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Henri J.M. Nouwen
Lenten Prayer with
S OL I T UDE
OF THE HEART
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INTRODUCTION
Henri J.M. Nouwen (1932-1996) was one of the most important voices
in the resurgence of Catholic spirituality in the latter half of the twenti-
eth Century. His wisdom and sound advice are nowhere more valuable
than when he offers help with our constant desire to pray better. His
practical and down-to-earth advice about prayer was the result of his
many years of struggle with prayer in his own life. His gift is that he is
able to describe so well the fluctuations in the spiritual life, with its fits
of success and its flirtations with despair, in such down-to-earth lan-
guage that we can readily apply his insights to our own prayer.
As Nouwen knew so well, half the battle of prayer is won by just
showing upbeing faithful to setting aside some time each day to really
be alone with God, and as difficult or easy, as fearful or rewarding as that
solitude might be, to encounter Gods mystery and dare to let God work
on our hearts. As he explains so well:
Although the discipline of solitude asks us to set aside
time and space, what finally matters is that our hearts
become like quiet cells where God can dwell, wherever
we go and whatever we do. The more we train ourselves
to spend time with God and Him alone, the more we will
discover that God is with us at all times and in all places.
Then we will be able to recognize Him even in the midst
of a busy and active life. Once the solitude of time and
space has become a solitude of the heart, we will never
have to leave that solitude. We will be able to live the spir-
itual life in any place and any time. Thus the discipline of
solitude enables us to live active lives in the world, while
remaining always in the presence of the living God.
So now, with Nouwens help and guidance, let us dedicate ourselves
to the Lenten discipline of daily prayer and ask God to be with us in the
solitude of our heart. This is our Lenten challenge.
Steve Mueller
Editor
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ASH WEDNESDAY
Now Is the Time for Change
O that today you would listen to his voice! (Psalm 95:7)
The Lenten season begins. It is a time to be with you Jesus in a
special way, a time to pray, to fast, and thus to follow you on your way
to Jerusalem, to Golgotha, and to the final victory over death. I am still
so divided. I truly want to follow you, but I also want to follow my own
desires and lend an ear to the voices that speak about prestige, success,
human respect, pleasure, power, and influence.
Help me to become deaf to these voices and more
atten tive to your voice, which calls me to choose
the narrow road to life.
I know that Lent is going to be a very hard
time for me. The choice for your way has to be
made every moment of my life. I have to choose
thoughts that are your thoughts, words that are
your words, and actions that are your actions.
There are no times or places without choices. And
I know how deeply I resist choosing you. Please, Lord, be with me at
every moment and in every place. Give me the strength and the courage
to live this season faithfully, so that, when Easter comes, I will be able
to taste with joy the new life which you have prepared for me. Amen.
Jesus, lead me this Lent to yourself so I may become more like you. Today I
will
THURSDAY AFTER ASH WEDNESDAY
Doing Nothing, Being Useless
Be still, and know that I am God! (Psalm 46:10)
When we enter into solitude we will often hear these two voices
the voice of the world and the voice of the Lord pulling us in two
contrary directions. But if we keep returning faithfully to the place of
solitude, the voice of the Lord will gradually become stronger and we
will come to know and understand with mind and heart the peace we
are searching for.
What do we do in our solitude? The first answer is nothing. Just be
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present to the One who wants your attention and listen! It is precisely in
this useless presence to God that we can gradually die to our illusions
of power and control and give ear to the voice of love hidden in the
center of our being. Doing nothing, being useless, is not as passive as
it sounds. In fact it requires effort and great attentiveness. It calls us to
an active listening in which we make ourselves available to Gods healing
presence and can be made new.
O God, help me be more present to you during my prayer. Today I will
FRIDAY AFTER ASH WEDNESDAY
Living Here and Now with God
Come away to a deserted place all by yourselves and rest a while.
(Mark 6:31)
The invitation to a life of prayer is the invitation to live in the midst
of this world without being caught in the net of its wounds and needs.
The word prayer stands for a radical inter ruption of the vicious chain
of interlocking dependencies that leads to violence and war, and for an
entering into an entirely new dwelling place. It points to a new way of
speaking, of breathing, of being together, of knowingtruly, to a whole
new way of living.
It is not easy to express the radical change that prayer repre sents,
since for many the word prayer is associated with piety; talking to God;
thinking about God; attending morning and evening worship; going to
Sunday service; saying grace before meals; and many other things. All
of these have something to do with prayer, but prayer is the center of
Christian life. It is living with God, here and now.
Jesus, help me to find a new way of living during this Lenten time. Today
I will
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SATURDAY AFTER ASH WEDNESDAY
Returning To God
We are ambassadors for Christ, since God is making his appeal through us;
we entreat you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God.
(2 Corinthians 5:20)
I am certainly not ready for Lent yet. Christmas seems just behind
us, and Lent seems an unwelcome guest. I could have used a few more
weeks to get ready for this season of repentance, prayer, and preparation
for the death and resurrection of Jesus. This morning at the eucharist I
spoke about how Jesus stressed the hidden life. Whether we give alms,
pray, or fast, we are to do it in a hidden way, not to be praised by people
but to enter into closer communion with God. Lent is a time of re-
turning to God. It is a time to confess how we keep looking for joy,
peace, and satisfaction in the many people and things surrounding us,
without really finding what we desire. Only God can give us what we
want. So we must be reconciled with God, as Paul says, and let that
reconciliation be the basis of our relationships with others. Lent is a
time of refocusing, of reentering the place of truth, of reclaiming our
true identity.
Jesus, help me to embrace your hidden way in my life now. Today I will
1ST SUNDAY OF LENT
Heart Speaks to Heart
The Spirit helps us in our weakness; for we do not know how to pray as we
ought, but that very Spirit intercedes with sighs too deep for words.
(Romans 8:26)
The practice of contemplative prayer is the discipline by which we
begin to see God in our heart. It is a careful atten tiveness to him who
dwells in the center of our being such that through the recognition of
his presence we allow him to take possession of all our senses. Through
the discipline of prayer we awaken ourselves to the God in us and let
him enter into our heartbeat and our breathing, into our thoughts and
emotions, our hearing, seeing, touching, and tasting. It is by being
awake to this God in us that we can see him in the world around us.
