(AgapePress) - "What do you mean when you speak about the spiritual life?" friends used to ask Henri Nouwen. In Making All Things New, Nouwen (1932-1996) answers that question and a second one: "How do we live it?"

The small volume – less than 100 pages – tackles the two questions in the context of a culture which seems to produce lives fraught with worry, busy-ness and restlessness. Published in 1981 (HarperCollins), it is worthy of the designation "modern classic."

Nouwen writes, "[T]his book is, first of all, for men and women who experience a persistent urge to enter more deeply into the spiritual life but are confused about the direction in which to go."

Nouwen observes that people in recent years seem to think worry is good. "We have a suspicion that to be carefree is unrealistic and – worse – dangerous," he says. Consequently, to address the issue, he cites Jesus’ words, "Do not worry" in Matthew 6:31.

In the first section, he identifies the destructive effects of worrying in our daily lives. First, he says we must look at our lives critically, unmasking and confronting games of self-deception. He says we are at once filled and unfilled – filled with things to do, meetings to attend, deadlines to meet, calls to make, projects to finish. At the same time, he says we are unfulfilled, which results in boredom, resentment and even depression.

Part two looks at how Jesus responds to our worrying, how He offers us new life, and how He can make all things new. "Jesus does not speak about a change of activities, a change in contacts, or even a change of pace," writes Nouwen. "He speaks about a change of heart. ... A heart set on the Father’s kingdom is also a heart set on the spiritual life."

Finally, in part three, he offers some specific disciplines which can guide the serious seeker in reaching his goal. "Setting our hearts on something involves not only serious aspiration but also strong determination," he writes. The main thrust of this section is to identify ways to reach the needed balance between time spent alone with God, and time spent in community with other believers.

"Through the discipline of solitude we discover space for God in our innermost being," writes Nouwen. "Through the discipline of community we discover a place for God in our life together."

Before his death of a heart attack in 1996, Nouwen had spent his last decade as pastor of L’Arche Daybreak in Toronto, Canada, a community where men and women with disabilities and their assistants create a home for one another. His years there were the culmination of a spiritual journey which began in his native Holland, where he was ordained to the Catholic priesthood in 1957. He wrote extensively in his areas of expertise – pastoral psychology, spirituality, and ministry – authoring more than 40 books, plus hundreds of newsletters, pamphlets and papers.

Among his best-known books is The Wounded Healer, which crystallizes his life and spirituality.

He spent much of his life in the United States, where he taught at a number of universities including Notre Dame, Yale Divinity School, and Harvard Divinity School. In addition to being an author, academic and theologian, he was a campaigner for social justice.

Through the Henri Nouwen Society (www.nouwen.net), readers and friends continue to study his work and life.

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