Customer Reviews

Heart Speaks to Heart: Three Prayers to Jesus

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This is an excellent read in classic Nouwen style. Nouwen draws the reader into a wonderful meditation on the incredible love that Jesus has for His people and the unbelievable breadth of His ability and desire to take on all human pain and suffering. This is a short book of 3 prayers that help the reader to meditate on the wonderful gift of the sacred heart of Jesus.

Henri Nouwen explores the traditional devotion to the Sacred Heart; and, characteristically, addresses the Lord in a very personal, unpompous, and unforbidding tone of voice.

What is most fascinating about this book, however, is how it happened to get written: under the persistent encouragement and gentle prodding of Madame Pauline Vanier, whose son Jean was the founder of the L'Arche/Daybreak communities for the mentally challenged.

Henri Nouwen's attempt to get in touch with this aspect of Catholic devotion, we find praiseworthy. The simplicity and lucidity with which we writes, and the endearing gentleness of his approach: winsome and effective. These three prayers, written from the standpoint of fallibility and vulnerability, nonetheless display an appropriate confidence in God's prevailing mercy.