What do you think?
Rate this book
Can You Drink the Cup?
The last book published before Nouwen's death in 1996, Can You Drink the Cup? has been translated into ten languages and sold more than 135,000 copies. Exploring the deep spiritual impact of the question Jesus asked his friends James and John, Nouwen reflects upon the metaphor of the cup, using the images of holding, lifting, and drinking to articulate the basics of the spiritual life.
123 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1996
About the author
Henri J.M. Nouwen
337 books1,886 followersHenri Jozef Machiel Nouwen (Nouen), (1932–1996) was a Dutch-born Catholic priest and writer who authored 40 books on the spiritual life.
Nouwen's books are widely read today by Protestants and Catholics alike. The Wounded Healer, In the Name of Jesus, Clowning in Rome, The Life of the Beloved, and The Way of the Heart are just a few of the more widely recognized titles. After nearly two decades of teaching at the Menninger Foundation Clinic in Topeka, Kansas, and at the University of Notre Dame, Yale University and Harvard University, he went to share his life with mentally handicapped people at the L'Arche community of Daybreak in Toronto, Canada. After a long period of declining energy, which he chronicled in his final book, Sabbatical Journey, he died in September 1996 from a sudden heart attack.
His spirituality was influenced by many, notably by his friendship with Jean Vanier. At the invitation of Vanier he visited L'Arche in France, the first of over 130 communities around the world where people with developmental disabilities live and share life together with those who care for them. In 1986 Nouwen accepted the position of pastor for a L'Arche community called "Daybreak" in Canada, near Toronto. Nouwen wrote about his relationship with Adam, a core member at L'Arche Daybreak with profound developmental disabilities, in a book titled Adam: God's Beloved. Father Nouwen was a good friend of the late Joseph Cardinal Bernardin.
The results of a Christian Century magazine survey conducted in 2003 indicate that Nouwen's work was a first choice of authors for Catholic and mainline Protestant clergy.
One of his most famous works is Inner Voice of Love, his diary from December 1987 to June 1988 during one of his most serious bouts with clinical depression.
There is a Father Henri J. M. Nouwen Catholic Elementary School in Richmond Hill, Ontario.
Nouwen's books are widely read today by Protestants and Catholics alike. The Wounded Healer, In the Name of Jesus, Clowning in Rome, The Life of the Beloved, and The Way of the Heart are just a few of the more widely recognized titles. After nearly two decades of teaching at the Menninger Foundation Clinic in Topeka, Kansas, and at the University of Notre Dame, Yale University and Harvard University, he went to share his life with mentally handicapped people at the L'Arche community of Daybreak in Toronto, Canada. After a long period of declining energy, which he chronicled in his final book, Sabbatical Journey, he died in September 1996 from a sudden heart attack.
His spirituality was influenced by many, notably by his friendship with Jean Vanier. At the invitation of Vanier he visited L'Arche in France, the first of over 130 communities around the world where people with developmental disabilities live and share life together with those who care for them. In 1986 Nouwen accepted the position of pastor for a L'Arche community called "Daybreak" in Canada, near Toronto. Nouwen wrote about his relationship with Adam, a core member at L'Arche Daybreak with profound developmental disabilities, in a book titled Adam: God's Beloved. Father Nouwen was a good friend of the late Joseph Cardinal Bernardin.
The results of a Christian Century magazine survey conducted in 2003 indicate that Nouwen's work was a first choice of authors for Catholic and mainline Protestant clergy.
One of his most famous works is Inner Voice of Love, his diary from December 1987 to June 1988 during one of his most serious bouts with clinical depression.
There is a Father Henri J. M. Nouwen Catholic Elementary School in Richmond Hill, Ontario.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 169 reviews
December 2, 2021
This is the last book published before author’s death in 1996, and it’s a fitting one. Using the imagery of holding, lifting, and drinking a cup of wine, he talks about the basics of the spiritual life, and the cup imagery here illustrates spiritual potential in our life, right until death. This book is slim, but like some other slim books, it has much power.
The author uses real-life scenes from his work in a community for physically and mentally challenged people as some examples, which connect nicely with the book’s theme. The title comes from the Gospel of Matthew, where the mother of the sons of Zebedee asks if the boys can get seat next to Jesus in his kingdom, and Jesus pretty much answers that they first must go through life with its sufferings and joys (for James, his martyrdom comes soonish, executed by Herod – John is the only apostle not to die by martyrdom, but lives a long life with other sufferings of the Christians in Ancient Rome, including at least one time of exile as it’s told in the book of Revelation).