The great mystery of the contemplative life is not that we see God in the
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world, but that God within us recognizes God in the world. God speaks
to God, Spirit speaks to Spirit, heart speaks to heart. Con templation,
therefore, is a participation in this divine self-recognition. It is the
divine Spirit praying in us who makes our world transparent and opens
our eyes to the presence of the divine Spirit in all that surrounds us. It is
with our heart of hearts that we see the heart of the world. This explains
the intimate relationship between contemplation and ministry.
O God, help me to be more attentive to your presence all around me and in
me. Today I will
MONDAY, WEEK 1
An Hour with You
Remember, I am with you always, to the end of the age. (Matthew 28:20)
My hour in the Carmelite chapel is more important than I can fully
know myself. It is not an hour of deep prayer, nor a time in which
I experience a special closeness to God; it is not a period of serious
attentiveness to the divine mysteries. I wish it were! On the contrary,
it is full of distractions, inner restlessness, sleepiness, confusion, and
boredom. It seldom, if ever, pleases my senses. But the simple fact of
being for one hour in the presence of the Lord and of showing him all
that I feel, think, sense, and experience, without trying to hide anything,
must please him. Somehow, somewhere, I know that he loves me, even
though I do not feel that love as I can feel a human embrace, even
though I do not hear a voice as I hear human words of consolation, even
though I do not see a smile as I can see a human face.
O God, help me trust that my being attentive to you in prayer is bearing
fruit. Today I will
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TUESDAY, WEEK 1
Something Deep Is Happening in Me
O LORD, you have searched me and known me. (Psalm 139:1)
Though my prayer may be dry, still the Lord speaks to me, looks
at me, and embraces me there, where I am still unable to notice it. The
only way I become aware of his presence is in that remarkable desire to
return to that quiet chapel and be there without any real satisfaction.
Yes, I notice, maybe only retrospectively, that my days and weeks are
different days and weeks when they are held together by these regular
useless times. God is greater than my senses, greater than my thoughts;
greater than my heart. I do believe that he touches me in places that are
unknown even to myself. I seldom can point directly to these places; but
when I feel this inner pull to return again to that hidden hour of prayer,
I realize that something is happening that is so deep that it becomes like
the riverbed through which the waters can safely flow and find their way
to the open sea.
Jesus, help me trust that your power is at work within me. Today I will...
WEDNESDAY, WEEK 1
Listen to My Voice
My sheep hear my voice. I know them, and they follow me. (John 10:27)
Prayer is the discipline of the moment. When we pray, we enter into
the presence of God whose name is God-with-us. To pray is to listen
attentively to the One who addresses us here and now. When we dare to
trust that we are never alone but that God is always with us, always cares
for us, and always speaks to us, then we can gradually detach ourselves
from the voices that make us guilty or anxious and thus allow ourselves
to dwell in the present moment. This is a very hard challenge because
radical trust in God is not obvious. Most of us distrust God. Most of us
think of God as a fearful, punitive au thority or as an empty, powerless
nothing. Jesus core message was that God is neither a powerless weakling
nor a powerful boss, but a lover, whose only desire is to give us what our
hearts most desire.
Jesus, help me to hear your voice more clearly and follow you. Today I will
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THURSDAY, WEEK 1
Gods Love Transforms Us
We love because God first loved us. (1 John 4:19)
Contemplative prayer leads us to that first love, the love by which
we receive our true self. We are not the votes we receive, but rather we
are who God has made us in love: children of the light, children of God.
Only a life of ongoing intimate communion with God can reveal to us
our true selfhood; only such a life can set us free to act according to the
truth, and not according to our need for the spectacular.
This is far from easy. A serious and persevering discipline of solitude,
silence, and prayer is demanded. Such a discipline will not reward us with
the outer glitter of success, but with the inner light which enlightens our
whole being, and which allows us to be free and uninhibited witnesses
of Gods presence in our lives.
Jesus, help me continue to find you in my solitude, silence and prayer. Today
I will
FRIDAY, WEEK 1
My Own Way to Pray
Hear my cry, O God; listen to my prayer. (Psalm 61:1)
Just as there are many ways to be hospitable, there are many ways
to pray. When we are serious about prayer and no longer consider it
one of the many things people do in their life but, rather, the basic
receptive attitude out of which all of life can receive new vitality, we
will, sooner or later, raise the question: What is my way to pray, what
is the prayer of my heart? Just as artists search for the style that is most
their own, so people who pray search for the prayer of their heart. What
is most profound in life, and therefore most dear to us, always needs to
be properly protected as well as expressed. It, therefore, is not surprising
that prayer is often sur rounded by carefully prescribed gestures and
words, by detailed rituals and elaborate ceremonies.
Jesus, help me discover my own way to pray. Today I will
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SATURDAY, WEEK 1
Opening Ourselves to Gods Gifts
Let the word of Christ dwell in you richlyand with gratitude in your
hearts sing psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs to God. (Colossians 3:16)
Prayer must become an attitude that sees the world not as something
to be possessed but as a gift that speaks con stantly of the Giver. It leads
us out of the suffering that comes from insisting on doing things our
way. It opens our hearts to receive. And prayer refreshes our memory
about how other people reveal to us the gift of life.
When we pray we admit that we dont know what God is going to
do, but remember that we will never find out if we are not open to risks.
We learn to stretch out our arms to the deep sea and the high heavens
with an open mind and heart. In many ways prayer becomes an attitude
toward life that opens itself up to a gift that is always coming. We find
courage to let new things happen, things over which we have no control,
but which now loom as less threatening.
Jesus, help me accept the risks that come with following you. Today I will
2ND SUNDAY OF LENT
Letting God Transform Us
Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of
your minds, so that you may discern what is the will of Godwhat is good
and acceptable and perfect. (Romans 12:2)
Do you really want to be converted? Are you willing to be
transformed? Or do you keep clutching your old ways of life with one
hand while with the other you beg people
to help you change?
