We enter into solitude first of all to meet our Lord and to be with him and him alone. Only in the context of grace can we face our sin; only in the place of healing do we dare to show our wounds; only with a singleminded attention to Christ can we give up our clinging fears and face our own true nature.
Henri NouwenPrayer is first of all listening to God. It's openness. God is always speaking; he's always doing something.
Henri NouwenThe journey from teaching about love to allowing myself to be loved proved much longer than I realised.
Henri NouwenThe gospel word of the day can become like a painting on the walls. of your inner room, the inner room that is your heart.
Henri NouwenYour body needs to be held and to hold, to be touched and to touch. None of these needs is to be despised, denied, or repressed. But you have to keep searching for your body's deeper need, the need for genuine love. Every time you are able to go beyond the body's superficial desires for love, you are bringing your body home and moving toward integration and unity.
Henri NouwenL'Arche is not a service institution or a group home. It is a community that exists to reveal God's love. Our people are given to the world to tell others about peace and forgiveness and celebration, to make them aware that in the midst of their brokenness, there is joy; in the midst of their wounded nature, there is healing.
Henri Nouwen