The Living Reminder: Service and Prayer in Memory of Jesus Christ [Paperback]

Henri J. M. Nouwen (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: January 1, 1984

How service is prayer and prayer is service

In this rich and deceptively simple book, beloved writer Henri Nouwen speaks--from the heart and from his own experience--of the joys and challenges of religious service. He shows how ministry cannot be separated from spirituality and reveals how anyone involved in religiously motivated service can act as a healing, sustaining, and guiding reminder of Jesus.

Editorial Reviews

Review

“The Living Reminder was like a visit from a friend I needed to speak with. The surprise for me was how much I needed to hear him say familiar things.” (National Catholic Reporter )

“On the long road it’s good to have Nouwen and his diving rod. Deftly he bends toward the drop of spiritual wisdom caked in the most ordinary things.” (Sister Helen Prejean, C.S.J., author of Dead Man Walking )

From the Back Cover

In this rich and deceptively simple book, beloved writer Henri Nouwen speaks-from the heart and from his own experience-of the joys and challenges of religious service. He shows how ministry cannot be separated from spirituality and reveals how anyone involved in religiously motivated service can act as a healing, sustaining, and guiding reminder of Jesus.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 80 pages
• Publisher: HarperOne (January 1, 1984)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0866839151
• ISBN-13: 978-0866839150
• Product Dimensions: 7.8 x 5.9 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #58,609 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Henri Nouwen was born in Holland in 1932 and ordained a Catholic priest in 1957. He obtained his doctorandus in psychology from Nijmegen University in the Netherlands and taught at Notre Dame, Yale, and Harvard. He experienced the monastic life with Trappist monks at the Abbey of the Genesee, lived among the poor in Latin America with the Maryknoll missioners, and was interested and active in numerous causes related to social justice. After a lifetime of seeking, Henri Nouwen finally found his home in Canada, as pastor of L'Arche Daybreak - where people with intellectual disabilities and their caregivers live together in community.

Henri Nouwen wrote over 40 books on spirituality and the spiritual life that have sold millions of copies and been translated into dozens of languages. His vision of spirituality was broad and inclusive, and his compassion embraced all of humankind.

He died in 1996. His work and his spirit live on.

Henri Nouwen pronounced his name "Henry Now-en." For more information on his life and work, please visit www.henrinouwen.org .

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars a short picture of the incarnational minister, December 4, 2005

By 

Christina McRorie - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Living Reminder: Service and Prayer in Memory of Jesus Christ (Paperback)

The lack of reviews of this is surprising; in Living Reminder Nouwen has written a must-read for understanding ministry. He explores how Christian ministry, if it is to be genuine and effective, must be sustained by a deep and Christ-centered spirituality.

Nouwen writes that the minister is called to be three things: a healing reminder (connecting human sufferings with those of Christ, being a living reminder of God), a sustaining reminder (where he discusses his novel concept of a ministry of absence and the importance of presence first to God rather than those ministered to), and a guiding reminder (providing prophetic confrontation, inspiration, and hope). In all of these things, Nouwen describes what the living reminder looks like and why, rather than what this minister does: "We have lost touch... we are called to connect, not so much by what we do, but by who we are" (30).

While it is not a how-to at all, this book provides the why and how of incarnational ministry. Nouwen's writing is exceptionally clear, organized well, and concise. His ideas, however, are abstract; he deals with our paradigms rather than our actions. This is short, but very impactful... a must-read for anyone seeking to understand what a living reminder looks like.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Another great book!, April 28, 2011

By 

Suzybell - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: The Living Reminder: Service and Prayer in Memory of Jesus Christ (Paperback)

I have read most all of Nouwen's books - each are written from the attitude of knowing and serving a God who loves us and wants to be in relationship with those He created. In The Living Reminder, Nouwen emphasizes the importance of remembering where God has brought us from and where He is leading us to go. It is a book for everyone who wishes to minister to the hurting around them (pastors, counselors, laity). The book is short and easy to read - yet profound and encouraging. I highly recommend all of Nouwen's books for those who are searching for a closer walk with God.

5.0 out of 5 stars Reminders are Important, July 6, 2011

By 

Momo - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: The Living Reminder: Service and Prayer in Memory of Jesus Christ (Paperback)

I read this book in the 1980s. It was a gift from a wonderful spiritual mentor. I lost it through many changes and chances in my life. Reading it 20 years later helped me go deeper with Nouwen, who is one of my favorite authors. He brings being and action together in a very satisfying way.