Adam Arnett never spoke a word in his life. He couldn’t dress himself, walk on his own and was susceptible to daily seizures. Yet he had a profound influence on Henri Nouwen (1932-1996), one of the most respected Catholic teachers and writers of the twentieth century. Henri taught at leading universities: Notre Dame, Yale and Harvard. He turned out a book a year. He travelled the globe as a highly sought-after conference speaker. And it just about killed him. The frenetic schedule was suffocating his spiritual life.
So, in 1985, he shocked the scholarly world by leaving academia to become a priest-in-residence at L’Arche, a residence for intellectually disabled adults outside Toronto. He was assigned to work with Adam as part of his new pastoral calling. Henri spent two hours each morning bathing, dressing and feeding Adam. Was it the best use of a busy priest’s time? Couldn’t someone else take care of these menial chores? Listen to what Henri said about it, “I’m not the one giving up anything. It is I, not Adam who gets the main benefit from our friendship.” In the process of caring for Adam, Henri gained new appreciation on what it means for us to be loved by God. Henri lived at L’Arche and cared for Adam eleven years until Adam’s death in 1996. Henri was working on a book about Adam when he died that same year. Its title wouldn’t surprise you, Adam–God’s Beloved. We need to stop our endless striving and rest in God’s love.
Another book by Henri, A Cry for Mercy contains six months’ worth of prayers intended to help us live each day in the presence of God. One of his prayers is excerpted here: