turmoil and transition, Henri’s heart and mind had turned in a particular and deeply fruitful way to Jesus—and we are blessed to be able to harvest that fruit this Lent. As we will see in Letter VII, by September 1986 Henri had followed Jesus’ call to his new home at L’Arche Daybreak, just north of Toronto, where he lived until his unexpected death ten years later.

Our discussion begins in earnest on the March 6th, the First Sunday of Lent. If you are joining us for the first time or if you would like a refresher, the instructions for our online book discussion are provided below my brief biography.

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 and read Henri Nouwen and whether or not you have participated in previous Henri Nouwen Society online discussions.
• What you hope to gain from this experience.

I’m looking forward sharing a spirit-filled Lenten season with this online community of seekers as we gather together to to discuss Letters to Marc About Jesus by Henri Nouwen. Please scroll to the bottom to post a comment.

In gratitude,
Ray

Ray Glennon: Ray and his wife Dawn live in Columbia, Maryland. He 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 difficult and 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 will present a new adult education course, “Nouwen’s The Return of the Prodigal Son: The Story and Backstory” later this spring. Ray and his wife are professed members of Secular Franciscan Order (OFS) and he volunteers in his parish Confirmation program and other ministries. You may contact Ray by email at [email protected] and you can follow him on Twitter.

Henri Nouwen Society Online Book Discussion Instructions
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, March 6th, and each Sunday throughout Lent, 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].