Feb 28th to Mar 6th: Lent Week 2 – Bread for the Journey & Many Friends

Reading: November 1 to January 12, pages 46 to 86

I filled my last museum notebook with (daily meditation) number 387. . .
Writing these reflections definitely strengthened my love for Jesus
and renewed my commitment to proclaim the unfathomable
mystery of God’s saving work. December 1, 1995, p. 60

The first week of Lent was indeed fruitful and filled with many wonderful and insightful comments and rich and affirming sharing among participants. A sincere thank you to all.

In reading Henri’s diary entries for this period surrounding the Christmas holiday, we get a sense of the frenetic pace of Henri’s life–even while on his writing sabbatical. Henri travels take him to Boston, Cancun, Mexico, Watertown, NY, Peapack, NJ, San Diego, New York City, Holland, and Germany. He is presenting workshops and talks, visiting with his many friends, and, perhaps most important, taking a vacation with his father in Germany and then celebrating his father’s 93rd birthday. Henri writes, “Thirty years ago the closeness that now exists between us was unthinkable.”

On December 1st Henri completed his manuscript for what became the Bread for the Journey – A Daybook of Wisdom and Faith. In this book Henri writes more directly than in many of his other works about Jesus as the center of our faith, about Word and Sacrament, and about the Church. In essence, while on his sabbatical and in what turned out to be the last year of his life, Henri wrote his final testament of faith and guide to living a spiritual life.

Continuing the approach suggested by Sr. Sue Mosteller, you are encourage to reflect with Henri, “on the meaning of a particular encounter, of the event in Scripture or the news, of the insights from a new book, or of the background shaping the concert or the artifact.” This process may help guide you.

  1. Select a few journal entries that stand out to you, and read them thoroughly, perhaps several times. In your careful reading and reflection, consider:
    1. The experience, thought, or concept that stands out to you
    2. How does it relates 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 through Henri’s experience and words? How have you been touched, inspired, challenged, and comforted on your spiritual journey.
    4. How you will respond?  Carefully (prayerfully) consider how your heart responds to the insights you gained. Are there small steps you can take to incorporate these insights and to move toward spiritual freedom in your life?  What changes will you make?
  2. Please share your reflection and insights with the group to the degree you are comfortable.

Finally, there were several entries that I found particularly meaty or challenging that I would call to your attention. I know I would personally be interested in your reflections and insights related to Henri’s ideas on any of the following topics: a) November 10th – Jesus and salvation; b) November 29th Eternal death or hell; c) December 4th – A day well lived; d) December 24th – Where is God?; December 25th – Power and piety; January 6th – Henri and his father.

We have another rich week of sharing ahead of us and we look forward to hearing from many of you. And, of course, the items above are only a guide. We want to hear whatever touched your heart.

May the Lord give you peace.
Ray

Feb 21st to 27th: Lent Week 1 – The Sabbatical Begins

Reading: September 2 to October 31, pages 3 to 45

I have always dreamt of a whole year. . . completely open to let something
radically new happen. But can I do it? Can I let go of all the things
that make me feel useful and significant?

September 2, 1995, p. 3

A warm welcome to everyone and thanks to the many people that introduced themselves. Thus far our virtual global community includes participants from across the USA and Canada, the UK, South Africa, and Indonesia. As we enter this second Lent during the COVID pandemic, I want to especially recognize the efforts and sacrifice of the healthcare and other essential workers that are joining us for this discussion. You have our deepest gratitude.

More so than some other books, each reader will be drawn to different entries in Sabbatical Journey based their life’s experiences or where they are in their spiritual journey. In the Foreward, Sr. Sue Mosteller suggests the approach we will take for our discussion. “This book begs to be read slowly, the reader paying attention to, and reflecting with Henri on the meaning of a particular encounter, of the event in Scripture or the news, of the insights from a new book, or of the background shaping the concert or the artifact. There is so much hidden depth and beauty here that the rapid, curious reader risks disappointment.”

Following Sr. Sue’s advice, rather than identifying particular thoughts or ideas that spoke to me and posing reflection questions to prompt your thinking as we done in recent discussions, I’d like to offer the following process that may guide your personal reflections and comments to the group.

  1. Read through Henri’s daily entries in the suggested reading above to get an overall sense of what Henri was involved with at the time and the experiences and ideas that captured his interest. This might be considered the rapid reading that Sue cautions against.
  2. Then select a few journal entries that stand out to you, and read them thoroughly, perhaps several times. In your careful reading and reflection, consider:
    1. The experience, thought, or concept that stands out to you
    2. How does it relates 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 through Henri’s experience and words? How have you been touched, inspired, challenged, and comforted on your spiritual journey.
    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 move toward spiritual freedom in your life? 
    5. Pray!
  3. Finally, please share with the group to the degree you are comfortable.

Please don’t feel bound to this process. As always, you are free to share whatever comes up for you in the readings, something from your personal experience, or feedback prompted by the comments of others. The thoughts and insights shared by the participants provide the heartbeat for every Henri Nouwen book discussion and we look forward to hearing from many you. However, we also know that some participants choose to read and journey with us without commenting. We’re grateful that you’re here whether you comment or not.

May the Lord give you peace during this first week in Lent.
Ray

Feb 17th to Feb 20th: Welcome and Introductions

Reading: Foreward, by Sr. Sue Mosteller, C.S.J., Henri’s friend and
Literary Executrix, p. vii t0 xi.

The book recounts an “odyssey” of friendship; it required the stature
of a “Ulysses” to make the exhausting journey
and write five books along the way.
Sr. Sue Mosteller, from the Foreward

Welcome to the Henri Nouwen Society Lent book discussion of Sabbatical Journey – The Diary of His Final Year, written by Henri Nouwen while on sabbatical in the year preceding his untimely death on September 21, 1996. Our discussion of Henri’s diary of his final year is one of the ways the Society is celebrating Henri’s legacy during this 25th anniversary of Henri’s passing. As always, we look forward to greeting 0ld friends and welcoming new ones in our virtual community as we journey through the season together with Henri as our guide.

As Sr. Sue notes in the Foreward, Henri made his last entry on August 30, 1996 and he died before rereading or editing the journal. In preparing the book for publication, Sr. Sue’s goal was to be “faithful to his original text. I have not made many changes. The result is that the book lacks his completeness and finesse but it brims with his life and spirit.” We the readers are the beneficiaries of this approach. This Lent we will share the last year of Henri’s vibrant and exhausting life as he experienced it. We will see Henri with his many friends, in a close and mature relationship with his father after many years, in his solitude, as he is writing, and in personal prayer as well as his priestly Eucharistic ministry. I’m confident that you will grow in your understanding of Henri and be enriched by your participation.

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

Beginning on February 21st, the First Sunday of Lent, and each Sunday through March 28th 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, click on the Home link in the black bar under the photograph at the top of the blog to navigate to the current week. 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 in black bar.

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 Foreward

We begin our discussion of Sabbatical Journey – The Diary of His Final Year in earnest this Sunday, February 21st. In Sr. Sue’s words, “May the gift of Henri’s word and example shepherd us and lead us to find each other in friendship, welcome the questions arising from our search, share our joys and pains, and befriend death by trusting the One Who waits to catch and reunite us in everlasting joy.”

Meanwhile, 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. 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 ray.glennon@1972.usna.com and you can follow him on Twitter at twitter.com/@RayGlennon.