Conversion is certainly not something
you can bring about yourself. It is not a
question of willpower. You have to trust
the inner voice that shows the way. You
know that inner voice. You turn to it
often. But after you have heard with
clarity what you are asked to do, you start raising questions, fabricating
objections, and seeking everyone elses opinion. Thus you become
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entangled in countless often contradictory thoughts, feelings, and ideas
and lose touch with the God in you. And you end up dependent on all
the people you have gathered around you.
Only by attending constantly to the inner voice can you be converted
to a new life of freedom and joy.
O God, help me trust in your power to transform me into the likeness of
Jesus. Today I will
MONDAY, WEEK 2
Trying to Hear and Obey
Obey my voice, and I will be your God, and you shall be my people.
(Jeremiah 7:23)
The word obedi ent comes from the Latin word audire, which means
listening. Jesus life was a life of obe dience. He was always listening to
the Father, always attentive to His voice, always alert for His directions.
Jesus was all ears. That is true prayer: being all ears for God. The core
of all prayer is indeed listening, obediently standing in the presence
of God. A spiritual discipline, therefore, is the concentrated effort to
create some inner and outer space in our lives, where this obedience can
be practiced. Through a spiritual discipline we prevent the world from
filling our lives to such an extent that there is no place left to listen.
A spiritual discipline sets us free to pray or, to say it better, allows the
Spirit of God to pray in us. Through a spiritual discipline we prevent
the world from filling our lives to such an extent that there is no place
left to listen.
Jesus, help me to listen more attentively to your voice and obey your com-
mands. Today I will
TUESDAY, WEEK 2
Knowing My Inmost Heart
Come, my heart says, seek his face! Your face, LORD, do I seek.
(Psalm 27:8)
Our heart is at the center of our being human. There our deepest
thoughts, intuitions, emotions, and decisions find their source. But its
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also there that we are often most alienated from ourselves. We know
little or nothing of our own heart. We keep our distance, as though we
were afraid of it. What is most intimate is also what frightens us most.
Where we are most ourselves, we are often strangers to ourselves. That
is the painful part of our being human. We fail to know our hidden
centers; and so we live and die often without knowing who we really are.
The mystery of the spiritual life is that Jesus desires to meet us in the
seclusion of our own heart, to make his love known to us there, to free
us from our fears and to make our own deepest self known to us. In the
privacy of our heart, therefore, we can learn not only to know Jesus but,
through Jesus, ourselves as well.
Jesus, help me discover my hidden center where you live in me. Today I
will
WEDNESDAY, WEEK 2
Listening Attentively to Jesus
Everyone who belongs to the truth listens to my voice. (John 18:37)
Praying is first and foremost list ening to Jesus who dwells in the
very depths of your heart. He doesnt shout. He doesnt thrust himself
upon you. His voice is an unassuming voice, very nearly a whisper, the
voice of a gentle love. Whatever you do
with your life, go on listening to the voice
of Jesus in your heart. This listening must
be an active and very attentive listening,
for in our restless and noisy world Gods
so loving voice is easily drowned out. You
need to set aside some time every day for
this active listening to God if only for ten
minutes. Ten minutes each day for Jesus alone can bring about a radical
change in your life. Youll find that it isnt easy to be still for ten minutes
at a time. Youll discover straightaway that many other voices, voices
that are very noisy and distracting, voices which do not come from God,
demand your attention.
Jesus, help me to listen to your voice and discover you in the depths of my
heart. Today I will
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THURSDAY, WEEK 2
Let Jesus Enter
Listen! I am standing at the door, knocking; if you hear my voice and open
the door, I will come in to you and eat with you, and you with me.
(Revelation 3:20)
If you stick to your daily prayer time, then slowly but surely youll
come to hear the gentle voice of love and will long more and more
to listen to it. Prayerful listening will guide you to an ever deepening
spiritual life. They will help you to get to know Jesus in a very intimate
way, make you aware of the unique manner in which he is calling you,
and give you the courage to follow him even to places where youd
rather not go. Living with Jesus is a great adventure. Its the adventure
of love. When you admit Jesus to your heart, nothing is predictable; but
everything becomes possible. I pray that you will venture on a life with
Jesus. He asks everything of you, but gives you more in return. With
all my heart I wish you much hope, much courage, and abounding
confidence.
Jesus, help me discover where you are calling me and dare to follow you.
Today I will
FRIDAY, WEEK 2
Changed by Gods Spirit
May you be strengthened in your inner being with power through Gods
Spirit. (Ephesians 3:16)
Often you will feel that nothing happens in your prayer. You say:
I am just sitting there and getting distracted. But if you develop the
discipline of spending one half, hour a day
listening to the voice of love, you will gradually
discover that something is happening of which
you were not even conscious. It might be only
in retrospect that you discover the voice that
blesses you. You thought that what happened
during your time of listening was nothing more
than a lot of confusion, but then you discover yourself looking forward
to your quiet time and missing it when you cant have it. The movement
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of Gods Spirit is very gentle, very softand hidden. It does not seek
attention. But that movement is also very persistent, strong and deep. It
changes our hearts radically. The faithful discipline of prayer reveals to
you that you are the blessed one and gives you the power to bless others.
Jesus, help me follow the gentle nudges that your Spirit is giving me this
Lent. Today I will
SATURDAY, WEEK 2
Praying Always
Guard the good treasure entrusted to you, with the help of the Holy Spirit
living in us. (2 Timothy 1:14)
If you want to follow Jesus, control what you take in every day.
When you are on the bus or subway, or in your car, why busy your
mind with all the garbage of advertisements? Why fill your mind with
television and radio? Somehow you have to decide what your mind
will receive. I dont mean you shouldnt ever go to movies or watch
television, but control what enters your mind and heart. Its not just
a question of pushing bad things out but a question of holding on to
something really good.
It is good to have a prayer on your lips wherever you go. There are so
many moments in life when you are free to pray. When you are waiting
for the cashier in the supermarket, getting mad because he or she doesnt
hurry, say a little prayer: Lord, Jesus Christ, have mercy on me. Take
that prayer with you wherever you go.
