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Its not easy to speak about death in our culture. As children of revolution, we think of our country as young, energetic, and future oriented. Our ideals of progress and vigor seem contradicted by the concept of death. But the silence about death in America is a lost opportunity for people to find insight and support in walking that lonesome valley. In Befriending Death, over 100 writers respond, in one page each, to one question: In the face of death, how do you find meaning and fulfillment in life? Penned from people from a variety of backgrounds, the essays take death seriously and openly and discuss how the authors find meaning in life. This chance for a rare sharing of views on a truly profound subject has attracted commentators who are deeply religious and those who are not religious, noted authors and people who have never published a word, people celebrated by the world and people ignored by the world. As they are all equal in their mortality, they are equal in striving for an authentic existence and an honest description of what for them constitutes fulfillment. While each essay in Befriending Death is unique, together they present a tapestry of courage, struggle, and insight. At a time when we are often overwhelmed by the eagerness of people to provide their opinions on politics and sports, here is a rare opportunity to hear people share their most profound views on life and death.
Through the words of Henri Nouwen, this is an inspiring and life-transforming guide to the ultimate mystery of human existence. O'Rourke concentrates on Nouwen's reflections on death and dying.
A beautiful collection of reminiscences celebrating the life and works of the bestselling author of The Wounded Healer, The Return of the Prodigal Son, and The Inner Voice of Love. Henri Nouwen (1932-96) was a Catholic priest who taught at several theological institutions and universities in his home country of the Netherlands and in the United States. He spent the final years of his life teaching and ministering at the L'Arche Daybreak Community in Toronto, Canada. His writings have touched millions of readers around the world, and since his death, recognition of their enduring value has continued to grow. Oprah Winfrey, one of Nouwen's many admirers, ran an extensive excerpt from The Return of the Prodigal Son in her magazine, O, with Hillary Clinton contributing an introduction revealing the profound effect Nouwen had on her own life. Nouwen's influence was not limited to the printed page. His one-on-one encounters as a lecturer, teacher, and spiritual guide, and as a leader at the L'Arche Daybreak Community, a home for people with mental and physical disabilities, enriched the lives of a wide variety of people. Now, Befriending Life brings together thoughtful, heartfelt remembrances of Nouwen by those who knew him best, from members of the L'Arche community to such prominent figures as Joseph Cardinal Bernardin of Chicago and Hillary Clinton. Their personal reflections on his life both on and off the page magnificently capture his spirit, compassion, and wisdom. With a wealth of quotations from Nouwen throughout, Befriending Life, like Nouwen's own great books, will inspire readers in all walks of life.
Sooner or later every person faces questions about death and whether there is anything beyond it. This little book consists of personal and sometime private letters between three brothers who realize their own lives may soon come to an end. The wisdom they offer is not only for their own families and friends left behind, but for others who have faced the loss of loved ones. Writing from different religious perspectives, the letters are nonetheless spiritual in the way they seek to wrest from a life lived in the face of death some wisdom for one another as well as others who have shared their struggles with life's deepest questions. When he was asked about the essence of his philosophy, Plato reportedly said, "Practice dying." These letters take his wisdom to heart in a series of heartfelt exchanges over the course of a year, concluding with each author's request for what his memorial service would be like.
"Glaser is clearly cloaked in Henri's mantle as he reflects on specific gems from Henri's works. The reader is treated to the enriched nourishment of Henri's thought enhanced by the insights and experience of his long-standing friend and colleague. Henri's Mantle is real food for the spiritual journey." --Sue Mosteller, CSJ, literary Executrix of the Henri Nouwen Estate "Henri's Mantle is a cloak of many colors, interwoven with rich seams of theological insight and underlain with a perceptive appreciation of Nouwen's work. Glaser's personal reminiscences of his mentor are particularly compelling, allowing us to look over the author's shoulder and observe the intimate world of a spiritual master. But through these meditations, we are given a glimpse into the soul of Glaser himself--and sense he, too, is close to God." --Michael Ford, author of Wounded Prophet: A Portrait of Henri J. M. Nouwen and Father Mychal Judge: An Authentic American Hero "Henri Nouwen's trapeze troupe trusted the firm grip of God's catching commitment to all of us: 'You are my beloved, on you my favor rests.' In this book, Glaser gracefully glides across various spiritual themes to illustrate God's grasp and how much Glaser is a full-fledged spiritual acrobat." --Laurent Nouwen, Henri's youngest brother "By weaving information about his own life and spiritual journey, Glaser shows how Henri's mantle has been gratefully received by him, and how eager he is to pass it on. This is a fine addition to the ever-expanding Nouwen collection." --Wendy Wilson Greer, President, Henri Nouwen Society "In life and death, Henri was in the vestibule of on incomplete Church and on unfinished world, welcoming others and their own experiences of God and justice. Glaser brilliantly evokes our own weaknesses, guiding us to keep our faith in the strength and love of the Divine Catcher who will lift us up and carry us home." --Walter Sanchez, Universidad de Chile
Drawing from The Tibetan Book of the Dead, a Buddhist teacher “provides [readers] with the essential guidepost for embarking on the journey of life and the journey beyond” (Journal of Hospice and Palliative Nursing) In Making Friends with Death, Buddhist teacher Judith Lief, who's drawn her inspiration from the Tibetan Book of the Dead, shows us that through the powerful combination of contemplation of death and mindfulness practice, we can change how we relate to death, enhance our appreciation of everyday life, and use our developing acceptance of our own vulnerability as a basis for opening to others. She also offers a series of guidelines to help us reconnect with dying persons, whether they are friends or family, clients or patients. Lief highlights the value of relating to the immediacy of death as an ongoing aspect of everyday life by offering readers a variety of practical methods that they can apply to their lives and work. These methods include: • Simple mindfulness exercises for deepening awareness of moment-by-moment change • Practices for cultivating loving-kindness • Helpful slogans and guidelines for caregivers to use Making Friends with Death will enlighten anyone interested in coming to terms with their own mortality. More specifically, the contemplative approach presented here offers health professionals, students of death and dying, and people who are helping a dying friend or relative useful guidance and inspiration. It will show them how to ground their actions in awareness and compassion, so that the steps they take in dealing with pain and suffering will be more effective.
Highlights the tension-filled nature of our journey and shows us, via Nouwen's example, how we too can navigate our way through it in a transformative way.
A renowned ethicist who himself faced death during a recent life-threatening illness, Allen Verhey in The Christian Art of Dying sets out to recapture dying from the medical world. Seeking to counter the medicalization of death that is so prevalent today, Verhey revisits the fifteenth-century Ars Moriendi, an illustrated spiritual self-help manual on "the art of dying." Finding much wisdom in that little book but rejecting its Stoic and Platonic worldview, Verhey uncovers in the biblical accounts of Jesus' death a truly helpful paradigm for dying well and faithfully.
From the author of The Wounded Healer and Letters to Marc About Jesus comes a critically acclaimed and deeply moving look at human mortality that reveals the essential gifts the living and the dying can give to one another.
Drawing on the writings and wisdom of Henri Nouwen and her own many years of caregiving, this vulnerable exploration of caregiving celebrates the gifts of caregiving grounded in the belovedness of caregiver and care receiver in God's eyes without shying away from its physical, emotional, and spiritual challenges.