The best of community does give one a deep sense of belonging and well-being; and in that sense community takes away loneliness. — Henri Nouwen Copy Share Image
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 Copy Share Image
I speak of God's love and grace and redemption and freedom, but when I say "in the context of this community," it… — Henri Nouwen Copy Share Image
Prayer is not one of the many things the community does. Rather, it is its very beingBut when prayer is no longer… — Henri Nouwen Copy Share Image
“In solitude we can come to the realization that we are not driven together but brought together. In solitude we come to… — Henri Nouwen Copy Share Image
Community is first of all a quality of the heart. It grows from the spiritual knowledge that we are alive not for… — Henri Nouwen Copy Share Image
There is a Wonderful story in the Gospel of Luke (6:12-26). Jesus went up to the mountain to pray at night; in… — Henri Nouwen Copy Share Image
In community, where you have all the affection you could ever dream of, you feel that there is a place where even… — Henri Nouwen Copy Share Image
The third discipline is community. Whom do you choose as your companions? Whom do you choose to be friends with, to live… — Henri Nouwen Copy Share Image
“The church itself is a spiritual director. It tries to connect your story with God's story. Just to be a true part… — Henri Nouwen Copy Share Image
Solitude is very different from a 'time-out' from our busy lives. Solitude is the very ground from which community grows. Whenever we… — Henri Nouwen Copy Share Image
I wrote to my bishop, the Archbishop of Utrecht, Holland, and explained that I wanted not just permission to stay longer, but… — Henri Nouwen Copy Share Image
Solitude, community, and ministry are certainly not just for celibates! Celibates also have a hard time keeping up. — Henri Nouwen Copy Share Image
In 1984, Jean Vanier invited me me to visit L'Arche community in Trosly, France. He didn't say "We need a priest" or… — Henri Nouwen Copy Share Image
Community means that people come together around the table, not just to feed their bodies, but to feed their minds and their… — Henri Nouwen Copy Share Image
If you want to know anything about community, you have to realize that the contemplative side is essential. Community without retreating and… — Henri Nouwen Copy Share Image
Friendship is one of the greatest gifts a human being can receive. It is a bond beyond common goals, common interests, or… — Henri Nouwen Copy Share Image
Live, work, and travel with handicapped people, so I can stay close to them. But since I am often busy with many… — Henri Nouwen Copy Share Image
If you start with community and want to be faithful to community, you have to realize that what binds you together is… — Henri Nouwen Copy Share Image
Ministry is the least important thing. You cannot not minister if you are in communion with God and live in community. — Henri Nouwen Copy Share Image
I feel strongly that the God we meet in solitude is always the God who calls us to community. — Henri Nouwen Copy Share Image
However, community is first of all a quality of the heart. It grows from the spiritual knowledge that we are alive not… — Henri Nouwen Copy Share Image
The church is not an institution forcing us to follow rules but a community inviting us to still our hunger and thirst… — Henri Nouwen Copy Share Image
L'Arche is not a service institution or a group home. It is a community that exists to reveal God's love. Our people… — Henri Nouwen Copy Share Image
Community is the fruit of our capacity to make the interests of others more important than our own. — Henri Nouwen Copy Share Image
We are not the healers, we are not the reconcilers, we are not the givers of life. We are sinful, broken, vulnerable people who… — Henri Nouwen Copy Share Image
The more we touch the intimate love of God which creates, sustains, and guides us, the more we recognize the multitude of fruits that… — Henri Nouwen Copy Share Image
Feelings of guilt dominate our work as peacemakers we cannot last long. But when we have opened each other's eyes to the great human… — Henri Nouwen Copy Share Image
...we all want to hear stories, from the moment we are born to the moment we die. Stories connect our little lives with the… — Henri Nouwen Copy Share Image
I have found it very important...to let go of my wishes and start hoping. — Henri Nouwen Copy Share Image
Simply being with someone is difficult because it asks of us that we share in the other's vulnerability, enter with him or her into… — Henri Nouwen Copy Share Image
Jesus says, "Keep your heart on the kingdom first. Keep your heart on God's love. Keep focused on the fact that you are God's… — Henri Nouwen Copy Share Image
This sounds very simple and maybe even trite, but very few people know that they are loved without condition or limits. — Henri Nouwen Copy Share Image
“The more preoccupied we are with security the more visible the force of death becomes, whether in the form of a pistol beside our… — Henri Nouwen Copy Share Image
If you feel a great loneliness and a deep longing for human contact, you have to be extremely discerning...and ask yourself whether this situation… — Henri Nouwen Copy Share Image
I choose L'Arche; L'Arche chooses me. I would be dead if I weren't here. I need people to love me and care for me. — Henri Nouwen Copy Share Image