Jesus, help me guard my senses in order to hold on to you. Today I will
3RD SUNDAY OF LENT
Yearning for Relationship
The one who sent me is with me; he has not left me alone, for I always do
what is pleasing to him. (John 8:29)
Jesus life is an invitation for us to believe, not primarily in him but
in the relationship between himself and the God whom he calls Father.
Furthermore, Jesus comes into the world to communicate to those of us
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who are listening that this very same relationship is uniquely available to
each one of us. By his life and death he announces the yearning in the
heart of Love Divine, to be in relationship with each individual person.
For you or I to engage this primal encounter is for us to return home.
This relationship between Jesus and the One who sent him into the
world is the central focus of Jesus whole life and teaching. He urges us
to see how he comes to us not on his own but sent and in relationship
with God the Creator-Spirit. Jesus whole mission, his life, words, works,
disgrace, and glory, are only relevant because of his relationship with the
One who sent him.
Jesus, draw me more deeply into your relationship with God. Today I will
MONDAY, WEEK 3
Forgiving Means Freeing
Bear with one another and, if anyone has a complaint against another, for-
give each other; just as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive.
(Colossians 3:13)
It is good for us to be with and to forgive family members,
partners, and children without needing to shape them in a violent
way. It is liberating to accept that they are different from us, that they
think and act in their own ways, and that they make different choices
than we might make. It is important
to liberate them to make their own
mistakes and to learn lifes lessons at
their own pace. And finally, instead of
wishing they had lived according to
our expectations, how blessed wed be
to be grateful even when they werent
able to love us perfectly, and how
loving it would be to allow them to die in peace. Jesus gives us good
advice: Leave your father, leave your mother, leave your sister, and leave
your brother. He knows that letting our parents and siblings go free is
creating space in us not only to welcome Gods unconditional love but
also to gradually become a compassionate parent figure for others.
Jesus, help me to find ways to let others be free to be themselves.
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TUESDAY, WEEK 3
Let Gods Word Be Your Companion
The grass withers, the flower fades, but the word of our God will stand
forever. (Isaiah 40:8)
The Word of God is powerful indeed. Not only the Jesus Prayer
but many words from the Scriptures can reshape the inner self. When
I take the words that strike me during a service into the day and slowly
repeat them while reading or working, more or less chewing on them,
they create new life. Sometimes when I wake up during the night I am
still saying them, and they become like wings carrying me above the
moods and turbulences of the days and
the weeks. The words of God are indeed
like eagles wings. Maybe I can deepen
my hope in God by giving more time and
attention to his words.
Jesus, help me use your words more fully to
guide my daily life. Today I will
WEDNESDAY, WEEK 3
Being Unbusy with God
For God alone my soul waits in silence; from him comes my salvation.
(Psalm 62:1)
The world says, If you are not making good use of your time,
you are useless. Jesus says: Come spend some useless time with me.
If we think about prayer in terms of its usefulness to uswhat prayer
will do for usGod cannot easily speak to us. But if we can detach
ourselves from the idea of prayers usefulness, we become free to waste
a precious hour with God in prayer.
Prayer is being unbusy with God instead of being busy with other
things. Prayer is primarily to do nothing useful or productive in the
presence of God. To not be useful is to remind myself that if anything
important or fruitful happens through prayer, it is God who achieves
the result.
Jesus, help me trust that you are at work in my prayer. Today I will
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THURSDAY, WEEK 3
To Whom Am I Really Speaking?
Hear, O LORD, when I cry aloud, be gracious to me and answer me!
(Psalm 27:7)
For many of us prayer means nothing more than speaking with
God. And since it usually seems to be a quite one-sided affair, prayer
simply means talking to God. This idea is enough to create great
frustrations. If I present a problem, I expect a solution; if I formulate a
question, I expect an answer; if I ask for guidance, I expect a response.
And when it seems, increasingly, that I am talking into the dark, it is not
so strange that I soon begin to suspect that my dialogue with God is in
fact a monologue. Then I may begin to ask myself: to whom am I really
speaking, God or myself?
O God, help me forget myself and concentrate more on you in my prayer.
Today I will
FRIDAY, WEEK 3
Finding My Quiet Center
In the morning, while it was still very dark, Jesus got up and went out to a
deserted place, and there he prayed. (Mark 1:35)
To live a Christian life means to live in the world without being
of it. It is in solitude that this inner freedom can grow. Jesus went to a
lonely place to pray, that is, to grow in the awareness that all the power
he had was given to him; that all the words he spoke came from his
Father; and that all the works he did were not really his but the works
of the One who had sent him. In the lonely place Jesus was made free
to fail.
A life without a lonely place, that is, a life without a quiet center,
easily becomes destructive. When we cling to the results of our actions
as our only way of self-identification, then we become possessive and
defensive and tend to look at our fellow human beings more as enemies
to be kept at a distance than as friends with whom we share the gifts of
life.
Jesus, lead me to the quiet center where you desire to meet me each day.
Today I will
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SATURDAY, WEEK 3
Do I Belong to God or the World?
I have loved you with an everlasting love; therefore I have continued my
faithfulness to you. (Jeremiah 31:3)
As long as I keep running about asking Do you love me? Do you
really love me? I give all power to the voices of the world and put
myself in bondage because the world is filled with ifs. The world says:
Yes, I love you if you are good-looking, intelligent, and wealthy. I love
you if you have a good education, a good job, and good connections.
I love you if you produce much, sell much, and buy much. There are
endless ifs hidden in the worlds love. These ifs enslave me, since it
is impossible to respond adequately to all of them. The worlds love is
and always will be conditional. As long as I keep looking for my true self
in the world of conditional love, I will remain hooked to the world
trying, failing, and trying again.
