Henri Nouwen

That is our vocation: to convert the enemy into a guest and to create the free and fearless space where brotherhood and…

— Henri Nouwen

The spiritual life is a life beyond moods. It is a life in which we choose joy and do not allow ourselves…

— Henri Nouwen

The great challenge is to discover that we are truly invited to participate in the divine life of the Father, the Son,…

— Henri Nouwen

To be baptized means to make the passage with the people of Israel and with Jesus from slavery to freedom and from…

— Henri Nouwen

It is very hard to stay in touch with our true identity because those who want our money, our time, and our…

— Henri Nouwen

Listening is a form of spiritual hospitality by which you invite strangers to become friends, to get to know their inner selves…

— Henri Nouwen

Community life is not easy for somebody like me, who is used to living by himself and doing what he wants. It's…

— Henri Nouwen

Prayer is the breath of your life which gives you the freedom to go and stay where you wish and to find…

— Henri Nouwen

As those who are chosen, blessed, broken, and given, we are called to live our lives with a deep inner joy and…

— Henri Nouwen

Prayer is first of all listening to God. It's openness. God is always speaking; he's always doing something. Prayer is to enter…

— Henri Nouwen

What is Hope?Hope is that inner dynamic that compels us to explore and pursue the expectations built into the human condition. Hope…

— Henri Nouwen

One of the most beautiful ways for spiritual formation to take place is to let your insecurity lead you closer to the…

— Henri Nouwen

As long as our restlessness, anxiety, and feelings of guilt dominate our work as peacemakers we cannot last long. But when we…

— Henri Nouwen

Why is it important that you are with God and God alone on the mountain top? It's important because it's the place…

— Henri Nouwen

Jesus has to be and become ever more the center of my life. It is not enough that Jesus is my teacher,…

— Henri Nouwen

Those who are marginal in the world are central in the Church, and that is how it is supposed to be! Thus…

— Henri Nouwen

The joy that compassion brings is one of the best-kept secrets of humanity. It is a secret known only to a very…

— Henri Nouwen

I can choose to grateful when I am criticized, even when my heart still responds in bitterness. I can choose to speak…

— Henri Nouwen

I'm learning that the blessing is located in our poor people, in people who are weak; they are the ones we should…

— Henri Nouwen

It is freeing to become aware that we do not have to be victims of our past and can learn new ways…

— Henri Nouwen

The more we touch the intimate love of God which creates, sustains, and guides us, the more we recognize the multitude of…

— Henri Nouwen

Silence is a very concrete, practical, and useful discipline in all our ministerial tasks. It can be seen as a portable cell…

— Henri Nouwen

Today's reading was "if they ask you to walk a mile, walk two. Don't take an eye for an eye or a…

— Henri Nouwen

A prayerful life is not a life in which we say many prayers, but a life in which nothing, absolutely nothing, is…

— Henri Nouwen

The resistance to praying is like the resistance of tightly clenched fists. This image shows a tension, a desire to cling tightly…

— Henri Nouwen

One of the most satisfying aspects of writing is that it can open in us deep wells of hidden treasures that are…

— Henri Nouwen

The Lord is coming, always coming. When you have ears to hear and eyes to see, you will recognize him at any…

— Henri Nouwen

My hope is that the description of God's love in my life will give you the freedom and the courage to discover...…

— Henri Nouwen

I was forced to enter the basement of my soul and look directly at what was hidden there, and to choose, in…

— Henri Nouwen

Joy is the experience of knowing that you are unconditionally loved and that nothing-sicknes s, failure, emotional distress, oppression, war, or even…

— Henri Nouwen

To be a minister means above all to become powerless, or in more precise terms, to speak with our powerlessness to the…

— Henri Nouwen

Those we most love cause us not only great joy but also great pain. LOVE is stronger than fear, life stronger than…

— Henri Nouwen

...the word that seems best to summarize the desire of the human heart is 'communion.' ...wherever we look it is communion that…

— Henri Nouwen

No one person can fulfill all your needs. But the community can truly hold you. The community can let you experience the…

— Henri Nouwen

To be a Christian who is willing to travel with Christ on his downward road requires being willing to detach oneself constantly…

— Henri Nouwen

For Jesus, there are no countries to be conquered, no ideologies to be imposed, no people to be dominated. There are only…

— Henri Nouwen

I don't pray enough, but I pray more now. Every morning at six o'clock have a half hour of meditation before the…

— Henri Nouwen

I still believe that the university is a place where people can develop their minds and learn skills, but also they can…

— Henri Nouwen

Let’s not be afraid to look at everything that has brought us to where we are now and trust that we will…

— Henri Nouwen

Ministry means the ongoing attempt to put one's own search for God, with all the moments of pain and joy, despair and…

— Henri Nouwen