Following Jesus

July 29, 2019
The late Dutch Catholic priest and spiritual writer Nouwen (The Return of the Prodigal Son) unpacks what it means to be a follower of Jesus in modern society in this excellent posthumous collection of essays drawn from his lectures. Following a moving introduction from friar Richard Rohr in which Rohr argues Nouwen’s ideas were prescient, Nouwen (1932 –1996) invites secular readers to consider Christianity in the first chapter, and the rest of the book is an explicit call to those looking to follow Jesus’s example. He explores the challenge of loving one’s enemies and the connective nature of suffering: “All of humanity has been nailed on the cross... the Risen Lord is the Lord in whose body we have all been gathered. There is great hope in this understanding.” For Nouwen, those who choose to follow Jesus will be rewarded with joy and the promise of God’s presence. He also often draws on the Gospels to invoke concrete examples of Jesus preaching to his original followers, paraphrasing many sayings and rules for readers: “Pray for people that you do not like. You really have to work at it,” and, “We are suffering almost every moment of our life. There is always something that is a little hard... I think we should start with focusing on our small problems.” For Christians interested in Nouwen, this fresh collection of his writings will serve as a fine entry point.