Jesus, free me from the worlds conditional love to find your unconditional
love for me. Today I will
4TH SUNDAY OF LENT
Show Me Your Way
If any want to become my followers, let them deny themselves and take up
their cross daily and follow me. (Luke 9:23)
O Lord, this holy season of Lent is passing quickly. I entered
into it with fear, but also with great expectations. I hoped for a great
breakthrough, a powerful conversion, a real change of heart; I wanted
Easter to be a day so full of light that not
even a trace of darkness would be left
in my soul. But I know that you do not
come to your people with thunder and
lightning. Let me be thankful for your
gentle way. I know you are at work. I
know you will not leave me alone. I know
you are quickening me for Easter but in
a way fitting to my own history and my own temperament. I pray that
these last three weeks, in which you invite me to enter more fully into
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the mystery of your passion, will bring me a greater desire to follow
you on the way that you create for me and to accept the cross that you
give to me. Let me die to the desire to choose my own way and select
my own cross. You do not want to make me a hero but a servant who
loves you. Be with me tomorrow and in the days to come, and let me
experience your gentle presence. Amen.
Jesus, be with me each day to lead me according to your ways. Today I will

MONDAY, WEEK 4
Receive and Share Gods Love
My soul thirsts for God, for the living God.
When shall I come and behold the face of God? (Psalm 42:2)
God is Spirit and the Source of all love. Our spiritual journey calls
us to seek and find this living God of Love in prayer, worship, spiritual
reading, spiritual mentoring, compassionate service to the poor, and
good friends. Let us claim the truth that we are loved and open our
hearts to receive Gods overflowing love poured out for us. And living
fully each day let us share that love in all our wonderful and difficult
relationships, responsibilities, and passages.
The seeds of death are at work in us, but love is stronger than death.
Your death and mine is our final passage, our exodus to the full realization
of our identity as Gods beloved children and to full communion with
the God of love. Jesus walked the path ahead of us and invites us to
choose the same path during our lifetime. He calls to us, Follow Me.
He assures us. Do not be afraid. This is our faith.
Jesus, help me bring your love to others. Today I will
TUESDAY, WEEK 4
Gods Word Is Powerful
The word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword,
piercing until it divides soul from spirit, joints from marrow; it is able to
judge the thoughts and intentions of the heart. (Hebrews 4:12)
The Word of God is not a word to apply in our daily lives at some
later date; it is a word to heal us through, and in, our listening here and
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now. The questions therefore are: How does God come to me as I listen
to the word? Where do I discern the healing hand of God touching me
through the word? How are my sad ness, my grief, and my mourning
being transformed at this very moment? Do I sense the fire of Gods love
purifying my heart and giving me new life? These questions lead me to
the sacrament of the word, the sacred place of Gods real presence.
At first this might sound quite new for a person living in a society
in which the main value of the word is its applica bility. But most of us
know already, generally unconscious ly, of the healing and destroying
power of the spoken word. When someone says to me, I love you, or
I hate you, I am not just receiving some useful information. These
words do something in me. They make my blood move, my heart beat,
my breathing speed up. They make me feel and think differently. They
lift me up to a new way of being and give me another knowledge of
myself. These words have the power to heal or to destroy me.
Jesus, help me be more attentive to your word and let it move me. Today I
will
WEDNESDAY, WEEK 4
Moving from Mind to Heart
Speak, LORD, for your servant is listening. (1 Samuel 3:9)
The word obedi ent comes from the Latin word audire, which
means listening with great attention. Jesus is called the obedient one,
that means the listener. The Latin word for not listening, being deaf,
is surdus. If you are absolutely not listening, that is where the word
absurd comes from. So it might be interesting to note that somebody
who is not listening is leading an absurd life.
Now, to become a listener, one way to do it is to say, How can I let
the Lord is my Shepherd, there is nothing I shall want enter in from
my mind to my heart? I can say it is here and that is just a statement,
but it becomes prayer when I experience the shepherding presence of
God in the center of my being. Listening starts precisely when you move
from the mind to the heart and let the truth of your being center you
down.
Jesus, help me move your words from my head to my heart so that they
change me completely. Today I will
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THURSDAY, WEEK 4
Gods Pruning Work
I am the true vine, and my Father is the vinegrower who removes every
branch in me that bears no fruit. Every branch that bears fruit he prunes to
make it bear more fruit. (John 15:1-2)
Jesus told his followers that they were intimately related to him as
branches are to a vine, but they still needed to be pruned to bear more
fruit. Pruning means cutting, reshaping, removing what diminishes
vitality. When we look at a pruned vineyard, we can hardly believe it
will bear fruit. But when harvest comes, we realize that the pruning
allowed the vines to concentrate their
energy and produce more grapes.
Grateful people learn to celebrate
even amid lifes hard and harrowing
memories because they know that
pruning is no mere punishment, but
preparation. When our grati tude for
the past is only partial, our hope for the
future can likewise never be full. But our submitting to Gods pruning
work will not ultimately leave us sad, but hopeful for what can happen
in us and through us. Harvest time will bring its own blessings.
Jesus, send your life into me so that I may bear fruit for your kingdom.
FRIDAY, WEEK 4
Living with Open Hands
Be filled with the Spiritsinging and making melody to the Lord in your
hearts, giving thanks to God the Father at all times and for everything in the
name of our Lord Jesus Christ. (Ephesians 5:18-20)
A life in prayer is a life with open hands where you are not ashamed
of your weakness but realize that it is more perfect for a man to be led by
the other than to seek to hold everything in his own hands. Only within
this kind of life does a spoken prayer make sense. A prayer in church,
at table or in school is only a witness to what we want to make of our
entire lives. Such a prayer only recalls to mind that praying is living and
it invites you to make this an ever-greater reality.
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Thus there are as many ways to pray as there are moments in life.
Sometimes you seek out a quiet spot and you want to be alone, sometimes
you look for a friend and you want to be together. Sometimes youd like
a book or some music. Sometimes you want to sing out with hundreds,
sometimes only to whisper with a few. Sometimes you want to say it
with words, sometimes with a deep silence. In all these moments, you
gradually make your life more a prayer and you open your hands to be
led by God even to where you would rather not go.
Jesus, help me make my whole life a prayer. Today I will
SATURDAY, WEEK 4
Gods Mighty Deeds
I will meditate on all your work, and muse on your mighty deeds.
(Psalm 77:12)
The more I come in touch with what happened in the past, the more
I come in touch with what is to come. The Gospel not only reminds me
of what took place but also of what will take place. In the contemplation
of Christs first coming, I can discover the signs of his second coming.
