Item 1557 - Out of solitude, healing

1 p. of textual records

This item is a half-page article by Henri Nouwen entitled, Out of Solitude, Healing, published in the National Catholic Reporter, c. May 24, 1974. Renewing the theme of solitude from his previous articles (April and May) Nouwen states, “In solitude history becomes Kairos, which means history converts from a random collection of disconnected events into a constant opportunity for a change of heart and mind”. He goes on to say in clarification, “When history becomes Kairos, I am called to search for hope even in the middle of crying cities, burning hospitals and desperate parents and children”. Kairos, Nouwen suggests brings the depths of the heart into the actions of mind and hand; in Kairos which we touch in solitude, our actions are transformed. Nouwen concludes, “Every time in history that men and women have been able to respond to the manifestations of evil and death as to a Kairos, a historic opportunity, an inexhaustible source of generosity and new life has been opened, offering hope far beyond the limits of human prediction”.

Published in National Catholic Reporter, ca. 24 May 1974.
"5/24" written on the article; Archives presumed this to be 24 May 1974.
There is a head shot photo of Nouwen, taken by Ron van den Bosch. See P6433 on Page 11 of Album 3 for a full-size version of the photo.
The themes of solitude and loneliness and the need for quiet solitude in life are developed further in Nouwen's books: Out of Solitude: Three Meditations on the Christian Life, Ave Maria Press, Notre Dame, Indiana, 1974 and Reaching Out: The Three Movements of the Spiritual Life, Image Books, Doubleday, New York, 1975

Added by L Joson, 7 November 2017