He also talks about how he became a priest, and what kinds of cups he has used in life, including the glass ones used in the community he worked in. But the main question of the book is: can we accept and live our spiritual life as it happens during our lifetime? Can we accept our own cups? The main part of the book is divided into the three actions of drinking: holding, lifting, drinking.
Holding: reflecting on life, looking critically even when it’s scary; holding our own cup (our own choices, life). It’s both a cup of sorrow, and of joy; there may be moments of joy within sorrow, and whatever cup is like in whatever point of life, there is always hope and hope of good future in afterlife to think about.
Lifting: to affirm and celebrate life together, contributing to the community. To find people you can trust to be open about yourself with, to be grateful of life.
Drinking (and to the bottom of the cup): accepting our life (not easy) and being true to ourselves. Yearning for beyond’s freedom. Having moments of silence with thinking, a good community, and good actions.
And going through this with the support of the Holy Spirit. We have the cup of Communion during Mass, but thinking about the cup of our (spiritual) life is also important. To think about our lives, to have a community, and to have hope for a good future of afterlife: and we drink our own cup, using our senses to examine it, and drink it slowly and with appreciation, with a connection to God.
Yes, this book is a slim book full of things to ponder about, with a good after-feels. Recommended to all interested.
The author uses real-life scenes from his work in a community for physically and mentally challenged people as some examples, which connect nicely with the book’s theme. The title comes from the Gospel of Matthew, where the mother of the sons of Zebedee asks if the boys can get seat next to Jesus in his kingdom, and Jesus pretty much answers that they first must go through life with its sufferings and joys (for James, his martyrdom comes soonish, executed by Herod – John is the only apostle not to die by martyrdom, but lives a long life with other sufferings of the Christians in Ancient Rome, including at least one time of exile as it’s told in the book of Revelation).
He also talks about how he became a priest, and what kinds of cups he has used in life, including the glass ones used in the community he worked in. But the main question of the book is: can we accept and live our spiritual life as it happens during our lifetime? Can we accept our own cups? The main part of the book is divided into the three actions of drinking: holding, lifting, drinking.
Holding: reflecting on life, looking critically even when it’s scary; holding our own cup (our own choices, life). It’s both a cup of sorrow, and of joy; there may be moments of joy within sorrow, and whatever cup is like in whatever point of life, there is always hope and hope of good future in afterlife to think about.
Lifting: to affirm and celebrate life together, contributing to the community. To find people you can trust to be open about yourself with, to be grateful of life.
Drinking (and to the bottom of the cup): accepting our life (not easy) and being true to ourselves. Yearning for beyond’s freedom. Having moments of silence with thinking, a good community, and good actions.
And going through this with the support of the Holy Spirit. We have the cup of Communion during Mass, but thinking about the cup of our (spiritual) life is also important. To think about our lives, to have a community, and to have hope for a good future of afterlife: and we drink our own cup, using our senses to examine it, and drink it slowly and with appreciation, with a connection to God.
Yes, this book is a slim book full of things to ponder about, with a good after-feels. Recommended to all interested.
February 3, 2016
Writing in a gentle and calm style, Nouwen invites us to an imaginative rereading of Jesus's question "Can you drink the cup I am going to drink?". Through the metaphors of holding, lifting and drinking the cup, he shows us how the celebration of the Eucharist may model for us a path of true spiritual life. By reflecting upon our own lives and embracing our own sorrows and joys, by living a life of community and friendship and by surrendering ourselves fully to Jesus, we say a deep spiritual Yes to the question, therefore emptying the cup of our lives for God to fill it with everlasting life. Wisdom to be savoured again and again.
June 20, 2021
Written and published just before his death, Nouwen uses the drinking of the cup (from Jesus question to James and John) as a metaphor for living the Christian life. This small book contains much of Nouwen's wisdom from a life lived in God's service delivered succinctly. Books like these are rare and well worth every minute spent reading.
March 5, 2017
هذا الكتاب ترجم الى العربي تحت اسم : هل تستطيع ان تشرب الكاس.?
الترجمة مفهومة .
الكاتب بيشرح التشابه بين طريقة شرب كاس من الخمر واحتمال الم الحياة و قبولها.
التشبيه جميل وكان جديد على بعض التشابهات التي وضعها.
هنري نوين فنان في شرح ما يريد ان يعلمه لنا عن الم الحياة. و كيف ان كاس الحياة هو كاس الالم وكاس الفرح مع بعض. انه كاس واحد. وعلى الانسان ان يقبله ويشربه .
ايضا وضح اهمية وجود اخرين لكي تساعد الانسان ان يشرب كاس الحياة.
الترجمة مفهومة .
الكاتب بيشرح التشابه بين طريقة شرب كاس من الخمر واحتمال الم الحياة و قبولها.
التشبيه جميل وكان جديد على بعض التشابهات التي وضعها.