By looking back in meditation, I can look forward in expectation. By
reflection, I can project; by conserving the memory of Christs birth,
I can progress to the fulfillment of his kingdom. I am struck by the
fact that the prophets speaking about the future of Israel always kept
reminding their people of Gods great works in the past. They could look
forward with confidence because they could look backward with awe to
Yahwehs great deeds. I pray for the opportunity to deepen my memory
of Gods great deeds in time and will set me free to look forward with
courage to the fulfillment of time by him who came and is still to come.
O God, thank you for all the ways you have come into my life. Today I
will
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5TH SUNDAY OF LENT
The Lord Is with You
Trust in the LORD with all your heart, and do not rely on your own in-
sight. (Proverbs 3:5)
What I must do first of all is be faithful. If I believe that the first
commandment is to love God with my whole heart, mind, and soul,
then I should at least be able to spend one hour a day with nobody else
but God. The question as to whether it is helpful, useful, practical, or
fruitful is completely irrelevant, since the only
reason to love is love itself. Everything else is
secondary.
The remarkable thing, however, is that
sitting in the presence of God for one hour
each morningday after day, week after week,
month after monthin total confusion and
with myriad distractions radically changes my
life. God, who loves me so much that he sent
his only son not to condemn me but to save
me, does not leave me waiting in the dark too
long. I might think that each hour is useless, but after thirty or sixty or
ninety such useless hours, I gradually realize that I was not as alone as I
thought; a very small, gentle voice has been speaking to me far beyond
my noisy place. So: Be confident and trust in the Lord.
Jesus, make my prayer a time for you to work changes in me. Today I will...
MONDAY, WEEK 5
Gods Heart-Felt Love
Gods love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit that has
been given to us. (Romans 5:5)
O Lord, how can I ever go anywhere else but to you to find the love
I so desire! How can I expect from people as sinful as myself a love that
can touch me in the most hidden corners of my being? Who can wash
me clean as you do and give me food and drink as you do? Who wants
me to be so close, so intimate, and so safe as you do? O Lord, your love
is not an intangible love, a love that remains words and thoughts. No,
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Lord, your love is a love that comes from your human heart. It is a heart-
felt love that expresses itself through your whole being. You speak...you
look...you touch...you give me food. Yes, you make your love a love that
reaches all the senses of my body and holds me as a mother holds her
child, embraces me as a father embraces his son, and touches me as a
brother touches his sister and brother.
O God, help me experience your love and share it with others. Today I will...
TUESDAY, WEEK 5
Seeing Jesus Today
It is no longer I who live, but it is Christ who lives in me.
(Galatians 2:20)
O Lord, I have not seen you and yet I truly see you every time I
look at the broken bodies of my fellow human beings. I have not heard
you, and yet I truly hear you every time I hear the cries uttered by
men, women and children in pain. I have not touched you, and yet I
truly touch you every time I touch all those who come to me in their
loneliness. In the midst of all the human brokenness and human pain, I
see, hear and touch the heart of humanity, your humanity, the humanity
of all the people embraced by your love.
Thank you for showing me your heart. Thank you for letting me
see while not seeing, hear while not hearing, touch while not touching.
Thank you for letting me believe more every day, hope more every day
and love more every day. Here I am, Lord, take my heart and let it
become a heart filled with your love.
Jesus, help me recognize you in each person I encounter today. Today I will
WEDNESDAY, WEEK 5
We Are Never Alone
Live in peace; and the God of love and peace will be with you.
(Philippians 4:9)
Anyone who seeks to know Gods peace and presence, regardless of
age or circumstance, can practiceanywhere, anytimethe sacrament
of the present moment? When we pray, we enter into the presence
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of God whose name is ImmanuelGod-with-us. To pray is to listen
attentively to the One who addresses us here and now. When we dare to
trust that we are never alone but that God is always with us, always cares
for us, and always speaks to us, we can gradually detach ourselves from
the voices that make us feel guilty or anxious, and embrace the present
moment. If we could, for a few minutes each day, just be fully where we
are, we would indeed discover that we are not alone, and that the One
who is with us in our hearts wants only to give us the love we need and
the power to love others.
Jesus, help me know you are with me every moment and everywhere. Today
I will
THURSDAY, WEEK 5
The Grace to Forgive
Do not judge, and you will not be judged; do not condemn, and you will
not be condemned. Forgive, and you will be forgiven. (Luke 6:37)
We are a wounded people. Who wounds us? Often those whom
we love and those who love us. When we feel rejected, abandoned,
abused, manipulated, or violated,
it is mostly by people very close to
us: our parents, our friends, our
spouses, our lovers, our children, our
neighbors, our teachers, our pastors.
Those who love us wound us too.
Thats the tragedy of our lives. This
is what makes forgiveness from the
heart so difficult. It is precisely our
hearts that are wounded. We cry out, You, who I expected to be there
for me, you have abandoned me. How can I ever forgive you for that?
Forgiveness often seems impossible, but nothing is impossible for
God. The God who lives within us will give us the grace to go beyond
our wounded selves and say, In the Name of God you are forgiven.
Lets pray for that grace.
Jesus, help me forgive those who have wounded me, especially close friends
and family members. Today I will
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FRIDAY, WEEK 5
Seek Love Not Power
The greatest among you will be your servant. All who exalt themselves will
be humbled, and all who humble themselves will be exalted.
(Matthew 23:11-12)
One of the greatest ironies of the history of Christianity is that its
leaders constantly gave in to the temptation of powerpolitical power,
military power, economic power, or moral and spiritual powereven
though they continued to speak in the name of Jesus, who did not cling
to his divine power but emptied himself and became as we are. The
temptation to consider power an apt instrument for the proclamation
of the Gospel is the greatest of all.
With this rationalization, crusades took place; inquisitions were
organized; Indians were enslaved; positions of great influence were
desired. Every time we see a major crisis in the history of the Church,
we always see that a major cause of rupture is the power exercised by
those who claim to be followers of the poor and powerless Jesus.
What makes the temptation of power so seemingly irresistible?
Maybe it is that power offers an easy substitute for the hard task of love.
It seems easier to be God than to love God, easier to control people,
easier to own life than to love life.
