rtq66's review against another edition
5.0
Henri Nouwen has been a treasured spiritual guide since I first read his classic text, *The Wounded Healer* in college. I had purchased *Peacework* some years back for a study but on a whim recently pulled it off my bookshelf to reread. It was just the solace and challenge I needed for these times where peace of mind and peace among neighbors (local and global) seems so tenuous. Nouwen's reflections are primarily prompted by the nuclear threat and some references seem dated to the situation of the 1980s when this book was written. However, the book as a whole transcends any particular socio-political time period and speaks directly to the root of challenge of peacemaking and its essential grounding in the spiritual life. The book's argument is divided up into three interconnected chapters that correspond with the three interconnected dimensions of peacework: prayer, resistance, and community. It speaks straight into our current time of deep vitriol, fear, and hostility with a powerful reminder that the life of peace grounded in a relationship with God is profoundly counter-cultural and sets us at odds with this culture that seeks to divide us into enemies. Nouwen is not offering easy comfort nor a three step plan to make the world a better place. Instead he is inviting the reader into a deep connection with this divine which moves us into peacework, a work that is often active resistance to the forces of division and death in our world. At the heart of this is a reminder of the importance of grounding oneself in a community of support and accountability. This community of faith is not a place where we set ourselves apart as superior to others. Instead, Nouwen insists that this is a community of confession. "Community emerges when we dare to overcome our fears and confess to each other how much we still belong to the world." (p.105). Our confession is a reminder that the enemy of peace resides in us and it frees us from the conceit that peace comes from our will and determination alone. Our confession opens us to deeper connection with the divine spirit of peace and we are set apart to engage fully a world that lacks peace in prayerful resistance. This is a critical read for our current times.
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