هنري نوين فنان في شرح ما يريد ان يعلمه لنا عن الم الحياة. و كيف ان كاس الحياة هو كاس الالم وكاس الفرح مع بعض. انه كاس واحد. وعلى الانسان ان يقبله ويشربه .
ايضا وضح اهمية وجود اخرين لكي تساعد الانسان ان يشرب كاس الحياة.
February 15, 2022
This book was given to me by a friend for my birthday this year - she found it transformative & encouraging for her life calling.
'Drinking the cup' is the metaphor that Henri Nouwen explores in this book. It was an inspiring read for me as Henri Nouwen wrote this while taking up residence at L'Arche Daybreak, a residential community for those with intellectual and physical disabilities in Toronto, and I see parallels with the people I see as the visiting GP at a supported accommodation for those with chronic mental illness. I am praying for a team of people who can catch my vision to offer "a cup of cold water" to these people who would otherwise be homeless.
'Drinking the cup' is the metaphor that Henri Nouwen explores in this book. It was an inspiring read for me as Henri Nouwen wrote this while taking up residence at L'Arche Daybreak, a residential community for those with intellectual and physical disabilities in Toronto, and I see parallels with the people I see as the visiting GP at a supported accommodation for those with chronic mental illness. I am praying for a team of people who can catch my vision to offer "a cup of cold water" to these people who would otherwise be homeless.
February 27, 2021
A beautifully simple and rich read for lent. An exploration of what it means to drink our cups of life, with all its highs and lows. What does it mean to join Christ in fulfilling his calling of relational intimacy with the father? Henri Nouwen guides us on this journey through his own life experiences.
Read
March 17, 2022“he knew that drinking the cup would lead him beyond the entrapment of this world to complete liberation, beyond the agony of death to the splendor of resurrection. this knowing had little to do with understanding or comprehending. it was knowledge of a heart shaped in the garden of eternal love”
December 14, 2020
هل تستطيع أن تشرب الكأس؟ هل تستطيع أن تشرب كأس الحياة بكل ما فيها من حزن وفرح؟ هل تستطيع أن تشربه في جو من حب اصدقاء حقيقيين؟ هل تستطيع أن تفرغه حتى قاعه عالماً ان الله سوف يملأه حياة ابدية؟
ان حمل وشرب الكأس هو حياتك المدعو ان تعيشها وتقبلها. وهو دعوتك لتعيش حريتك الحقيقية.
ان حمل وشرب الكأس هو حياتك المدعو ان تعيشها وتقبلها. وهو دعوتك لتعيش حريتك الحقيقية.
March 25, 2020
Who is ever prepared for life and all it will bring? As much as we hope that ‘everything will work out in the end’ - when it doesn’t, we are left holding our disappointment, failure, and despair. Each of us has our own individual life to live and cup to drink. No one can drink it for you and you can even try to avoid it altogether. The cup of life is full of sorrow. Yet it is also full of joy. To drink it, we must learn to savor the taste of both. He argues that in accepting it, with gratitude, and drinking it to the bottom, every drop, is life itself.
Jesus asks a simple question, yet within it contains the entire Christian life. “Can you drink the cup I am going to drink?”
If you are not careful, this book will open up your spirit, and cause you to reflect on your life, your history, your future and the cup that you have been asked to drink. It challenged me deeply. It’s not one of Nouwen’s most profound works but a worthy and necessary read. It can be read in only a day or two. And yet no matter how short his work he always leaves you with a lifetime worth of reflection and wonder.
"To Life"
Jesus asks a simple question, yet within it contains the entire Christian life. “Can you drink the cup I am going to drink?”
If you are not careful, this book will open up your spirit, and cause you to reflect on your life, your history, your future and the cup that you have been asked to drink. It challenged me deeply. It’s not one of Nouwen’s most profound works but a worthy and necessary read. It can be read in only a day or two. And yet no matter how short his work he always leaves you with a lifetime worth of reflection and wonder.
"To Life"
August 22, 2018
Just reread this again on a personal retreat. Some times it is difficult to equally embrace the joys and sorrows of life, recognizing that both are needed to fully follow Christ and the unique path He prepares for us.
May 16, 2024
Henri Nouwen remains one who makes me want to be a disciple of Christ, for all the best reasons. The book, serving as a timely reminder, successfully parallels the threefold actions of consecrating the cup with the ways we must claim (hold), share (lift), and appropriate (drink) every aspect of our lives — whether the cup first tastes sorrowful or joyful. A major theme included the necessity of a life reflected upon and claimed in totality, for the cup of blessing and salvation includes both sorrow and joy. I quite liked his recommendations for drinking the cup, or realizing the totality of our life, through silence, fellowship, and action, all in a Kierkegaard-fashion of taking hold of and declaring oneself before God, now expanded to be before the trusted community of the Church and then the non-believing world.
