Bread for the Journey: A Daybook of Wisdom and Faith is a devotional containing meditations for every day of the year. Henry Nouwen begins the book by honing in on everyday experiences and objects. His reflection on the spiritual significance of mealtime, for instance, renders breakfast a revelatory hour: The table is one of the most intimate places in our lives. It is there that we give ourselves to one another. When we say, "Take some more, let me serve you another plate, let me pour you another glass...," we say a lot more than our words express. We invite our friends to become part of our lives. We want them to be nurtured by the same food and drink that nurture us. We desire communion. As the year progresses, Nouwen's focus shifts to the person of Jesus, the nature of the Church, and, finally, to the eternal life that is facilitated, in part, by books of wisdom like this one. --Michael Joseph Gross


Christopher de Vinck, author of Simple Wonders
"How graced we are to have Henri Nouwen's bread to break at the beginning of each day. He has combined the flour, water, and yeast of his heart to provide us with loaves of wisdom to nourish us."


Fr. Joseph F. Girzone, author of Joshua
"Reading his thoughts is like probing a diamond mine: each page lays bare another gem. Faithful followers will not only enjoy reading this latest spiritual masterpiece, but will find themselves reflecting on his thoughts long after they have finished the book."


Fred Rogers, host and creator of Mr. Roger's Neighborhood
"Henri Nouwen shares personal moments, teaching moments, sacramental moments-moments of delight and surprise for anyone who cares to commune with him-and the One to whom he points each day of this journey. What a gift for us all! Bread for the Journey nourishes the soul."


Sister Helen Prejean, C.S.J., author of Dead Man Walking
"On the long road it's good to have Nouwen and his divining rod. Deftly he bends toward the drop of spiritual wisdom caked in the most ordinary things."


Kathleen Norris, author of Dakota and The Cloister Walk
"[This] daily companion...offers faith in plain speech, solid nourishment of the soul."


Book Description
When beloved author Henri Nouwen set out to record this daybook of totally new reflections, he suddenly found himself on "a true spiritual adventure." For in these 366 original, interlocking morsels of daily wisdom, Nouwen provides both sustenance and a trail for us to follow, as he unveils, to his own surprise, his personal map of faith. From the delicate interplay of human experience to the surrender to Christ and the embrace of Christian community, that journey of Christian spirituality is explored and celebrated here in each eloquent, thought-provoking passage,"The table is one of the most intimate places in our lives. It is there that we give ourselves to one another. When we say, 'Take some more, let me serve you another plate, let me pour you another glass, don't be shy, enjoy it,' we say a lot more than our words express. We invite our friends to become part of our lives. We want them to be nurtured by the same food and drink that nurture us. We desire communion.... Every breakfast, lunch, or dinner can become a time of growing communion with one another."Intimately personal and inspiring, Bread for the Journey is a daily feast of fresh insight into the challenges and deep joys of a life lived in close communion with God. Nouwen is a wise, loving companion who invites us along as he finds joy in the community of loss, true freedom in forgiveness of others, and hope in surprising places. Each daily meditation is a stepping-stone along a path of private discovery, offering Nouwen's seasoned yet fresh ideas on kindness, love, suffering, and prayer, the Church as God's people, and the importance of Jesus in one's life-reflecting, as a whole, Nouwen's own 'personal creed.' Bread for the Journey brims with daily nourishment and guidance for devoted followers and new friends alike -- food for thought on a yearlong journey of discovery and faith.


From the Inside Flap
When beloved author Henri Nouwen set out to record this daybook of totally new reflections, he suddenly found himself on "a true spiritual adventure." For in these 366 original, interlocking morsels of daily wisdom, Nouwen provides both sustenance and a trail for us to follow, as he unveils, to his own surprise, his personal map of faith. From the delicate interplay of human experience to the surrender to Christ and the embrace of Christian community, that journey of Christian spirituality is explored and celebrated here in each eloquent, thought-provoking passage. "The table is one of the most intimate places in our lives. It is there that we give ourselves to one another. When we say, 'Take some more, let me serve you another plate, let me pour you another glass, don't be shy, enjoy it,' we say a lot more than our words express. We invite our friends to become part of our lives. We want them to be nurtured by the same food and drink that nurture us. We desire communion....Every breakfast, lunch, or dinner can become a time of growing communion with one another." Intimately personal and inspiring, bread for the journey is a daily feast of fresh insight into the challenges and deep joys of a life lived in close communion with God. Nouwen is a wise, loving companion who invites us along as he finds joy in the community of loss, true freedom in forgiveness of others, and hope in surprising places. Each daily meditation is a stepping-stone along a path of private discovery, offering Nouwen's seasoned yet fresh ideas on kindness, love, suffering, and prayer, the Church as God's people, and the importance of Jesus in one's life-reflecting, as a whole, Nouwen's own 'personal creed.' Bread for the Journey brims with daily nourishment and guidance for devoted followers and new friends alike-food for thought on a yearlong journey of discovery and faith.


From the Back Cover
Beloved author Henri Nouwen is our wise, loving guide--and intimate companion--as we step each day toward a new revelation, energized by the daily nourishment of his insight. Here, in Bread for the Journey, 366 original, interlocking meditations sustain, guide and inspire us on a yearlong voyage of spiritual discovery. Revealing Nouwen's own "personal creed," Bread for the Journey conveys the challenge of faith that is repeated over and over in every serious Christian life. It explores the nature of simple human experience, the surrender to Christ, and the Church as Christian community--and so provides simple yet hearty sustenance for those of us on our own pilgrimage.


About the Author
Henri J. M. Nouwen, (1932-1996) was the author of With Open Hands, Reaching Out, The Wounded Healer, Making All Things New, and many other bestsellers. He was the senior pastor of L'Arche Daybreak in Toronto, Canada, a community where men and women with mental disabilities and their assistants create a home for one another.

FROM OUR EDITORS

Extraordinary faith and unwavering dedication to the principles of hope, forgiveness, and compassion are exhibited in this powerfully inspirational book of Christian reflections.

FROM THE PUBLISHER

When beloved author Henri Nouwen set out to record this daybook of totally new reflections, he suddenly found himself on "a true spiritual adventure." For in these 366 original, interlocking morsels of daily wisdom, Nouwen provides both sustenance and a trail for us to follow, as he unveils, to his own surprise, his personal map of faith. From the delicate interplay of human experience to the surrender to Christ and the embrace of Christian community, that journey of Christian spirituality is explored and celebrated here in each eloquent, thought-provoking passage.