The Selfless Way of Christ: Downward Mobility and the Spiritual Life

In this new collection of articles previously unpublished in book form, Henri Nouwen explores selflessness, vocation, and how downward mobility is a key to the spiritual path. In these short reflections Henri Nouwen explores the theme of downward mobility as the way of Christ, and the things that tempt us away from it, namely, the lure of success, of power, of being needed and important. Originally serialized in the magazine Sojourners, Nouwen wrote the articles during his years as a professor at Yale Divinity School. There he enjoyed academic success and found fame as a spiritual writer, but was struggling to find his true vocation. Here he seeks to explain for himself and his readers how choosing the downwardly mobile path can, conversely, be the means of growth and new life in Christ.