The Way of the Heart

In The Way of the Heart, author and teacher Henri Nouwen looks to the desert for spiritual inspiration, specifically the text Apophthegmata Patrum, or “Sayings of the Desert Fathers.” This was created by a group of Christians who fled to the Egyptian desert in the fourth and fifth centuries CE to avoid conformity to the world. Nouwen explores the ways in which solitude and silence can help modern Christians become closer to God. Nouwen focuses on three simple words that in themselves create a spiritual discipline that can forge a path to the Holy Spirit. They are “flee, be silent, and pray.” In his straightforward and easily accessible style, Nouwen helps us to examine our lives and reconnect with what really matters. The Way of the Heart teaches us that a desert is not always a barren place; sometimes it is a paradise of faith and love. Henri J. M. Nouwen (1932-1996) was the author of With Open Hands, Reaching Out, The Wounded Healer, Making All Things New, and many other bestsellers. He was the senior pastor of L’Arche Daybreak in Toronto, Canada, a community where men and women with mental disabilities and their assistants create a home for one another. “Brings desert spirituality to bear upon the contemporary scene ... Hauntingly relevant for us today.” – Christianity Today