The Road to Daybreak: A Spiritual Journey

This is a wonderfully inspiring book documenting Henri's journey from Ivy League professor to the priest of a community of people with severe disabilities. His story reminds us that the crux of the Christian life is not flashiness and worldly success, but that it comes from being a servant to the needy and poor of our world. As Henri shares his fears, anxieties, and triumphs of his journey, we are encouraged to face the things keeping us from fully giving our life to the poor (be it mentally, spiritually, financially, emotionally, etc.) and/or are encouraged in the work we are already doing with people society has cast aside. If the 11th chapter of Hebrews was rewritten, Henri Nouwen would be another example of someone who showed great faith in God by taking God at his word and going to a new place where he knew not what would happen to him. As a special education teacher who is involved in the community of people with disabilities, I found Henri to be a true inspiration and encouragement to continue ministering to--and certainly being ministered to by people who have disabilities. This book would be an encouragement to anyone who wants their life to reflect some of the most central teachings of Jesus.

this book was a gift to my mom when she retired from her work about 5 years ago. i don't know how it interested me but i did read it from cover to cover. as i went along, i couldn't help but identify with henri nouwen. our situation in life may not be the same but i swear i've been feeling everything that he has been feeling. his joys, his sorrows, his nostalgia, his fears. and i couldn't help but find hope each time he talks about his little triumphs over himself and over the world. i was particularly moved by the fact that though he is a priest he was so keenly aware of his need for appreciation, affection, attention and respect. my own needs that i have been wanting to ignore for fear of appearing needy and vulnerable. and besides it's senseless to get them if you will just be humiliated in the end. the worst humiliation i guess is the reproach you give yourself for not knowing to act at situations which is otherwise very ordinary to ordinary people. it is the shame of finding out you have a delusion of grandeur. it is inspiring to note that henri nouwen lived through it all and found meaning to all of them. when he did, i found meaning to each of mine's struggles too. his acceptance and redirection of his need for intimacy made me realize that even this need can be harnessed for something better. in sharing his journey i had a journey of my own. my struggles have not ended. it is lifetime. but every now and then, i would remember exerpts this book. and i become more appreciative of myself, of the people who have been a part of me and the people who are yet to be a part of my growth. i believe, a lot of people would have the same benefits that it gave me if ever they read the book.

Why would a man who has taught at Yale & Harvard, had his books published and lauded on 3 continents, go to live in a community which asks him to help care for one of its "core members" who is severely handicapped. Why would someone like Henri Nouwen live in a community like that for the last 10 years of his life? This book explains it for readers of Henri Nouwen's other books who find his choice of community odd. Glad it is available in paperback so more people can see what taking Christ at his word could mean.

Oftentimes, as lay people, we have a tendency to see priests as residing on some sort of moral high ground, but in this narrative, Henri Nouwen reminds us that they are just as human as the rest of us. His candid account of his journey towards selflessness in Christ is one to which all of us can relate. Each entry in this journal contains a spiritual bit of wisdom and the entire book uncovers the blessing that handicapped individuals give to this earth

The over-riding struggle of the book was Nouwen's journey to discern God's call for a new direction in his life and ministry, a deeper relinquishing of his control with the desire to walk closer to Jesus. Since this was precisely where I found myself, I was pulled instantly into the journey and thus LIVED the book. It was a daybreak experience for me, opening a new day and chapter in my life as well.