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Inspired by the drawings of Sister Helen David, Henri Nouwen sees in these images the ongoing passion of Christ in our world today. Stark and moving, her drawings–of an abandoned child, of a political prisoner behind bars, a peasant burdened by a load of firewood, a mother grieving for he murdered son–still do not lead us to despair. Rather, as Nouwen notes, they “help us unite our own broken humanity with the humanity of the men, women, and children portrayed . . . . This union become possibly through the suffering and risen body of Jesus. In and through Jesus, our world can become one because in this divine love he embraces all of us, and desires that we all be one, as he and his father are one.”
The late Henri Nouwen (1932-1996), a Dutch-born priest, remains one of the most popular spiritual writers in the world. He spoke and taught around the globe, including at Yale and Harvard, and spent the latter part of his life as a member of the L’Arche Daybreak Community in Toronto, Canada. His many books include Adam: God’s Beloved, With Burning Hearts: Meditations on the Eucharistic Life, and The Selfless Way of Christ.
Sister Helen David Brancato, IHM, lives and works in Philadelphia, PA.
