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Gracias
In this journal of his travels in Bolivia and Peru, Nouwen ponders the presence of God in the poor, the challenge of a persecuted church, the relation between faith and justice, and his own struggle to discern the path along which God is calling him. "Nouwen puts his inexhaustible curiosity and hunger for religious experience gladly at the service of a worldwide audience."--The Boston Globe.
208 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1983
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341 people want to read
About the author
Henri J.M. Nouwen
453 books2,128 followersHenri Jozef Machiel Nouwen was a Dutch Catholic priest, theologian, psychologist, professor, and spiritual writer whose work profoundly shaped contemporary Christian spirituality. Born in Nijkerk, the Netherlands, in 1932, Nouwen pursued religious studies and was ordained a priest in 1957. His intellectual curiosity led him to study psychology at the Catholic University of Nijmegen and later at the Menninger Clinic in Kansas, where he explored the connection between faith and mental health. Throughout his life, Nouwen remained committed to integrating pastoral care, psychology, and spiritual theology in a way that addressed the emotional and existential needs of believers.
Nouwen held teaching positions at prestigious institutions including the University of Notre Dame, Yale Divinity School, and Harvard Divinity School. He authored over three dozen books and hundreds of articles, with notable works such as The Wounded Healer, The Return of the Prodigal Son, Life of the Beloved, and The Inner Voice of Love. His writing, often rooted in personal vulnerability and spiritual struggle, resonated with readers across denominations. Nouwen openly explored themes of loneliness, identity, intimacy, and the human desire for love and belonging, making his voice especially relatable and influential.
Though he was a gifted academic and popular speaker, Nouwen found his deepest calling later in life through his involvement with L’Arche, a network of communities for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities. After a transformative stay at the original L’Arche community in France, Nouwen accepted an invitation to become the pastor of L’Arche Daybreak in Richmond Hill, Ontario. There he developed a close bond with Adam Arnett, a core member with severe disabilities, which inspired the book Adam: God’s Beloved. At Daybreak, Nouwen discovered a deep spiritual home and a community that helped him embrace his humanity in profound ways.
Throughout his life, Nouwen wrestled with issues of identity, including his sexuality and his longing for connection, though he remained faithful to his vows. His openness about depression and inner conflict gave depth to his pastoral message, and his ability to turn personal struggle into shared spiritual insight made him one of the most beloved spiritual writers of the 20th century.
Henri Nouwen died in 1996 of a sudden heart attack, but his legacy endures through his writings, the Henri Nouwen Society, and the continued global reach of his message of belovedness, vulnerability, and compassionate community. His books remain bestsellers, widely read in seminaries, churches, and among individuals seeking a more intimate walk with God.
Nouwen held teaching positions at prestigious institutions including the University of Notre Dame, Yale Divinity School, and Harvard Divinity School. He authored over three dozen books and hundreds of articles, with notable works such as The Wounded Healer, The Return of the Prodigal Son, Life of the Beloved, and The Inner Voice of Love. His writing, often rooted in personal vulnerability and spiritual struggle, resonated with readers across denominations. Nouwen openly explored themes of loneliness, identity, intimacy, and the human desire for love and belonging, making his voice especially relatable and influential.
Though he was a gifted academic and popular speaker, Nouwen found his deepest calling later in life through his involvement with L’Arche, a network of communities for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities. After a transformative stay at the original L’Arche community in France, Nouwen accepted an invitation to become the pastor of L’Arche Daybreak in Richmond Hill, Ontario. There he developed a close bond with Adam Arnett, a core member with severe disabilities, which inspired the book Adam: God’s Beloved. At Daybreak, Nouwen discovered a deep spiritual home and a community that helped him embrace his humanity in profound ways.
Throughout his life, Nouwen wrestled with issues of identity, including his sexuality and his longing for connection, though he remained faithful to his vows. His openness about depression and inner conflict gave depth to his pastoral message, and his ability to turn personal struggle into shared spiritual insight made him one of the most beloved spiritual writers of the 20th century.
Henri Nouwen died in 1996 of a sudden heart attack, but his legacy endures through his writings, the Henri Nouwen Society, and the continued global reach of his message of belovedness, vulnerability, and compassionate community. His books remain bestsellers, widely read in seminaries, churches, and among individuals seeking a more intimate walk with God.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 44 reviews
March 3, 2025
This was the right book at the right time. Nouwen wrestles with his call to relocate to be among the oppressed and seek God's face in the suffering, while being an outsider to the community. Can one ever truly share in the sufferings? How much should/can a privileged person integrate into a suffering community? How does one follow the call of God to the impoverished without engaging in spiritual colonization? What lessons can be learned from the poor?
