The Inner Voice of Love by Henri Nouwen

Henri Nouwen was a Dutch-born Catholic priest. He was a professor, pastor and prolific writer. This book is one of my favourites. He wrote it as a journal at a time when “within me there was one long scream coming from a place I didn’t know existed.” It is a series of just over 60 short entries, some no more than a paragraph long, that record his journey from despair to hope, pain to compassion, agony to freedom and deeper love.

It is not a book to be read quickly. It is a book to read slowly, one entry at a time, to ponder and allow to sink into your soul.

Here is an example of the wisdom and hope contained within its pages. “Your pain is deep, and it won’t just go away… Your call is to bring that pain home. As long as your wounded part remains foreign to your adult self, your pain will injure you as well as others… Taking up your cross means … befriending your wounds and letting them reveal to you your own truth… then you will be able to see clearly the crosses that others have to bear, and you will be able to reveal to them their own ways to joy, peace and freedom.”

This book is for everyone living through the pain of traumatic events, the loss of a loved one, or broken relationships. Savour it, and let it impart courage and hope.

Published by DLT 1997