Review of Walthers Yes & No

Nouwen, J.M. Henri, With Burning Hearts (Maryknoll NY 1994).

I began to read this book; I had decided that is was about the grieving process and how to deal with it. Then suddenly on about page thirty it hit me that the author wasn't talking about the grieving process, he was attempting to explain how we should live a Eucharistic life. I have always seen the Eucharist as a sacrament that we celebrated during a designated worship service. Though I have always understood the basic meaning and importance of this sacrament I had never considered the individual elements of it or how we could apply it in our daily lives.

By using the road to Emmaus as the basis for his explanation, the author shows us not only how the two travelers failed to recognize Christ walking with them on their journey home, it is also a reminder that Christ walks with us daily if we only recognize his presence. "God wants to become present to us and thus radically transform our fearful hearts". It also appears that through the explanation Nouwen is saying that instead of keeping Jesus in our hearts as our Savior but an arm's length acquaintance we need to invite and keep him as our closest friend. Nouwen's point our mission is not only to tell others about our risen Lord; but to listen for and receive their witness, is key.

While this book does an excellent job of explaining the elements of the sacrament, as well as the application we should apply to our daily lives. I found the comments in the final chapters the most compelling and thought provoking ideas portrayed are in his conclusion, reminding that the Eucharist (Thanksgiving) is a gift to be received freely, and that by attempting to live a Eucharistic life we are saying Thank You to him who has joined us on the road.