The Catholic Morning Show

You Are God's Beloved: Henri Nouwen's Living Legacy 30 Years Later - Stephen Lazarus - 09/21/2026

Episode Summary

On the 30th anniversary of Henri Nouwen's death, Stephen Lazarus of the Henri Nouwen Legacy Trust explains why the Catholic priest and bestselling spiritual writer is reaching a new generation. He shares Nouwen's core message of claiming our belovedness in God and stories from his book Encountering Henri: The Living Legacy of Henri Nouwen. Stephen also recommends the best Henri Nouwen books for first-time readers, from The Return of the Prodigal Son to The Inner Voice of Love.

Episode Notes

Henri Nouwen died suddenly on September 21, 1996, at age 64. Thirty years later, Stephen Lazarus, Literary Manager of the Henri Nouwen Legacy Trust, joins Deacon Mark Campbell to explain why Nouwen's writing is finding new readers everywhere, from young adults to seminary professors in Mongolia. Stephen describes Nouwen's journey as a Dutch-born Catholic priest who taught at Notre Dame, Yale, and Harvard before finding belonging at the L'Arche Daybreak community in Toronto, living among people with intellectual and physical disabilities.

At the heart of Nouwen's roughly 39 books is one message: you are not your bank account, your reputation, or your inner critic, because your deepest identity is being God's beloved. Stephen explains why that message cuts through materialism and secularism today, and why Nouwen is read across Catholic, evangelical, and seeking communities alike. Nouwen wrote honestly from his own brokenness and struggles, including his recovery from a near-fatal 1989 accident.

Stephen shares stories from Encountering Henri (Orbis Books):

• A restaurant manager from Guyana who became a Trappist monk.
• Archivist Gabrielle Earnshaw, whose authorized Nouwen biography is due next year.
• Trapeze artist Rodleigh Stevens, whose act inspired Nouwen's image of God as "the catcher."

Where to start reading Nouwen: The Return of the Prodigal Son, The Genesee Diary, The Inner Voice of Love, Life of the Beloved, and Out of Solitude.

Anniversary tributes, the "30 Under 30" video series, today's livestreamed Eucharist from Nouwen's gravesite, and news on next year's international conference are at HenriNouwen.org. Get Encountering Henri from Orbis Books. Stephen, a former Iowan, welcomes listener notes at slazarus@henrinouwen.org.

Heard on the Catholic Morning Show, weekdays at 7 a.m. Central on Iowa Catholic Radio. More at IowaCatholicRadio.com.

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