Reviewed by Sr. Rose Mary Wessel, MSC

Life of the Beloved
By Henri J.M. Nouwen
Crossroad Publishers 2002

As an ardent devotee of Henri Nouwen, one of the great spiritual writers of our time, I found this to be one of his greatest books. Father Nouwen taught at Harvard, Yale, and Notre Dame Universities, and spent ten years at the L’Arche Daybreak community in Toronto. He writes as a man who treasures his priesthood and his friends as well.

Ten years prior to writing this book, while teaching at Yale Divinity School, Nouwen met young Fred Bratman, a budding Jewish journalist. He had arrived to interview Nouwen for the Sunday edition of the New York Times. From that moment Nouwen experienced a fascination as well as an irritation with this young man. Nouwen sensed that Fred did not really exert all his efforts into becoming a true journalist and that he was too ready to give up his dream. Nouwen was determined not to let that happen.

Nouwen convinced him to come to the seminary and have the time and space to write his dream novel. Fred arrived at Yale Divinity School about a year later. At that time he requested Nouwen to write a book explaining the spiritual life for him and his friends in simple language they could understand. The result was Life of the Beloved. It has become one of the most cherished books of our era. His pervading theme is “All I want to say to you is, ‘You are the Beloved’.” The premise on which the book is based is the account of the baptism of Jesus found in Mt 3:16-17, Mk 1:10-11, and Lk 3:21-22 in which a voice from heaven is heard saying: “You are my Son, the Beloved; on you my favor rests.”

In each chapter, Nouwen, through his simple yet profound words and inner convictions, says to his friend Fred, YOU are the Beloved, as coming from God to each one of us through another human being. Isn’t that what friendship is all about: giving to each other the gift of our Belovedness?

As those who are chosen, blessed, broken, and given, we are called to live our lives with a deep inner joy and peace. It is the life of the Beloved, living in a world constantly trying to convince us that the burden is on us to prove that we are worthy of being loved. The great struggle facing us is not to leave the world, to reject our ambitions and aspirations, or to despise money, prestige, or success, but to claim our spiritual truth and to live in the world as someone who doesn’t belong to it. Nouwen believes that all the good things our world has to offer are ours to enjoy, acknowledging them as affirmations that we are indeed the beloved of God!

I recommend this book to all who are seeking a deeper understanding of life lived as the Beloved of God!

Sr. Rose Mary Wessel is a former teacher and Director of Religious Education at several parishes. She is an active volunteer.

Reviewed by Sr. JoAnn DeLoach, MSC

A Hidden Wholeness: The Journey Toward an Undivided Life
By Parker J. Palmer
Jossey-Bass 2004, 272 pages

Parker J. Palmer received the Ph.D. in sociology from the University of California at Berkeley and is a member of the Religious Society of Friends (Quaker). He has published seven books, a dozen poems, and some two hundred essays.

Parker states the reason for this book as: giving the principles and practices that have been proven to help people live undivided lives that are joined to the needs of the world. “Is this person the same on the inside as he or she seems to be on the outside?” PArker speaks of circles of trust in which persons come together in a space where they make their own discernments, in tehir own way and time. The circle of trust supports an inner journey by making the soul feel safe. In A Hidden Wholeness the author describes these circles of trust and invites the reader to search for their own inner teacher.

Though I do not belong to a group that follows the special conditions of a circle of trust, I found many of his ideas helpful in my own journey. “No fixing, no saving, no advising, no setting each other straight” is one of the basic principles of a circle of trust. Parker believes that each one needs to listen to his or her own inner teacher and that advice from others will not result in long term transformation.I have found myself trying to fix another’s problem instead of asking them honest, open questions that would lead to their own answers and transformation. As a Quaker, Parker finds that silence is important in creating safe space for the soul. Though I think I value silence, I ask myself, “How often do I listen to the TV, the radio, or a CD instead of turning them off and listening to the silence?”

Reviewed by Sr. Keri Burke, MSC

Scarred by Struggle, Transformed by Hope
By Joan D. Chittister, OSB
Novalis St. Paul
University, Ottawa, Canada, 2003; 111 pp.

Struggle…me? Never! Okay, so I’ll admit, I’ve had some struggles as I’m sure we all have. Tough times, disappointments, poor health, finances, broken relationships, LIFE…we’ve had our share of them, haven’t we? And it’s easy to get overwhelmed by the burden of the struggle and fail to recognize the blessing that the burden holds.

Yes, I did say blessing! You know that little “gift” that comes your way when you lead expect it!

Joan Chittister’s book, Scarred by Struggle, Transformed by Hope, encourages us to recognize the blessings born of struggle. It calls us to look beyond the pain of the struggle and to see how God is active and working to help us become the people we never dreamed we could be.

Chittister’s paralleling a struggle with a resulting gift helps to give a sense of purpose to the difficulties of life. Her real and easy ability to relate to stories leaves us wondering if she had a glimpse of our lives as she wrote this book. Imagine realizing the gift of conversion through the struggle of change, or the gift of courage through the struggle of fear, or the gift of surrender through the struggle of powerlessness.

Granted, the struggles of life may beat us up and wear us down but when viewed through the eyes of faith we can be confident that God is forever working and living and loving in us. And that knowledge provides all the hope we will ever need not only to endure but to propser.