Jesus, help me to serve others instead of seeking power over them. Today I
will
SATURDAY, WEEK 5
Jesus Way of Weakness
God said to me, My grace is sufficient for you, for power is made perfect in
weakness. (2 Corinthians 12:9)
The way of God is the way of weakness. The great news of the
Gospel is precisely that God became small and vulnerable, and hence
bore fruit among us. The most fruitful life ever lived is the life of Jesus,
who did not cling to his divine power but became as we are. Jesus
brought us new life in ultimate vulnerability. He came to us as a small
child, dependent on the care and protection of others. He lived for us
as a poor preacher, without any political, economic, or military power.
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He died for us nailed on a cross as a useless criminal. It is in this extreme
vulnerability that our salvation was won. The fruit of this poor and
failing existence is eternal life for all who believe in him. It is very hard
for us to grasp even a little bit of the mystery of Gods vulnerability. Yet,
when we have eyes to see and ears to hear we can see it in many ways
and in many places.
Jesus, help me accept my own weakness and vulnerability to be like you.
Today I will
PASSION/PALM SUNDAY OF LENT
The Self-emptying Christ
Though Jesus was in the form of God, he did not regard equality with God
as something to be exploited, but emptied himself, taking the form of a slave,
being born in human likeness. (Philippians 2:6-7)
Our vocation as Christians is to follow Jesus on his downward path
and to become witnesses to Gods compassion in the concrete situation of
our time and place. Our temptation is to let needs for success, visibility,
and influence dominate our thoughts, words,
and actions to such an extent that we are gripped
in the destructive spiral of upward mobility and
thus lose our vocation. It is this lifelong tension
between vocation and temptation that presents
us with the necessity of spiritual formation.
Precisely because the downward mobility of the
way of the cross cannot rely on our spontaneous
responses, we are faced with the question, How
do we conform our minds and hearts to the
mind and heart of the self-emptying Christ?
To follow Christ requires the willingness and determination to
let Gods Spirit pervade all the corners of our minds and hearts and
there make us into other Christs. Formation is transformation, and
transformation means a growing conformity to the mind of Christ, who
did not cling to his equality with God but emptied himself.
Jesus, help me empty myself as you did and serve those I meet each day. Today
I will
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MONDAY HOLY WEEK
We Belong Together
The love of Christ urges us on, because we are convinced that one has died
for allso that those who live might live no longer for themselves, but for
him who died and was raised for them. (2 Corinthians 5:14-15)
Christians are called to bear witness to the truth that God has
gathered all people into one family. Yet wherever we look we see the
devastating fear people have of one another. Fear between races, religions,
nations, continents. Fear between rich and poor, North and South, East
and West. Wherever this fear rules division breeds, leading to hatred,
violence, destruction, and war. We need new eyes to see and new ears
to hear the truth of our unity, a unity which cannot be perceived by
our broken, sinful, anxious hearts. Only a heart filled with perfect love
can perceive the unity of humanity. This requires divine perception.
God sees his people as one, as belonging to the same family and living
in the same house. God wants to share this divine perception with us.
By sending the only beloved son to live and die for us all, God wants to
open our eyes so that we can see that we belong together in the embrace
of Gods perfect love.
O God, help me see persons as you do and serve them as Jesus did. Today I will...
TUESDAY HOLY WEEK
Our God Is Not Distant
The LORD is good to all, and his compassion is over all that he has made.
(Psalm 145:9)
The mystery of Gods love is not that he takes our pains away, but
that he first wants to share them with us. Out of this divine solidarity
comes new life. Jesus being moved in the center of his being by human
pain is indeed a movement toward new life. God is our God, the God of
the living. In his divine womb life is always born again....The truly good
news is that God is not a distant God, a God to be feared and avoided, a
God of revenge, but a God who is moved by our pains and participates
in the fullness of the human struggle.
O God, help me recognize your presence in my suffering and let me bear it
as Jesus did. Today I will
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WEDNESDAY HOLY WEEK
A New Way to Live
When you grow old, you will stretch out your hands, and someone else will
fasten a belt around you and take you where you do not wish to go.
(John 21:18)
To pray means to open your hands before God. It means slowly
relaxing the tension which squeezes your hands together and accepting
your existence with an increasing readiness, not as a possession to defend,
but as a gift to receive. Above all, prayer is a way of life which allows
you to find a stillness in the midst of the world where you open your
hands to Gods promises and find hope for yourself, your neighbor, and
your world. In prayer, you encounter God not only in the small voice
and the soft breeze, but also in the midst of the turmoil of the world, in
the distress and joy of your neighbor, and in the loneliness of your own
heart. Therefore, a life in prayer is a life with open hands where you are
not ashamed of your weakness but realize that it is more perfect to be led
by the other than to seek to hold everything in his own hands.
O God, help me open my hands to you and accept everything as your gift.
Today I will
HOLY THURSDAY
Cup of Sorrow, Cup of Joy
Are you able to drink the cup that I am about to
drink? (Matthew 20:22)
Jesus unconditional yes to his Father had
empowered him to drink his cup, not in passive
resignation but with the full knowledge that the
hour of his death would also be the hour of his
glory. His yes made his surrender a creative act, an
act that could bear much fruit. His yes took away
the fatality of the interruption of his ministry.
Instead of a final irrevocable end, his death became the beginning of a
new life. Indeed, his yes enabled him to trust fully in the rich harvest the
dying grain would yield.
Joys are hidden in sorrows! I know this from my own times of
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depression. We need to remind each other that the cup of sorrow is also
the cup of joy, that precisely what causes us sadness can become the
fertile ground for gladness. Indeed, we need to give each other strength
and consolation. Because only when we fully realize that the cup of life
is not only a cup of sorrow but also a cup of joy will we be able to drink
it.
Jesus, help me to give up my resistance to your love so I can be more like you.
