Modern Spiritual Masters just released!
To purchase call 1-800-853-1412 or visit our bookstore.
Modern Spiritual Masters: Writings on Contemplation and Compassion, edited by Robert Ellsberg.
Orbis Books has just published a remarkable new volume. Modern Spiritual Masters focuses on 12 figures, each of whom, in different ways, combined a contemplative life with a compassionate response to the needs of the world. They are:
Thomas Merton • Henri Nouwen • Mother Teresa • Dorothy Day • Dom Helder Camara • Howard Thurman • Madeleine Delbrel • Catherine de Hueck Doherty • Oscar Romero . Thea Bowman • Mohandas Gandhi • Mother Maria Skobtsova.
Each chapter begins with a biographical reflection, followed by a dozen pages of selected writings.
This book will appeal to a wide audience, as well as being useful as a classroom text. It is the latest in a sequence of books by Robert Ellsberg on saints and spiritual masters. Having previously told their stories (in All Saints and Blessed Among All Women) and reflected on their lessons for daily life (The Saints’ Guide to Happiness), Ellsberg was able in this book to present their message in their own words.
Turning the Wheel Wins First Place (Pastoral Ministry) at the Catholic Press Association Awards
Turning the Wheel: Henri Nouwen and Our Search for God, won first place in the category of Pastoral Ministry at the 2008 Catholic Press Association Awards.
The citation reads: "It would be tragic to miss the wonderful contribution of so many scholarly, engaging and deeply spiritual reflections gathered together by Bengtson and Earnshaw as they flowed from a major international gathering in 2006.
"To open the pages of this beautifully written book is to become engaged with writers whose breath of knowledge and expanse of interests expose even the light reader of Nouwen to the depth of his passionate search for God and the multi-layered legacy of the same holy path held out to all of humankind. It is indeed a tribute to the man they celebrate. So, too, is it a tribute to editors and contributors."
The essays gathered in this book were presented at a conference in Toronto in May 2006, marking the tenth anniversary of Nouwen's death. They include contributions from members of his family, companions and colleagues from L'Arche Daybreak, friends, scholars and notable writers including Mary Jo Leddy, Michael Higgins, Michael O'Laughlin and Sue Mosteller. Together they assess the reasons for Nouwen's extraordinary popularity (including his broad ecumenical appeal), and his spiritual message for today.
Turning the Wheel: Henri Nouwen and Our Search for God, Jonathan Bengston and Gabrielle Earnshaw, editors. Orbis Books, Marknoll, NY and Novalis, Canada. December 2007, Pp 238, softcover.
Quote from Out of Solitude in April issue of O
<O The Oprah Magazine has quoted Henri Nouwen several times over its nine-year history. The April 2008 issue features a quote from Nouwen's Out of Solitude, in his "Care" chapter:
When we honestly ask which persons in our lives mean the most to us, we often find that it is those who, instead of giving much advice, solutions, or cures, have chosen rather to share our pain and touch our wounds with a gentle and tender hand. . . . (pages 38, 39). The quote in Oprah's magazine is about 6 lines, beneath a large black and white image of two women on a beach. The image and quote are a full page, entitled "Live Your Best Life", page 61.
In the May 2001 issue, Henri Nouwen was quoted on the theme of joy, again on the "Live Your Best Life" page.
In the July/August 2000 issue of O, Henri's book The Return of the Prodigal Son was featured in a five page article, written by Senator Hillary Clinton. In this article she reflects on her favorite book and writes, "The Return of the Prodigal Son had a profound effect on me and I believe [it] will be equally meaningful to others."
The Vulnerable Journey now available
Pathways Awareness Foundation, 2007; 50 minute DVD
“The great mystery of our faith is that we get closest to God when we are willing to be vulnerable, when we are willing to say ‘I need somebody else’.”—Henri Nouwen
In February 1996, just months before his passing, Henri Nouwen participated in a conference on inclusion in worship entitled Open Hearts, Open Minds, Open Doors sponsored by the Pathways Awareness Foundation in Chicago, Illinois. This video captures the keynote speech given by Henri Nouwen at that conference. In addressing the many-faceted issue of vulnerability Nouwen relates, through moving personal stories, how acknowledging his own vulnerabilities drew him closer to God. He teaches us valuable lessons that will help guide us on our own journey to spiritual wholeness.
Available from Daybreak Books & Media: 1-800-853-1412 and the HenriNouwen.org/shopcart.
The Selfless Way of Christ: Downward Mobility and the Spiritual Life
The Selfless Way of Christ just released
The Selfless Way of Christ: Downward Mobility and the Spiritual Life by Henri Nouwen with illustrations by Vincent van Gogh, published by Orbis Books, 2007. Hardcover, 96 pages.
In this short work Henri Nouwen offers a penetrating reflection on the challenge of the spiritual life, especially the call to imitate Christ's example of "downward mobility." This vocation is sorely tested by the constant celebration of "upward mobility", which brings to mind the temptations Christ faced in the wilderness: to be "powerful, relevant, and spectacular." To prepare us for this path, Nouwen describes the "disciplines of spiritual formation," represented by the Church, the Word of God, and the promptings of our heart.
Illustrated with drawings by Vincent van Gogh, The Selfless Way of Christ is an inspiring guide for ministers and everyone walking the path of discipleship.
