Moments ago while I was re-reading Henri J.M. Nouwen’s book, “Life of the Beloved: Spiritual Living in a Secular World” (New York: The Crossroad Publishing Company, 1992, $17.95, 156 pp.) a sentence seemed to leap off the page at me. 

Early in his book, “Life of the Beloved: Spiritual Living in a Secular World”(New York, A Crossroad Book: Crossroad Publishing Company, 1992, pp. 156, $17.95), Father Henri J.M. Nouwen emphasizes that we should believe as deeply as we can that we are beloved by God.

I have read many books since the pandemic began about three years ago. In some ways the pandemic provided me with time I previously did not have. The pandemic greatly limited my activities. For the last three years I have not been in a movie theatre, or given a talk in a parish other than celebrating the Sunday Eucharist. 

I had a strange but wonderful experience at the end of the Eucharistic Celebration on the Fourth Sunday of Advent.

Once I became aware of communion as both an orientation toward loving put into us by God and also as a goal that each of us is called to reach, I began to think about various relationships that I have and how I can possibly achieve communion through them.

I cannot remember the first time I heard of the philosopher John Macmurray. I think I had finished my own graduate studies and was teaching for a few years. If I had known Macmurray’s thoughts when I was in graduate school, I am certain I would have chosen his philosophy as the topic for my doctoral dissertation. 

When I first became interested in the philosophy of personalism several years ago, I quickly encountered the concept of communion that personalist philosophers discussed. For years I was not sure what they meant by “communion.” 

I have a strange relationship with Robert Johann’s book “Building the Human” (New York: Herder and Herder, 1968, pp. 192). It is a relationship that I don’t have with any other book. 

In last week’s column I quoted a statement from Father Ron Rolheiser in his book “Wrestling with God: Finding Hope and Meaning in Our Daily Struggles to Be Human” ( New York, Penguin, Random House, $22.00, pp. 198) in which he claimed that we should give to the poor because such generosity will make us healthy. 

I cannot remember when I became very interested in what philosophers, theologians and spiritual authors said about the mystery of love. Many years ago, it just seemed to happen that everything I taught or wrote was in some way or other related to the mystery of love. Quickly I learned that not only was the mystery of love a topic that greatly interested me but that it was a topic that seemed to interest just about everyone. Early on I learned that every person needed to be loved. This was the way we found ourselves as creatures of God. This was the way God created us.