All privileged people who are called by God to enter into the journey of downward mobility and share in the sufferings of the marginalized should read this honest account of what it's like. I have resonated with many of his experiences and learned from his approach to a theology of liberation. After this, I am more motivated to really delve into the contours of liberation theology, which highly influenced Nouwen's writings and teachings.
What I am taking away most from this book is the need to measure the success of doing justice work among the poor not by the standards of the world, but by spiritual standards of love received and given. One may never see the poverty and suffering of a community dissipate, or even improve. This does not mean Christ was not active in the work.
All privileged people who are called by God to enter into the journey of downward mobility and share in the sufferings of the marginalized should read this honest account of what it's like. I have resonated with many of his experiences and learned from his approach to a theology of liberation. After this, I am more motivated to really delve into the contours of liberation theology, which highly influenced Nouwen's writings and teachings.
What I am taking away most from this book is the need to measure the success of doing justice work among the poor not by the standards of the world, but by spiritual standards of love received and given. One may never see the poverty and suffering of a community dissipate, or even improve. This does not mean Christ was not active in the work.
February 11, 2024
There is so much insight in this book. One moment I was thinking how much wisdom Nouwen had, the next how he doubted and questioned just like me. I gained much from this book and would highly recommend it.
March 21, 2024
I’ve loved Henri Nouwen’s writing from the first day I discovered it, but this book is such an insight into his early, pre-l’Arche days and shows proof that he was a man ahead of his time - in thought, ideals, and action.
November 23, 2021
The best companion in this season.
May 23, 2022
Unexpectedly stumbling on a book from a favorite writer, however old, is often a source of great joy. Such was the case recently when Henri J.M. Nouwen's book from 1983, Gracias!: A Latin American Journal appeared in my local library's free section. And for any seeker intent on exploring the vibrant heart of modern Christianity, this book is a real keeper. Some may be puzzled how a book penned over three decades ago can still be relevant. Well, like Gil Scott Herron's resounding jazz classic, "The Revolution Will Not Be Televised," one of the most exciting upheavals in religious thinking and practice, liberation theology, has generally been kept from prime time. And perhaps this is largely because of Its Latin American roots; and too, its seminal figure, Peruvian author Gustavo Guttierez - and his transformative ideas, are hardly explored at most local pulpits. So what's a true seeker to do? Simply leave one's comfort zone, learn Spanish and immerse oneself in Peruvian and Bolivian culture where one can learn from the people (largely poor) and Fr. Gutierrez himself. If that seems like a huge undertaking, it is. But Nouwen's authenticity, conveyed here with five months of revealing daily entries, create an intriguing mosaic of a land and writer grappling with both formidable challenges and stubborn hope. Near the book's close, for example, Nouwen shares an epiphany. Overhearing "the monotone voice of a priest saying Mass, I would never feel at home any more in this traditional Church, but will I ever in the Church of the "lucha" (struggle)?" But what struggle is Nouwen referring to? It is largely the profound clash between a Christianity that refuses to side with an unjust status quo and the oppressive forces it encounters. On the impetus for this religious movement, the author again cites Gutierrez's work. His genius, Nouwen writes, is that "he simply reclaimed the basic Christian truth that God became human to bring good news to the poor, new light to the blind, and liberty to the captives." Living such faith, of course, is difficult - especially with its inherent risks. And Nouwen's final sentence summarizes the essence of his trip: "I sit here and wonder if going north still means going home." And in the end, isn't this the germ of religious calling - being ready to be remade when God's Word and face appear in fresh, and even uncomfortable, ways?
December 23, 2021
It took me 7 years to read this book. Not because it is bad, but because it is dense. It is to be read a few pages at a time, not as a page turner. If I were to write down favorites quotes, it would take days.
April 24, 2016
Loved Nouwen's spirituality! Perfect for ministry related trips!