Overall, it was an excellent read and very accessible to someone who wants some good ole fashioned encouragement to love Jesus, and a reminder that in any circumstance, the life we have is the lot we’ve been given, the cup we must drink, so even in the sorrow find the blessing, the pearl of great price, and pursue it richly.
last line:
“Together when we drink that cup as Jesus drank it we are transformed into the one body of the living Christ, always dying and always rising for the salvation of the world.”
Overall, it was an excellent read and very accessible to someone who wants some good ole fashioned encouragement to love Jesus, and a reminder that in any circumstance, the life we have is the lot we’ve been given, the cup we must drink, so even in the sorrow find the blessing, the pearl of great price, and pursue it richly.
last line:
“Together when we drink that cup as Jesus drank it we are transformed into the one body of the living Christ, always dying and always rising for the salvation of the world.”
November 24, 2023
Wow, what a beautiful little book. This is my third venture into one of Nouwen's works, and every time I leave astounded, inspired, and enamored by his way of communicating truth in a way that is both full and digestible, poetic and precise. As Nouwen encounters and expounds upon Jesus's question, "Can you drink the cup that I'm going to drink?" and the depth and meaning of our yes. The exploration of — and invitation to — the three movements of holding, lifting, and drinking the cup is incredibly valuable, and Nouwen's inclusion of his own story and his experience at Daybreak only further magnifies the messages he seeks to communicate.
This book is easy to read and immersive in nature. Engaging the heart of Jesus is no struggle here, and engaging our own hearts and stories is deeply welcomed. I am so glad that class led me to read this book. I go forth from its pages now with much to consider and a desire and pursuit to drink the cup of my own life with Jesus, and to drink it to the full.
This book is easy to read and immersive in nature. Engaging the heart of Jesus is no struggle here, and engaging our own hearts and stories is deeply welcomed. I am so glad that class led me to read this book. I go forth from its pages now with much to consider and a desire and pursuit to drink the cup of my own life with Jesus, and to drink it to the full.
December 13, 2020
Can You Drink the Cup? is Henri Nouwen’s reflection on Matthew 20:20-23. This was Nouwen's final book before his death in 1996. He left us with much to ponder: "The cup of life is the cup of joy as much as it is the cup of sorrow. It is the cup in which sorrows and joys, sadness and gladness, mourning and dancing are never separated. If joys could not be where sorrows are, the cup of life would never be drinkable."
January 12, 2019
Challenging, thought-provoking, raw, and true. What does it mean to drink the cup? To be vulnerable? To identify with Christ, and each other? To drink the sorrows, the sufferings, and the joys? Read this book to challenge your perceptions and step into truth that sets you free - because Jesus himself drank from the cup first and shed his blood for all.
October 26, 2020
إن دعوة يسوع لنا لأن نشرب الكأس دون تقديم المكافأة التي
نتوقعها هو التحدي العظيم في الحياة الروحية. فهي تكسر كل
الحسابات والتوقعات البشرية. وهى تتحدى كل أمنياتنا فى أن
نكون متأكدين ومطمئنين مقدما٠ وهي تقلب أملنا في مستقبل
متوقع رأسا على عقب، وتقوم بتحطيم كل أجهزة الأمان التي
نخترعها لأنفسنا. إنها تطالب بثقة جذرية كبرى في الله، نفس
تلك الثقة التي جعلت يسوع يشرب الكأس حتى قاعه
نتوقعها هو التحدي العظيم في الحياة الروحية. فهي تكسر كل
الحسابات والتوقعات البشرية. وهى تتحدى كل أمنياتنا فى أن
نكون متأكدين ومطمئنين مقدما٠ وهي تقلب أملنا في مستقبل
متوقع رأسا على عقب، وتقوم بتحطيم كل أجهزة الأمان التي
نخترعها لأنفسنا. إنها تطالب بثقة جذرية كبرى في الله، نفس
تلك الثقة التي جعلت يسوع يشرب الكأس حتى قاعه
August 22, 2021
A masterful look at the question Jesus asked James and John… “can you drink this cup?”
Nouwen has a unique ability in his writing to help readers probe the depths of their own journey with Jesus. This was most certainly true with this book.
Nouwen has a unique ability in his writing to help readers probe the depths of their own journey with Jesus. This was most certainly true with this book.
March 23, 2024
Learning to hold joy and sorrow together. Even more so, I’m seeing that salvation, like communion, is received, not earned by any effort of mine. The cup of salvation far outweighs any sorrow or joy I experience!
