The Only Necessary Thing - Henri Nouwen

I was given this book from Father Vincent Juan for my birthday last month

and have found it to be one of the best spiritual books I have ever read.

The short reflections are so rich with wisdom and spiritual truth,

that I carry the newly aquired thought all day.

Thank you Father for the gift that will last my lifetime.

- - - -

Throughout the forty some books that Henri Nouwen wrote and the hundreds of talks that he gave, the subject of "Prayer" runs through them all and unites them.

For him a life of faith is a life of prayer.

He remained faithful to the commitment to pray daily through the times of abundance and during the dark periods in the spiritual desert.

Drawn from many decades of his life, the compilation of Henri's thoughts, feelings, and the struggle with prayer, reveal the core of the man and his belief that

"prayer is the only necessary thing."

This volume is organized thematically. The topics include:

What is Prayer?,

Solitude,

Listening,

Hindrances,

and Forgiveness.

The book concludes with a collection of thirty-five prayers written by Nouwen,

several of which have never been published before.