June 5, 2019
!Gracias¡ (By: Henri J.M. Nouwen) (COUNTRIES REPRESENTED: Bolivia/Peru)
Like any good L'Archie I have read my fair share of Henri Nouwen. In fact, Henri Nouwen's book "In the Name of Jesus" is the very reason I got into L'Arche in the first place. Yet, I had no idea of this other part of Nouwen's life (lodged in between his rigorous academic studies/time spent as a professor and his journey at L'Arche Daybreak). In this book, Nouwen takes 6 months out to travel to Bolivia (where he engages in extensive Spanish language training) and Peru (where he does ministry amongst the poor primarily in Lima). Like he does in other books, he wrestles with calling, with depression, with loneliness, and with his feelings of restlessness and inferiority. This book is a journal and describes some of his high and low times. It describes the poverty he saw and experienced in Latin America, some of the theological issues he wrestled with (particularly in his liberation theology course with Gustavo Gutiérrez) and the daily happenings in his parish, in the streets, and with his host family. Some interesting insights are given not just about Catholicism in this part of the world or about the socio-political climate of the day, but also about his personal life (I had no idea that he had a niece who had down syndrome - this may have contributed to his interest in L'Arche) and also some new ways of looking at things theologically. In particular 2 aspects I appreciated were: 1) his question how much can the church truly engage with politics before it somehow inadvertently affects the spiritual nature of the gathering? 2) Description of liberation theology:
"What makes liberation theology so original, challenging, and radical is not so much its conceptual content as its method of working. A true liberation theologian is not just someone who thinks about liberation, but someone whose thought grows out of life of solidarity with those who are poor and oppressed. The most impressive aspect of the Centro Bartolome de las Casas is that those who come and work there are men and women whose knowledge has grown from an intimate participation in the daily life of people who struggle for freedom. Thus the centre reveals one of the oldest truths: that theologia is not primarily a way of thinking, but a way of living. Liberation theologians do not think themselves into a new way of living, but live themselves into a new way of thinking.
Like any good L'Archie I have read my fair share of Henri Nouwen. In fact, Henri Nouwen's book "In the Name of Jesus" is the very reason I got into L'Arche in the first place. Yet, I had no idea of this other part of Nouwen's life (lodged in between his rigorous academic studies/time spent as a professor and his journey at L'Arche Daybreak). In this book, Nouwen takes 6 months out to travel to Bolivia (where he engages in extensive Spanish language training) and Peru (where he does ministry amongst the poor primarily in Lima). Like he does in other books, he wrestles with calling, with depression, with loneliness, and with his feelings of restlessness and inferiority. This book is a journal and describes some of his high and low times. It describes the poverty he saw and experienced in Latin America, some of the theological issues he wrestled with (particularly in his liberation theology course with Gustavo Gutiérrez) and the daily happenings in his parish, in the streets, and with his host family. Some interesting insights are given not just about Catholicism in this part of the world or about the socio-political climate of the day, but also about his personal life (I had no idea that he had a niece who had down syndrome - this may have contributed to his interest in L'Arche) and also some new ways of looking at things theologically. In particular 2 aspects I appreciated were: 1) his question how much can the church truly engage with politics before it somehow inadvertently affects the spiritual nature of the gathering? 2) Description of liberation theology:
"What makes liberation theology so original, challenging, and radical is not so much its conceptual content as its method of working. A true liberation theologian is not just someone who thinks about liberation, but someone whose thought grows out of life of solidarity with those who are poor and oppressed. The most impressive aspect of the Centro Bartolome de las Casas is that those who come and work there are men and women whose knowledge has grown from an intimate participation in the daily life of people who struggle for freedom. Thus the centre reveals one of the oldest truths: that theologia is not primarily a way of thinking, but a way of living. Liberation theologians do not think themselves into a new way of living, but live themselves into a new way of thinking.
April 17, 2020
Henri J.M. Nouwen’s Gracias wrote as a Roman Catholic priest on a pilgrimage to Bolivia and Peru. This Dutch priest was on a visit to Latin America for six months in order to discern if he was meant to be a missionary to this region for an extended period of time. What resulted was a memoir and spiritual journal of exploration about his experiences.
Notably Nouwwen was blown away by the poverty he encountered, the warmth of the families he lived with, and the dedication of Catholic missionaries in this land. But first the author had to brush up on his Spanish to have an in-depth experience in the culture. This he did in Bolivia at a language institute that lasted some six weeks. During this time he had opportunities to interact with Bolivians, see the social disparities in this environment, attend lectures, and learn about Latin America’s martyrs. Nouwen commented sympathetically on the role of the Catholic Church in this region, conducted Mass at churches, visited prisons, and infirmaries for the handicapped.
The author was impressed by the purveyors of the liberation theology, had praise for their work with the poor people, commented on the work, dust storms in the people’s daily lives, and he participated in local festivals. Despite spiritual enriching experiences Nouwen still felt that he was alone, at times depressed, and had a hard time finding his niche. But before his visit came to an end, this former Yale Divinity professor felt that all he could really do was to be grateful for the many people and conditions that impacted him. He thought that his mission made him understand that he was transformed by the people he came to serve. It was these harsh experiences that taught him that Latin Americans were missionaries to him. These were the gifts that he was to bring back to his monastery in the United States.
