Perhaps it is due to my vocation, but I want to do this series of columns both as a confession of my own interest in art, film, theater, literature, music, and painting, and as encouragement for others to take advantage of the revelation of God that can appear in art. 

In his “Life of the Beloved: Spiritual Living in a Secular World” (New York: The Crossroad Publishing Company, 1992, 156 pp., $17.95), Henri J.M. Nouwen offers insights into how we can make awareness of God’s amazing love for us the center of our attempts to grow closer to God.

While I am strongly recommending Henri J.M. Nouwen’s “Life of the Beloved: Spiritual Living in a Secular World” (New York: Crossroad Publishing Company, 1962, pp. 156, $17.95) to many friends and to readers of this weekly column, there was one section of the book that I had to read several times to catch Nouwen’s point. 

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.”