I am the prodigal son every time I search for unconditional love where it cannot be found.
HENRI NOUWENEvery time I take a step in the direction of generosity, I know I am moving from fear to love.
More Henri Nouwen Quotes
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Listening is a form of spiritual hospitality by which you invite strangers to become friends, to get to know their inner selves more fully, and even to dare to be silent with you.
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Every time there are losses, there are choices to be made. You choose to live your losses as passages to anger, blame, hatred, depression and resentment, or you choose to let these losses be passages to something new, something wider, and deeper.
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In a world so torn apart by rivalry, anger, and hatred, we have the privileged vocation to be living signs of a love that can bridge all divisions and heal all wounds.
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I feel strongly that the God we meet in solitude is always the God who calls us to community.
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Prayer is first of all listening to God. It’s openness. God is always speaking; he’s always doing something.
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Life is just a little opportunity for you during a few years to say, “I love you, too.”
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Prayer is not what is done by us, but rather what is done by the Holy Spirit in us.
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Much violence is based on the illusion that life is a property to be defended and not to be shared.
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Waiting time is not wasting time. Waiting patiently in expectation is the foundation of the spiritual life.
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Dear God, I am so afraid to open my clenched fists! Who will I be when I have nothing left to hold on to? Who will I be when I stand before you with empty hands? Please help me to gradually open my hands and to discover that I am not what I own, but what you want to give me.
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The great illusion of leadership is to think that man can be led out of the desert by someone who has never been there.
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Learning to weep, learning to keep vigil, learning to wait for the dawn. Perhaps this is what it means to be human.
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Community means that people come together around the table, not just to feed their bodies, but to feed their minds and their relationships.
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Without solitude it is virtually impossible to live a spiritual life. We do not take the spiritual life seriously if we do not set aside some time to be with God and listen to him.
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Your heart is greater than your wounds.
HENRI NOUWEN