July 29, 2018
“Together when we drink that cup as Jesus drank it we are transformed into the one body of the living Christ, always dying and always rising for the salvation of the world.” - Henri Nouwen
April 8, 2021
Great little book - I used it for meditation during Lent-- especially at Adoration.
May 6, 2022
"When we are crushed like grapes, we cannot think of the wine we will become."
Another powerful, deeply challenging and spiritual work from Nouwen. Highly recommended.
Another powerful, deeply challenging and spiritual work from Nouwen. Highly recommended.
February 4, 2024
Simple yet profound. Nouwen uses the image of the communion cup to discuss our lives in 3 ways. Holding who we are - discovering, accepting. Lifting - sharing, celebrating joys & sorrows. Drinking - why we’re here - our unique cup. To be read slowly & meditatively.
July 2, 2021
A simple but deeply profound explanation of the cup of life that we drink to remember the life of Jesus poured out for us. This book captures in a very accessible way through 100 pages of short chapters the very essence of living for God both individually and in community.
August 18, 2021
Moving. Very moving. Intimacy with God is, after all, the greatest of things.
June 4, 2013
"The cup of sorrow, inconceivable as it seems, is also the cup of joy. Only when we discover this in our own life can we consider drinking it." (38)
"Jesus' unconditional yes to His Father had empowered him to drink his cup, not in passive resignation but with the full knowledge that the hour of his death would also be the hour of his glory. His yes made his surrender a creative act, an act that could bear much fruit. His yes took away the fatality of the interruption of his ministry. Instead of a final irrevocable end, his death became the beginning of a new life. Indeed, his yes enabled him to trust fully in the rich harvest the dying grain would yield." (50)
"Nothing is sweet or easy about community. Community is a fellowship of people who do not hide their joys and sorrows but make them visible to each other in a gesture of hope. In community we say: 'Life is full of gains and losses, joys and sorrows, ups and downs--but we do not have to live it alone. We want to drink our cup together and thus celebrate the truth that the wounds of our individual lives, which seem intolerable when lived alone, become sources of healing when we live them as part of a fellowship of mutual care.'" (57)
"The Eucharist is that sacred mystery through which what we lived as a curse, we now live as a blessing. Our suffering can no longer be a divine punishment. Jesus transformed it as the way to new life. His blood, and ours too, now can become martyr's blood--blood that witnesses to a new covenant, a new communion, a new community." (68)
"We need to be able to let our tears flow freely, tears of sorrow as well as tears of joy, tears that are as rain on dry ground. As we thus lift our lives for each other, we can truly say: 'To life,' because all we have lived now becomes the fertile soil for the future." (74)
"When we are committed to do God's will and not our own we soon discover that much of what we do doesn't need to be done by us." (100)
"Drinking the cup is an act of selfless love, an act of immense trust, an act of surrender to a God who will give what we need when we need it." (106)
"Jesus' unconditional yes to His Father had empowered him to drink his cup, not in passive resignation but with the full knowledge that the hour of his death would also be the hour of his glory. His yes made his surrender a creative act, an act that could bear much fruit. His yes took away the fatality of the interruption of his ministry. Instead of a final irrevocable end, his death became the beginning of a new life. Indeed, his yes enabled him to trust fully in the rich harvest the dying grain would yield." (50)
"Nothing is sweet or easy about community. Community is a fellowship of people who do not hide their joys and sorrows but make them visible to each other in a gesture of hope. In community we say: 'Life is full of gains and losses, joys and sorrows, ups and downs--but we do not have to live it alone. We want to drink our cup together and thus celebrate the truth that the wounds of our individual lives, which seem intolerable when lived alone, become sources of healing when we live them as part of a fellowship of mutual care.'" (57)
"The Eucharist is that sacred mystery through which what we lived as a curse, we now live as a blessing. Our suffering can no longer be a divine punishment. Jesus transformed it as the way to new life. His blood, and ours too, now can become martyr's blood--blood that witnesses to a new covenant, a new communion, a new community." (68)
"We need to be able to let our tears flow freely, tears of sorrow as well as tears of joy, tears that are as rain on dry ground. As we thus lift our lives for each other, we can truly say: 'To life,' because all we have lived now becomes the fertile soil for the future." (74)
"When we are committed to do God's will and not our own we soon discover that much of what we do doesn't need to be done by us." (100)
"Drinking the cup is an act of selfless love, an act of immense trust, an act of surrender to a God who will give what we need when we need it." (106)
July 5, 2016
Such a great book on holding the cup of life been given to us by God, lifting that cup, and drinking from that cup. Taking the communion cup as the image and even drinking coffee, tea, or wine with friends, Nouwen likens the cup to our life, with all the sorrows and joys we experience and guides us to "drink to the bottom," fulfilling the mission God has called us to. Nouwen has a way with words and is so refreshing to read.
