Here and Now by Henri J.M. Nouwen

Here and Now is another book we have used in our Contemplative Prayer Group. I have been reading Nouwen for a long time, and as with Thomas Merton, I have yet to read all of their books.  And of course, more books are being compiled from their writings. How wonderful it would be to immerse oneself into the writings of either in order to birth a book from a certain topic.


In the Preface of the book, Nouwen explains the purpose for writing this book:

Much of what I have written has been part of my life for as long as I can remember, much too, has come to my spiritual awareness during the last few years, and much appeared as new and surprising as I wrote these meditations.  I didn't try to be original, but to be authentic.  I didn't try to say things I had never said before, but things that really matter to me. I didn't try to write a new book, but to meditate on life as I am trying to live it.  Some of the reflections in this book can also be found in earlier books; others are new.  But all are an expression of my present state of mind and heart.

 And in the Afterword, Nouwen offers this suggestion for the reader:

To you who have read some or all of these meditations I want to say:  Do not stop here. Continue on your own. My words were only to encourage you to find your own words, and my thoughts were only to help you discover your own thoughts. What I have written in this book is an expression of my own personal spiritual journey, bound by my own personality, time, place and circumstances. Your spiritual journey is as unique as mine; it has its own unique beauty and unique boundaries. My hope is that the description of God's love in my life will give you the freedom and the courage to discover -- and maybe also describe -- God's love in yours.

Here is the list of the chapters:  Living In The Present, Joy, Suffering, Conversion, Disciplined Living, The Spiritual Life, Prayer, Compassion, Family, Relationships and Who We Are. A lot of ground is covered in these short chapters and shared with the reader in the typical Nouwen style of being open and transparent.