Today I will
GOOD FRIDAY
The Way to New Life
The death he died, he died to sin, once for all; but the life he lives, he lives
to God. So you also must consider yourselves dead to sin and alive to God in
Christ Jesus. (Romans 6:10-11)
Suffering and death belong to the narrow road of Jesus. Jesus does
not glorify them, or call them beautiful, good, or something to be
desired. Jesus does not call for heroism or suicidal self-sacrifice. No,
Jesus invites us to look at the
reality of our existence and reveals
this harsh reality as the way to
new life. The core message of
Jesus is that real joy and peace can
never be reached while bypassing
suffering and death, but only by
going right through them.
We could say: We really have no choice. Indeed, who escapes
suffering and death? Yet there is still a choice. We can deny the reality of
life, or we can face it. When we face it not in despair, but with the eyes
of Jesus, we discover that where we least expect it, something is hidden
that holds a promise stronger than death itself. Jesus lived his life with
the trust that Gods love is stronger than death and that death therefore
does not have the last word. He invites us to face the painful reality of
our existence with the same trust. This is what Lent is all about.
Jesus, help me trust that through my suffering there will be new life with
you. Today I will
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HOLY SATURDAY
Through Death to New Life
We are always carrying in the body the death of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus
may also be made visible in our bodies. (2 Corinthians 4:10)
You know that something totally new, truly unique, is happening
within you. It is clear that something in you is dying and something is
being born. You must remain attentive, calm, and obedient to your best
intuitions. You feel a strange sadness. An enormous loneliness emerges,
but you are not frightened. You feel vulnerable but safe at the same time.
Jesus is where you are, and you can trust that he will show you the next
step.
There are two realities to which you must cling. First, God has
promised that you will receive the love you have been searching for. And
second, God is faithful to that promise. So trust that God will bring you
what you need. Your whole life you have been running about, seeking
the love you desire. Now it is time to end that search. Trust that God
will give you that all-fulfilling love and will give it in a human way. Just
stop running and start trusting and receiving.
Jesus, help me trust your work in me and hope that it continues. Today I
will
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Acknowledgements
All Saints Press expresses thanks to the following publishers
from which these reflections have been excerpted.
Bread for the Journey by Henri Nouwen, 1996 by Henri Nouwen (HarperSanFrancisco)
Can You Drink the Cup? The Challenge of the Spiritual Life by Henri J.M. Nouwen (Ave Maria, 1996)
Clowning In Rome Copyright 1975 by Henri J.M. Nouwen (Doubleday)
Compassion Copyright 1982 by Henri J.M. Nouwen (Doubleday)
A Cry for Mercy by Henri J.M. Nouwen (Doubleday, 1981)
Finding My Way Home Copy right 2001 by The Estate of Henri J.M. Nouwen (Crossroad)
The Genesee Diary by Henri J.M. Nouwen (Doubleday, 1976)
Gracias! by Henri J.M. Nouwen (Harper & Row, 1983)
Heart Speaks to Heart by Henri J.M. Nouwen (Ave Maria Press, Inc., 1989, 2007)
Here and Now by Henri J.M. Nouwen (The Crossroad Publishing Company, 1994)
Home Tonight: Further Reflections on the Parable of the Prodigal Son by Henri J.M. Nouwen (Doubleday, 2009)
The Inner Voice of Love Copyright Henri J.M. Nouwen (Doubleday, 1996)
In the Name of Jesus: Reflections on Christian Leadership by Henri J.M. Nouwen (Crossroad, 1989)
Letters to Marc about Jesus by Henri J.M. Nouwen (HarperCollins, 1998)
Life of the Beloved Copyright 1992 by Henri J.M. Nouwen (Crossroad)
Lifesigns: Intimacy, Fecundity, and Ecstasy in Christian Perspective by Henri J.M. Nouwen (Doubleday, 1986)
Liguorian Magazine, October 1992
Making All Things New & Other Classics, by Henri J.M. Nouwen (HarperCollins, 2000)
Out of Solitude by Henri J.M. Nouwen (Ave Maria Press, 1974)
Reaching Out by Henri J.M. Nouwen (Doubleday, 1975)
The Return of the Prodigal Son: The Story of Homecoming 1992 by Henri J.M. Nouwen (Doubleday)
The Road to Daybreak by Henri J.M. Nouwen 1988 Henri J.M. Nouwen (Doubleday)
The Road to Peace, by Henri J.M. Nouwen (Maryknoll: Orbis Books, 1998)
Sabbatical Journey Copyright 1998 by The Estate of Henri J.M. Nouwen (Crossroad)
The Selfless Way of Christ by Henri J.M. Nouwen (Orbis, 2007)
Spiritual Formation: Following the Movements of the Spirit by Henri J.M. Nouwen (HarperCollins, 2010)
Turn My Mourning into Dancing by Henri J.M. Nouwen (Nashville: World Publishing Group, 2001)
The Way of the Heart by Henri J.M. Nouwen (HarperCollins, 1981)
With Burning Hearts: A Meditation on the Eucharistic Life by Henri J.M. Nouwen (Orbis, 1994)
With Open Hands by Henri J.M. Nouwen (Ave Maria Press, Inc., 1972)
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EASTER SUNDAY
He Is Risen and with Us Still
Why do you look for the living among the dead? He is not here, but has
risen. (Luke 24:5)
The Easter season is a time of hope. There still is fear, there still is a
painful awareness of sinfulness, but there also is light breaking through.
Something new is happening, something that goes beyond the changing
moods of our life. We can be joyful or sad, optimistic or pessimistic,
tranquil or angry, but the solid stream of Gods presence moves deeper
than the small waves of our minds and hearts. Easter brings the
awareness that God is present even when his presence is not directly
noticed. Easter brings the good news that, although things seem to get
worse in the world, the Evil One has already been overcome. Easter
allows us to affirm that although God seems very distant and although
we remain preoccupied with many little things, our Lord walks with us
on the road and keeps explaining the Scriptures to us. Thus there are
many rays of hope casting their light on our way through life.
O God, fill me with hope that the new life that is happening within me will
continue beyond Lent. Today I will
Solitude of the Heart was edited by Steve Mueller from the works of Henri J.M. Nouwen. Copyright 2012 by All Saints
Press, PO Box 190825, St. Louis, MO 63119. Painting of Christ of Saint John of the Cross by Salvador Dal. (800) 923-8618
and AllSaintsPress.com. 03-361