Here are a few quotes:
The cup of sorrow, inconceivable as it seems, is also the cup of joy. Only when we discover this in our own life can we consider drinking it. -43
If joys could not be where sorrows are, the cup of life would never be drinkable. -51
Jesus' unconditional yes to his Father had empowered him to drink his cup not in passive resignation but with the full knowledge that the hour of his death would also be the hour of his glory. -55
What causes us sadness can become the fertile ground for gladness. -56
When we lift our cups and say "to life," we should be talking about real lives, not only hard, painful, sorrowful lives, but also lives so full of joy that celebration becomes a spontaneous response. -66
At one moment people shouted "Hosanna"; a moment later they cried: "Crucify him." Jesus took it all in, not as a hero adored and then vilified, but as the one who had come to fulfill a mission and who kept his focus on that mission whatever the responses were. -66
As long as we live our deepest truth in secret, isolated from a community of love, its a burden is too heavy to carry. -106
Silence without speaking is as dangerous as solitude without community. -106
Actions that lead to overwork, exhaustion, and burnout cannot praise and glorify God. What God calls us to do we "can" do and do "well." -110
Here are a few quotes:
The cup of sorrow, inconceivable as it seems, is also the cup of joy. Only when we discover this in our own life can we consider drinking it. -43
If joys could not be where sorrows are, the cup of life would never be drinkable. -51
Jesus' unconditional yes to his Father had empowered him to drink his cup not in passive resignation but with the full knowledge that the hour of his death would also be the hour of his glory. -55
What causes us sadness can become the fertile ground for gladness. -56
When we lift our cups and say "to life," we should be talking about real lives, not only hard, painful, sorrowful lives, but also lives so full of joy that celebration becomes a spontaneous response. -66
At one moment people shouted "Hosanna"; a moment later they cried: "Crucify him." Jesus took it all in, not as a hero adored and then vilified, but as the one who had come to fulfill a mission and who kept his focus on that mission whatever the responses were. -66
As long as we live our deepest truth in secret, isolated from a community of love, its a burden is too heavy to carry. -106
Silence without speaking is as dangerous as solitude without community. -106
Actions that lead to overwork, exhaustion, and burnout cannot praise and glorify God. What God calls us to do we "can" do and do "well." -110
October 11, 2023
“just living life is not enough. We must know what we are living. A life that is not reflected upon isn’t worth living…Half of living is reflecting on what is being lived..The greatest joy as well as the greatest pain of living come not only from what we live but even more from how we think and feel about what we are living…Reflection is essential for growth, development, and change” (26-7).
“Jesus didn’t throw the cup [of sorrow] away in despair. No, he kept it in his hands, willing to drink it to the dregs. This was not a show of willpower, stanch determination, or great heroism. This was a deep spiritual yes to Abba, the lover of his wounded heart…Who can say yes when the voice of love hasn’t been heard! Who can say yes when there is no Abba to speak to?” (37-8).
“the true nature of priesthood is a compassionate-being-with. Jesus’ priesthood is described in the letter to the Hebrews as one of solidarity with human suffering. Calling myself a priest today radically challenges me to let go of every distance, every little pedestal, every ivory tower, and just to connect my own vulnerability with the vulnerability of those I live with” (45).
“Jesus, who participated fully in all our pain, wants us to participate fully in his joy. Jesus the man of joy wants us to be the people of joy” (48).
“We lift the cup to life, to affirm our life together and celebrate it as a gift from God. When each of us can hold firm our own cup, with its many sorrows and joys, claiming it as our unique life, then too, can we lift it up for others to see and encourage them to lift up their lives as well. Thus, as we lift up our cup in a fearless gesture, proclaiming that we will support each other in our common journey, we create community.
“Nothing is sweet or easy about community. Community is a fellowship of people who do not hide their joys and sorrows but make them visible to each other in a gesture of hope…We want to drink our cup together and thus celebrate the truth that the wounds of our individual lives, which seem intolerable when lived alone, become sources of healing when we live them as part of a fellowship of mutual care” (57).
“When we dare to lift our cup and let our friends know what is in it, they will be encouraged to lift their cups and share with us their own anxiously hidden secrets. The greatest healing often takes place when we no longer feel isolated by our shame and guilt and discover that others often feel what we feel and think what we think and have the fears, apprehensions, and preoccupations we have…When we truly believe we are called to lay down our lives for our friends, we must dare to take the risk to let others know what we are living” (59).
