Wounded Healer
Henri Nouwen's Last Story
A posthumous work completed 25 years after his death

When Nouwen passed away suddenly in 1996, the unfinished manuscript he left behind told the story of his encounter and friendship with the Rodrey trapeze troupe that had captivated his life.
During the last five years of his life, Nouwen tried to write about the encounters that had given him new passion, and he kept writing and starting anew, searching for the most appropriate way to convey his experiences and discoveries to his readers.
The story that Nouwen wanted to tell was so special and unique that even though he was over sixty years old and had already written over thirty books and published several international bestsellers, he was still learning and exploring new writing methods, rewriting and rewriting.
He saw that this book would be the most important book of his life.

“What Henry writes about us in this book is not particularly religious, but rather something much more liberal.
“I wrote about how the soul can fly.”
--- p.225, from “You Must Trust the One Who Catches You”

Although left unfinished by his sudden death in September 1996, Henry's most important work was a non-fiction creation based on his encounters with the Rodrey Trapeze Troupe.
Many of Henry's friends, who knew his longing and inner suffering, would have been shocked to learn this, and many readers who have read his devotional books over the years that reveal his inner self would have been equally shocked.

--- p.11, from the “Preface”

While recovering from his injury, he realized something.
All the most significant changes in his life were due to obstacles.
Long periods of solitude in the Trappist monastery interrupted his busy monastic life, the poverty he faced in Latin America disrupted his relatively comfortable life in North America, and his calling to live with the mentally disabled interrupted his scholarly career.

--- p.61, from "Falling"

As he often said, prayer is being fully present here and now, even if just for a moment.
So he tries to voluntarily shake off all other thoughts and be fully present.
Like a trapeze artist in flight.

--- p.61, from "Falling"

Resistance to peace is the task of faith communities rather than the efforts of courageous individuals.
As a priest, Henry often heard people confess that they felt inadequate and lacking.
He understood how I felt, as I had often felt the same way, but he still tried to explain.
Of course you are inadequate, none of us are sufficient on our own, in fact each of us is a part of a larger body called the community.

--- p.99, from "Falling"

Each time Henry returned to writing about trapeze, he felt a sense of calling.
Why should I write about trapeze acrobatics? I don't know the answer.
Just as Rembrandt's "The Return of the Prodigal Son" was "given" to me in 1983, so too was the trapeze act "given" to me last year. I feel a strange "need" to write about this topic.

--- p.198, from “You Must Trust the One Who Catches You”

I believed that when a person rises, the person who catches him will catch him and give him momentum, and then send him powerfully toward the other person who catches him.
There was trust and adventure in continuing to move together.

--- From p.205, ‘You must trust the person who catches you’

When I first saw the Rodrey Trapeze Troupe, I felt that my deepest desires were being expressed through them.
It's the desire to be completely safe and yet completely free.

--- p.207, from “You Must Trust the One Who Catches You”

To my question, Rodray answered like this:
“I am the one who does nothing and the one who catches must do everything.
That's the secret.
When I fly to Joe, I just have to stretch out my arms and hands and wait.
Then he would grab me and pull me safely up onto the screen behind the swing on the other side.”
--- p.224, from “You Must Trust the One Who Catches You”

“Don’t be afraid.
Never forget that you are a beloved child of God.
When you fly away, He is waiting for you.
Don't try to catch him.
He holds you.
Just stretch out your arms and hands and believe.
“You can believe it.”
--- p.225, from “You Must Trust the One Who Catches You”

“After everything has flown away, I have to reach out and trust that the person who catches it will take care of it.
“The worst mistake I can make is trying to catch the other person myself.” When I think about it, those words contain the human task of trusting our neighbors, trusting God, trusting love, and trusting in our ultimate safety.

--- p.238, from “You Must Trust the One Who Catches You”

It tells us that being is more important than doing, that the heart is more important than the head, and that community is more important than working alone.
All these great and valuable truths were taught to me silently by people with disabilities.

--- p.244, from “You Must Trust the One Who Catches You”

Still, Henry thinks sometimes you just have to let go.
Even if it is not clear at that moment who the catcher is.
It might take me a lifetime to learn how to fall in love with the law.

--- p.249, from “You Must Trust the One Who Catches You”

The parabola of adventure and trust that the Road Ray Circus troupe showed is, in Henry's opinion, the shape of all life.
Ultimately, each individual belongs to God and returns to Him, but flight is something that the human community accomplishes together.

--- p.263, from "Flight"