Henri Nouwen: Life of the Beloved
We are not what we do. We are not what we have. We are not what others think of us. Coming home is claiming the truth. I am the beloved child of a loving Creator.
- Henri Nouwen, Home Tonight
Henri Nouwen was a spiritual teacher of the first magnitude. Born in the Netherlands in 1932, he was called to the priesthood at a young age. Throughout his life Nouwen studied philosophy, theology, psychology and spent much time traveling, living in community and speaking publicly. His work is beautifully suffused with his own personal and intimate experiences of God's love.
In 1992 Nouwen traveled to Garden Grove, California where he delivered several sermons extolling the fact that we are all beloved daughters and sons of God. The sermons were delivered at the famous Crystal Cathedral, then part of the Reformed Church of America and televised on Rev. Robert Shuller's The Hour of Power. (The Crystal Cathedral became The Christ Cathedral in 2012 after being purchased by the Catholic Diocese of Orange County.
This is the first installment of an eight-part series consisting of three sermons delivered by Henri Nouwen in 1992, around the time his book Life of the Beloved was published. You are invited to follow along in this self-paced study and spiritual reflection as Nouwen delivers an inspired and powerful testament to the love of God for all peoples...
Important Themes
- You are not what you do.
- You are not what you have.
- You are not what people say you are.
- You are beloved sons and daughters of God.