“a celebration is something more than just a party. A celebration is an occasion to lift up each others lives—whether in a joyful or sorrowful moment—and deepen our bonds with each other. To celebrate life is to raise up life, make it visible to each other, affirm it in its concreteness, and be grateful for it” (71-2).
“Shame and guilt make us hide part of ourselves and thus make us live half lives” (74).
“Drinking the cup of life makes our own everything we are living. It is saying, ‘This is my life,’ but also ‘I want this to be my life.’ Drinking the cup of life is fully appropriating and internalizing our own unique existence, with all its sorrows and joys.
“It is not easy to do this. For a long time we might not feel capable of accepting our own life; we might keep fighting for a better or at least a different life…But as we gradually come to befriend our own reality, to look with compassion at our own sorrows and joys, and as we are able to discover the unique potential of our way of being in the world, we can move beyond our protest, put the cup of our life to our lips and drink it, slowly, carefully, but fully” (81-2).
“Spiritual greatness has nothing to do with being greater than others. It has everything to do with being as great as each of us can be” (83).
“Drinking the cup of salvation means emptying the cup of sorrow and joy so that God can fill it with pure life…Salvation is not only a goal for the afterlife. Salvation is a reality of every day that we can taste here and now” (89, 91).
“it is precisely in silence that we confront our true selves. The sorrows of our lives often overwhelm us to such a degree that we will do everything not to face them…Entertainment is everything that gets and keeps our mind away from things that are hard to face…Entertainment is often good for us. It gives us an evening or a day off from our worries and fears. But when we start living life as entertainment, we lose touch with our souls and become little more than spectators in a lifelong show…it is in silence that we can truly acknowledge who we are and gradually claim ourselves as a gift from God” (94-5).
“It is not enough to claim our sorrow and joy in silence. We also must claim them in a trusted circle of friends. To do so we need to speak about what is in our cup…The fear of being known can make us split off our true inner selves from our public selves and make us despise ourselves even when we are acclaimed and praised by many…We cannot live a spiritual life in secrecy…Silence without speaking is as dangerous as solitude without community” (96-7).
“Busyness has become a sign of importance…However, being busy can lead us away from our true vocation and prevent us from drinking our cup…Our many wants can easily distract us from our true action…the question is not ‘What do I most want?’ but ‘What is my vocation?’” (99).
“Drinking the cup is not a heroic act with a nice reward! It is not part of a tit-for-tat agreement. Drinking the cup is an act of selfless love, an act of immense trust, an act of surrender to a God who will give what we need when we need it. Jesus’ inviting us to drink the cup without offering the reward we expect is the great challenge of the spiritual life. It breaks through all human calculations and expectations. It defies all our wishes to be sure in advance” (106-7).
“Jesus didn’t throw the cup [of sorrow] away in despair. No, he kept it in his hands, willing to drink it to the dregs. This was not a show of willpower, stanch determination, or great heroism. This was a deep spiritual yes to Abba, the lover of his wounded heart…Who can say yes when the voice of love hasn’t been heard! Who can say yes when there is no Abba to speak to?” (37-8).
“the true nature of priesthood is a compassionate-being-with. Jesus’ priesthood is described in the letter to the Hebrews as one of solidarity with human suffering. Calling myself a priest today radically challenges me to let go of every distance, every little pedestal, every ivory tower, and just to connect my own vulnerability with the vulnerability of those I live with” (45).
“Jesus, who participated fully in all our pain, wants us to participate fully in his joy. Jesus the man of joy wants us to be the people of joy” (48).
“We lift the cup to life, to affirm our life together and celebrate it as a gift from God. When each of us can hold firm our own cup, with its many sorrows and joys, claiming it as our unique life, then too, can we lift it up for others to see and encourage them to lift up their lives as well. Thus, as we lift up our cup in a fearless gesture, proclaiming that we will support each other in our common journey, we create community.
“Nothing is sweet or easy about community. Community is a fellowship of people who do not hide their joys and sorrows but make them visible to each other in a gesture of hope…We want to drink our cup together and thus celebrate the truth that the wounds of our individual lives, which seem intolerable when lived alone, become sources of healing when we live them as part of a fellowship of mutual care” (57).
“When we dare to lift our cup and let our friends know what is in it, they will be encouraged to lift their cups and share with us their own anxiously hidden secrets. The greatest healing often takes place when we no longer feel isolated by our shame and guilt and discover that others often feel what we feel and think what we think and have the fears, apprehensions, and preoccupations we have…When we truly believe we are called to lay down our lives for our friends, we must dare to take the risk to let others know what we are living” (59).
“a celebration is something more than just a party. A celebration is an occasion to lift up each others lives—whether in a joyful or sorrowful moment—and deepen our bonds with each other. To celebrate life is to raise up life, make it visible to each other, affirm it in its concreteness, and be grateful for it” (71-2).
