Can we drink the cup?
Henri. J.M. Nouwen
“Can we hold the cup of life in our hands? Can we lift it up for others to see, and can we drink it to the full?” (Henri J.M. Nouwen, Can You Drink The Cup?)
Ten years ago, I was attending a meeting of the International Thomas Merton Society. During a break in one of the sessions, I asked a theologian for the name of a contemporary writer worthy of Merton’s mantle. Without hesitating, the theologian mentioned Nouwen.
When the student is ready, the teacher arrives, as the Buddhists say, so I’ve just started reading Can You Drink the Cup?, the late Father Nouwen’s little book on spiritual challenges.