Notably Nouwwen was blown away by the poverty he encountered, the warmth of the families he lived with, and the dedication of Catholic missionaries in this land. But first the author had to brush up on his Spanish to have an in-depth experience in the culture. This he did in Bolivia at a language institute that lasted some six weeks. During this time he had opportunities to interact with Bolivians, see the social disparities in this environment, attend lectures, and learn about Latin America’s martyrs. Nouwen commented sympathetically on the role of the Catholic Church in this region, conducted Mass at churches, visited prisons, and infirmaries for the handicapped.
The author was impressed by the purveyors of the liberation theology, had praise for their work with the poor people, commented on the work, dust storms in the people’s daily lives, and he participated in local festivals. Despite spiritual enriching experiences Nouwen still felt that he was alone, at times depressed, and had a hard time finding his niche. But before his visit came to an end, this former Yale Divinity professor felt that all he could really do was to be grateful for the many people and conditions that impacted him. He thought that his mission made him understand that he was transformed by the people he came to serve. It was these harsh experiences that taught him that Latin Americans were missionaries to him. These were the gifts that he was to bring back to his monastery in the United States.
July 9, 2025
"As I was trying to find an answer to the question: 'Does God call me to live and work in Latin America?' I gradually realized that the word “gracias” that came from the lips of the people contained the answer. After many centuries of missionary work during which we, the people of the north, tried to give them, the people of the south, what we felt they needed, we have now come to realize that our very first vocation is to receive their gifts to us and say thanks. A treasure lies hidden in the soul of Latin America, a spiritual treasure to be recognized as a gift for us who live in the illusion of power and self-control. It is the treasure of gratitude that can help us to break through the walls of our individual and collective self-righteousness and can prevent us from destroying ourselves and our planet in the futile attempt to hold onto what we consider our own. If I have any vocation in Latin America, it is the vocation to receive from the people the gifts they have to offer us and to bring these gifts back up north for our own conversion and healing." (Nouwen 187)
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
August 7, 2024
Absolute must-read for anoyone planning to spend time in a foreign context, particularly if that context is marked by poverty, political upheaval, or conflict of any kind. This book is grounded in the day to day realities of Henri Nouwen's life in South America, during which he searches for God among the poor in Bolivia and Peru. The book explores the ideas of calling, home, and God's goodess despite the injustice of local and global poverty-reproducing systems. Highly recommend this book as a devotional or a field guide for time abroad.
May 6, 2017
I've lived in Mexico for five years now. Culturally and social-economically conditions are quite different for me than what Nouwen describes in his book, some thirty-five years earlier. So, what really spoke to me were moments when Nouwen grappled with his own limits and his abilities - I can how see these moments were part of the road that led to Daybreak. They also help feed me a journey to where God only knows.
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April 7, 2025With great love and respect for Nouwen, this one is, admittedly, a bit dated. Still, while its fitness for spiritual reading may depend on whether the reader can relate to Nouwen's innocent shock over the existence of material poverty and systemic injustice, the book does work as a fairly engrossing historical document of a time when theologians and pastoral ministers of the Northern Hemisphere were first discovering the concerns of the Global South and liberation theology.
August 11, 2019
A journal of Nouwen’s journey of vocational discernment about living in Latin America as a Catholic missionary priest. A helpful companion to those discerning their own religious vocation, to be used in conjunction with a spiritual director/vocations director. Also helpful for peering into the cultural reality of Latin America, through the eyes of a remarkable Catholic priest.
May 7, 2021
If every missions major at every Christian college in America read this book before going on a "mission"--this world, and the kingdom of God--would be a much better place. Such humility and grace, to be taught by the poor--it should be required reading. Humbling and beautiful. May we all strive for a spirit like Henri's.
July 13, 2021
Hands down one of the best things I’ve read/consumed in a long time. Transformational and sooooo timely. Nouwen gives words and ideas to thoughts about living among the poor that I have only ever vaguely grasped at. It also reads wonderfully as it is broken up into journal entries. This is one I will come back to and is changing the way I think about life, theology, faith, and prayer!
July 16, 2021
Henri Nouwen articulated the feelings of being in a new place, leaning a new language, and struggling to love and walk alongside the marginalized so simply and so well. An incredible encouragement to read during my own time in a new cultural and language context - Nouwen constantly points back to God's goodness and presence in every joy and struggle that he experiences.
March 28, 2024
A ministry of presence
I love the collection of Henri Nouwen’s everyday notes expressing gratitude for those around him. I love how he communicates the desire to slow down and sink into the lives of real people. I love the unspoken challenge for us to follow his lead to deny our own desires of greatness, fame, or grandeur for the sake of a simple live spent with others.