“Shame and guilt make us hide part of ourselves and thus make us live half lives” (74).
“Drinking the cup of life makes our own everything we are living. It is saying, ‘This is my life,’ but also ‘I want this to be my life.’ Drinking the cup of life is fully appropriating and internalizing our own unique existence, with all its sorrows and joys.
“It is not easy to do this. For a long time we might not feel capable of accepting our own life; we might keep fighting for a better or at least a different life…But as we gradually come to befriend our own reality, to look with compassion at our own sorrows and joys, and as we are able to discover the unique potential of our way of being in the world, we can move beyond our protest, put the cup of our life to our lips and drink it, slowly, carefully, but fully” (81-2).
“Spiritual greatness has nothing to do with being greater than others. It has everything to do with being as great as each of us can be” (83).
“Drinking the cup of salvation means emptying the cup of sorrow and joy so that God can fill it with pure life…Salvation is not only a goal for the afterlife. Salvation is a reality of every day that we can taste here and now” (89, 91).
“it is precisely in silence that we confront our true selves. The sorrows of our lives often overwhelm us to such a degree that we will do everything not to face them…Entertainment is everything that gets and keeps our mind away from things that are hard to face…Entertainment is often good for us. It gives us an evening or a day off from our worries and fears. But when we start living life as entertainment, we lose touch with our souls and become little more than spectators in a lifelong show…it is in silence that we can truly acknowledge who we are and gradually claim ourselves as a gift from God” (94-5).
“It is not enough to claim our sorrow and joy in silence. We also must claim them in a trusted circle of friends. To do so we need to speak about what is in our cup…The fear of being known can make us split off our true inner selves from our public selves and make us despise ourselves even when we are acclaimed and praised by many…We cannot live a spiritual life in secrecy…Silence without speaking is as dangerous as solitude without community” (96-7).
“Busyness has become a sign of importance…However, being busy can lead us away from our true vocation and prevent us from drinking our cup…Our many wants can easily distract us from our true action…the question is not ‘What do I most want?’ but ‘What is my vocation?’” (99).
“Drinking the cup is not a heroic act with a nice reward! It is not part of a tit-for-tat agreement. Drinking the cup is an act of selfless love, an act of immense trust, an act of surrender to a God who will give what we need when we need it. Jesus’ inviting us to drink the cup without offering the reward we expect is the great challenge of the spiritual life. It breaks through all human calculations and expectations. It defies all our wishes to be sure in advance” (106-7).
July 16, 2012
I've read this book twice and each time it has spoken to me in a completely different way. It is a book that can bring hope during difficult times and one that can bring gratitude during the good times. Although this isn't my favorite book by Nouwen, it will be one I read over and over.
'Mostly we are willing to look back at our lives and say: 'I am grateful for the good things that brought me to this place.; But when we lift our cup to life, we must dare to say: 'I am grateful for all that has brought me to this moment.' This gratitude which embraces all of our past is what makes our life a true gift for others, because this gratitude erases bitterness, resentments, regret, and revenge as well as all jealousies and rivalries. It transforms our past into a fruitful gift for the future and makes our life, all of it into a life that gives life.'
'Mostly we are willing to look back at our lives and say: 'I am grateful for the good things that brought me to this place.; But when we lift our cup to life, we must dare to say: 'I am grateful for all that has brought me to this moment.' This gratitude which embraces all of our past is what makes our life a true gift for others, because this gratitude erases bitterness, resentments, regret, and revenge as well as all jealousies and rivalries. It transforms our past into a fruitful gift for the future and makes our life, all of it into a life that gives life.'
Read
April 27, 2023A simple and piercing exploration of what it means to live the full life Christ came to bring. It uses the cup of the Eucharist as a metaphor for what it means to follow Christ as individuals who are part of a community. This book is absolutely worth reading. It is filled with truth; not unique or novel truth, but truth that you do your best to avoid. This book mirrors the gentle voice of Christ that invites us to live and to die with him. Go to Christ friends, learn from him, and you will find rest for your souls.
December 31, 2011
This is a book I will read over and over again!! Nouwen challenges us to take a closer look at the Man of Sorrows and His intimate connection with the Father. His challenge for us is to drink life to the dregs by experiencing the depths of sorrow while simultaneously drinking in the joy of God's redemptive work. I would recommend this to anyone, especially those who find themselves in the darkness of great pain and suffering.
November 6, 2017
لطيف
فكرته مميزة
لكنه اقل من المتوقع منهري نووين
فكرته مميزة
لكنه اقل من المتوقع منهري نووين
Displaying 1 - 30 of 169 reviews