{"author":"Henri J.M. Nouwen","author_id":"Henri+J.M.+Nouwen","total_quotes":97,"quotes":[{"text":"When spirituality becomes spiritualization, life in the body becomes carnality. When ministers and priests live their ministry mostly in their heads and relate to the Gospel as a set of valuable ideas to be announced, the body quickly takes revenge by screaming loudly for affection and intimacy. Christian leaders are called to live the Incarnation, that is, to live in the body, not only in their own bodies but also in the corporate body of the community, and to discover there the presence of the Holy Spirit.","author":"Henri J.M. Nouwen","tags":["clergy","holy-spirit","incarnation","practicing-faith"],"id":9373,"author_id":"Henri+J.M.+Nouwen"},{"text":"No matter the life-shattering circumstance that delivers the devastating blow to our spirit, God is bigger. He is faithful and unchanging, merciful and consistent with His offer to us, that through it all, we will be comforted, we will be loved, we will be HELD.","author":"Henri J.M. Nouwen","tags":["comfort","hope","inspirational","spiritual-life"],"id":17116,"author_id":"Henri+J.M.+Nouwen"},{"text":"Solitude is very different from a ’time-out’ from our busy lives. Solitude is the very ground from which community grows. Whenever we pray alone, study, read, write, or simply spend quiet time away from the places where we interact with each other directly, we are potentially opened for a deeper intimacy with each other.","author":"Henri J.M. Nouwen","tags":["alone","community","each-other","interact","intimacy","lives","pray","quiet","read","solitude","study","write"],"id":19287,"author_id":"Henri+J.M.+Nouwen"},{"text":"A spiritual life without prayer is like the gospel without Christ.","author":"Henri J.M. Nouwen","tags":["prayer"],"id":20164,"author_id":"Henri+J.M.+Nouwen"},{"text":"We become neighbors when we are willing to cross the road for one another. (...) There is a lot of road crossing to do. We are all very busy in our own circles. We have our own people to go to and our own affairs to take care of. But if we could cross the road once in a while and pay attention to what is happening on the other side, we might indeed become neighbors.","author":"Henri J.M. Nouwen","tags":["attention","busy","compassion","love","love-your-neighbor","neighbors"],"id":28973,"author_id":"Henri+J.M.+Nouwen"},{"text":"At first sight, joy seems to be connected with being different. When you receive a compliment or win an award, you experience the joy of not being the same as others. You are faster, smarter, more beautiful, and it is that difference that brings you joy. But such joy is very temporary. True joy is hidden where we are the same as other people: fragile and mortal. It is the joy of belonging to the human race. It is the joy of being with others as a friend, a companion, a fellow traveler. This is the joy of Jesus, who is Emmanuel: God-with-us.","author":"Henri J.M. Nouwen","tags":["christianity","immanuel","jesus","joy"],"id":40295,"author_id":"Henri+J.M.+Nouwen"},{"text":"Mostly we think of people with great authority as higher up, far away, hard to reach. But spiritual authority comes from compassion and emerges from deep inner solidarity with those who are 'subject' to authority. The one who is fully like us, who deeply understands our joys and pains or hopes and desires, and who is willing and able to walk with us, that is the one to whom we gladly give authority and whose 'subjects' we are willing to be.It is the compassionate authority that empowers, encourages, calls forth hidden gifts, and enables great things to happen. True spiritual authorities are located in the point of an upside-down triangle, supporting and holding into the light everyone they offer their leadership to.","author":"Henri J.M. Nouwen","tags":["ity","compassion","empathy","leadership","servant-leadership"],"id":72005,"author_id":"Henri+J.M.+Nouwen"},{"text":"Joy is based on the spiritual knowledge that, while the world in which we live is shrouded in darkness, God has overcome the world.","author":"Henri J.M. Nouwen","tags":["joy"],"id":79330,"author_id":"Henri+J.M.+Nouwen"},{"text":"There is a great difference between successfulness and fruitfulness. Success comes from strength, control, and respectability. A successful person has the energy to create something, to keep control over its development, and to make it available in large quantities. Success brings many rewards and often fame. Fruits, however, come from weakness and vulnerability. And fruits are unique. A child is the fruit conceived in vulnerability, community is the fruit born through shared brokenness, and intimacy is the fruit that grows through touching one another's wounds. Let's remind one another that what brings us true joy is not successfulness but fruitfulness.","author":"Henri J.M. Nouwen","tags":["community","fruitfulness","success","vulnerability-intimacy"],"id":82522,"author_id":"Henri+J.M.+Nouwen"},{"text":"One of the reasons that hiddenness is such an important aspect of the spiritual life is that it keeps us focused on God. In hiddenness we do not receive human acclamation, admiration, support, or encouragement. In hiddenness we have to go to God with our sorrows and joys and trust that God will give us what we most need.In our society we are inclined to avoid hiddenness. We want to be seen and acknowledged. We want to be useful to others and influence the course of events. But as we become visible and popular, we quickly grow dependent on people and their responses and easily lose touch with God, the true source of our being. Hiddenness is the place of purification. In hiddenness we find our true selves.","author":"Henri J.M. Nouwen","tags":["christianity","god","solitude"],"id":84793,"author_id":"Henri+J.M.+Nouwen"}],"pagination":{"page":1,"page_size":10,"total":97,"pages":10,"next":"?page=2\u0026page_size=10"}}