I love the collection of Henri Nouwen’s everyday notes expressing gratitude for those around him. I love how he communicates the desire to slow down and sink into the lives of real people. I love the unspoken challenge for us to follow his lead to deny our own desires of greatness, fame, or grandeur for the sake of a simple live spent with others.
January 26, 2025
If you have a love for South America and a heart for missions in this hemisphere of the world, this book is for you. I love how Nouwen has a knack for writing about deep theological concepts in a personable and anecdotal prose, and draws you into his world and experiences. He has a wonderful way of bringing the reader into God’s presence.
January 9, 2022
A humble, honest, and at times profound in its simple observations, journal of Nouwen’s time in Latin America discerning a potential call to the people of Peru. A journey observing place, people, spiritual life and calling. I especially loved his December/ advent writings.
January 27, 2022
I enjoyed reading this journal from the life of Henri Nouwen. It is a look into the discernment process he traveled through as he looked to a new place to minister. Very well written and easy to read as are all his writings. Very glad I read it.
July 23, 2022
Skim read this to find a quote for an essay but kept finding bits I loved and had to stop and underline them! So much wisdom in this book about ministry, especially ministry amongst the poor. Very inspiring. Need to go back and read it properly when I don’t have another essay to write!
December 26, 2025
Henri Nouwen is AMAZING. His careful listening for the Lord’s guidance and his sensitivity to his cultural, physical, and political surroundings inspires me, as well as his attentiveness to the people around him, their needs and feelings. Lovveee
July 13, 2018
Excellent journal by one of the greatest modern spiritual writers.
January 29, 2019
A daily journal of the author's travels to Peru. Insightfulness into the missions and the Catholic church
February 28, 2021
rich, life-changing, applicable for all season of life
January 6, 2022
Re-read from undergraduate, so good.
October 20, 2023
Muy honesto sobre sus experiencias, anhelos y aprendizajes.
June 18, 2011
It took me a loooooooong time to read this book.
Nouwen writes this book while spending time in South America trying to determine what he ought to be doing in life.
Looking back over months of reading, here are a few things I've hi-lighted. The hi-lights perhaps say more about me than reveal the message Nouwen wanted to convey. Here they are anyway:
1. Growing older has not made life with God easier. In fact it has become harder...(p.69)
2. But I wonder more and more if the first thing shouldn't be to know people by name, to eat and drink with them, to listen to their stories and tell your own, and to let them know with words, handshakes and hugs that you do not simply like them, but truly love them. (p.148)
3. There is not such a thing as the right place or the right job. I can be happy and unhappy in all situations. (p.151)
I'll mail you this book if you want it. Otherwise I'll throw it out.
Nouwen writes this book while spending time in South America trying to determine what he ought to be doing in life.
Looking back over months of reading, here are a few things I've hi-lighted. The hi-lights perhaps say more about me than reveal the message Nouwen wanted to convey. Here they are anyway:
1. Growing older has not made life with God easier. In fact it has become harder...(p.69)
2. But I wonder more and more if the first thing shouldn't be to know people by name, to eat and drink with them, to listen to their stories and tell your own, and to let them know with words, handshakes and hugs that you do not simply like them, but truly love them. (p.148)
3. There is not such a thing as the right place or the right job. I can be happy and unhappy in all situations. (p.151)
I'll mail you this book if you want it. Otherwise I'll throw it out.
April 4, 2013
Powerful journal that documents cross-cultural transition and a true heart of service from the perspective of a Dutch-born catholic priest.
The book was helpful for me because it formalized some of the parallel lessons while learning to live and receive grace in Costa Rica. The principle lesson being the inspiration for the title: ¡Gracias! – Thanks! On page 16 he states it most directly -
“Gratitude… becomes the central virtue of a missionary.”
The book is a collection of the author's journal entries from 1981-1982, during a six-month period when he attended language school in Bolivia and then moved into a “young town” on the outskirts of Lima, Peru. It includes a lot of commentary on missionary work, the state of the Latin American Church at that time, cross-cultural service, and liberation theology.
The book was helpful for me because it formalized some of the parallel lessons while learning to live and receive grace in Costa Rica. The principle lesson being the inspiration for the title: ¡Gracias! – Thanks! On page 16 he states it most directly -
“Gratitude… becomes the central virtue of a missionary.”
The book is a collection of the author's journal entries from 1981-1982, during a six-month period when he attended language school in Bolivia and then moved into a “young town” on the outskirts of Lima, Peru. It includes a lot of commentary on missionary work, the state of the Latin American Church at that time, cross-cultural service, and liberation theology.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 44 reviews