Henri J.M. Nouwen, Life of the Beloved: Spiritual Living in a Secular World

6 quotes

"Our society is so fragmented, our family lives so sundered by physical and emotional distance, our friendships so sporadic, our intimacies so 'in-between' things and often so utilitarian, that there are few places where we can feel truly safe."

Henri J.M. Nouwen, Life of the Beloved: Spiritual Living in a Secular World

"the real "work" of prayer is to become silent and listen to the voice that says good things about me.To gently push aside and silence the many voices that question my goodness and to trust that I will hear the voice of blessing-- that demands real effort."

Henri J.M. Nouwen, Life of the Beloved: Spiritual Living in a Secular World

"The world is evil only when you become its slave."

Henri J.M. Nouwen, Life of the Beloved: Spiritual Living in a Secular World

"We may be little, insignificant servants in the eyes of a world motivated by efficiency, control and success. But when we realize that God has chosen us from all eternity, sent us into the world as the blessed ones, handed us over to suffering, can't we, then, also trust that our little lives will multiply themselves and be able to fulfill the needs of countless people?"

Henri J.M. Nouwen, Life of the Beloved: Spiritual Living in a Secular World

"I kept running around it in large or small circles, always looking for someone or something able to convince me of my Belovedness.Self-rejection is the greatest enemy of the spiritual life because it contradicts the sacred voice that calls us the "Beloved". Being the Beloved expresses the core truth of our existence."

Henri J.M. Nouwen, Life of the Beloved: Spiritual Living in a Secular World

"Am I afraid to die? I am every time I let myself be seduced by the noisy voices of my world telling me that my "little life" is all I have and advising me to cling to it with all my might. But when I let these voices move to the background of my life and listen to that small soft voice calling me the Beloved, I know that there is nothing to fear and that dying is the greatest act of love, the act that leads me into the eternal embrace of my God whose love is everlasting."

Henri J.M. Nouwen, Life of the Beloved: Spiritual Living in a Secular World