Book Review: Henri Nouwen (with Michael J. Christensen and Rebecca J. Laird), Spiritual Direction: Wisdom for the Long Walk of Faith, HarperSanFrancisco, 2006.

Henri Nouwen is probably one of the two or three most-read (even by non-Roman Catholics) twentieth century Catholic authors - and deserves to be. Some of his books - With Open Hands, Creative Ministry, Reaching Out, and especially The Wounder Healer - belong in the 'modern spiritual classics' category.

Nouwen was spiritual director to many, and taught a course on it, but never recorded this wisdom in a systematic way during his lifetime. Now, posthumously, two of his students have gathered his advice - from previously unpublished reflections, presentations, homilies, course lecture notes and recommended exercises - into one volume. And they've written as simply and organized the material as well as Henri Nouwen might have done.

Actually, like Richard Foster's 'Celebration of Discipline' - which Nouwen recommends - this book is really a basic introduction to Christian Spirituality, rather than the specific discipline of Spiritual Direction as such (there's only a couple of chapters specifically on Spiritual Direction, and very little about how Direction 'happens' in a conversation; Foster's book only has two or three pages on the subject).

Nouwen writes out of his own woundedness ('how [to] deal with my need for intimacy and affection as a celibate priest'), with an honest description of his 'breakdown'. 'Forgiveness means that I continually am willing to forgive the other person for not fulfilling all my needs and desires.' So this material is quite autobiographical, and 'tuned to life in the raw'.

The book is organized into three sections, around the 'ten universal questions for living the spiritual life': Part One: 'Look Within to the Heart' (Who will answer my questions? Where do I begin? Who am I? Where have I been and where am I going?); Part Two: 'Look to God in the Book' (What is prayer? Who is God for me? How do I hear the Word?) and Part Three: 'Look to Others in Community' (Where do I belong? How can I be of service?), followed by an Epilogue (Where do I go from here?). At the end of each chapter is a section 'Going Deeper: Exercises for Spiritual Direction', which provide ideal reflection-material for journaling on a Spiritual Retreat. And at the end of the book is an excellent Appendix suggesting books for further reading.

Spiritual direction is about 'living the questions' rather than 'imparting knowledge to understand'. (As the classical formulation has it, it's about 'formation'/'transformation' rather than 'information', 'letting the mind descend into the heart'). So spiritual disciplines (like lectio divina, journaling, fasting, solitude etc.) are practices which create some open and free space in which God can move and speak.

Here are some sentences I marked as either summary-statements, or for further reflection:

(From the Introduction): 'The goal of spiritual direction is spiritual formation - the ever-increasing capacity to live a spiritual life from the heart. A spiritual life cannot be formed without discipline, practice, and accountability.'

'You belong to God from eternity to eternity. You were loved by God before you were born; you will be loved by God long after you die. Your human lifetime - long or short - is only part of your total life in God... Life is just a little opportunity for you during a few years to say to God: "I love you, too".'

'A word that is not rooted in silence is a weak, powerless word that sounds like a "clashing symbol or a booming gong"... God has written us a love-letter in the scripture, the written word. The written word points to the Living Word, which is God incarnate in the person of Jesus... We speak the word of God to each other out of the silence of listening to God. And writing the word also reveals the word of God to us and others.'

'Ministry is not something that requires professional credentials. It is a vocation each of us claims by virtue of our baptism in the body of Christ.'

Outside the U.S. this book will probably cost you more than the $22-95US RRP, but it will be worth every cent if it's read and inwardly digested and practised.

Rowland Croucher http://jmm.aaa.net.au/

October 2006

(Available from Ridley College Bookshop - http://bookshop.ridley.unimelb.edu.au/bookweb/)