The pain and wounds, anxiety and worries deep within you,
By showing joy and friendship without filtering
Henri Nouwen, the universal healer
The disciples of Christ he speaks of

Follow the path of Christ's humility!

"The Way of the World, the Way of Christ" is a significant work that first introduced Henri Nouwen's name to our readers.
Although it is a small book, this book has been loved by many since its publication because it strongly suggests that the way of Christ is not only completely different from the way of the world, but also goes one step further and presents a challenge that shakes up society.
This revised edition has been redesigned and translated to meet a new audience.

“It clearly shows that the spiritual life is a life guided by the same Holy Spirit who guided Jesus Christ.
The Holy Spirit is the breath of Christ in us, the divine power of Christ working in us, and the mysterious source of new life that enables us to realize that it is no longer we who live, but Christ who lives in us (Gal. 2:20).
In fact, living a Christian life means becoming a living Christ.
It is not enough to simply try to be like Christ as much as possible.
It is not enough to remind others of Jesus.
Even getting a sense of it from the words and deeds of Jesus Christ is not enough.
Rather, the life of the enemy makes much more rigorous demands on us.
In other words, the life of the enemy is to become a living Christ in space and time, that is, here and now.”
--- p.12

“A disciple is someone who follows Jesus on his way to humility and enters into a new life with him.
The Gospel fundamentally overturns the basic assumptions that underpin our upwardly oriented society.
This is a challenge that both causes conflict and shakes society.
If we look carefully into the eyes of the poor, the oppressed, and the lowly, humbly pay attention to their lifestyle, and gently listen to their opinions and perceptions, we will already have perceived the truth Jesus spoke of.
This is what Tertullian meant when he said, “eyes healed by grace”.
--- p.21

“Downwardness is the way of God, the way of the cross, and also the way of Christ.
This divine way of life is what our Lord wants to give us through the Holy Spirit.
A life of faith is a life in which our hearts and minds gain new knowledge and understand God's ways through the power of Christ, who has given us insight into the deep things of God.
When Jesus died on the cross, the disciples felt a deep sense of loss and defeat.
They thought everything was over and were gripped by fear that they too would suffer the same fate as Jesus.
They did not realize that God's path was toward the lower places.
But everything changed when the Holy Spirit Jesus promised came on the day of Pentecost.
The Holy Spirit washed away the disciples' fears.
The Holy Spirit showed the disciples who Jesus truly was and revealed a new way.
He also gave his disciples the power to proclaim to the whole world the way of the cross, the way of humility, as the way of salvation.”
--- p.26-27

“God gave us bread so that we could completely surrender ourselves to his word.
Achievement, efficiency, and productivity are gifts given primarily to those whose hearts are fixed on the Lord.
This is not to say that we should despise circumstantial behavior, but that such behavior should not become the basis of our identity as Christians.
We are not the cake we offer.
We are human beings who consume the word of God and discover our true selves there.
The fundamental challenge for us is to allow God and His divine word to continually shape us as human beings, to feed on it richly every day, and to grow into free and fearless people.
In this way, we can continue to bear witness to God's presence in this world.
Even when there are very few or no visible results.”

--- p.39