In Search of the Healing Spirit
- Publisher: Resource Publications (Wipf and Stock)
- Published: 2023
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Publisher's Description
The late Dr. Nass Cannon Jr. (MD) was a physician for the indigent poor for over forty years and an internationally renowned scholar of the theologian and monk, Thomas Merton. In Search of the Healing Spirit follows a narrative arc across several essays of Dr. Cannon's analysis and reflections on life and Thomas Merton's theological contributions. First articulated by Dr. Cannon at the outset of his journey to serve the poor, the guiding principle of the book is an exploration of what it means to be broken and called to heal each other, ourselves, and the world. As Dr. Cannon writes, "I am a physician who views his root identity as one called to heal. Yet, I experience myself as broken, as one admonished by the phrase, 'Physician, heal thyself.' Perhaps you, too . . . experience yourself as a broken healer. Let us together explore some notions regarding the healer as broken, examine the nature of healing, and consider the relationship of the healer to one healed." From this position as a broken healer, which implicitly embodies Merton's contemplative spirituality, Dr. Cannon's meditations over the course of his life of service increasingly weave in Merton's contributions in search of the true self on such pressing--and universal--topics as grief and loss, the eternal nature and healing power of love, and to do what we can for each other with the time we are given. Dr. Cannon's writings engage a twenty-first-century audience with insights--drawn from fifty years of study--that can aid lay persons, clergy, and academics to better understand what it means to be a broken person and through that brokenness to heal themselves and the world.
Endorsements (3)
“Nass Cannon treats the reader with his profound humility, grace, and passion for living a life of giving. As a physician he gives voice and meaning to his call for health-care professionals to embrace caritas, ‘a spirit of seeking the well-being of the other person,’ to return tenderheartedness to our bureaucratic and balkanized health-care system. Essential reading for those choosing a career as a health professional.”
“This book provides a beautiful spiritual memoir of a contemplative man who found exceptional guidance, growth, and brotherhood in the writings of Thomas Merton. In compiling their father’s writings, Nass Cannon’s children have honored his life and given us glimpses of the way in which he lived. His legacy continues to flourish in their adult lives, as well as in the lives of all whom Cannon touched in his own embodiment of the Broken Healer.”
“Whether reflecting on his own experience as compassionate physician and wounded healer or providing incisive commentary on key aspects of the contemplative, prophetic spirituality of Thomas Merton, the essays of Nass Cannon compiled in this volume are sources of profound insight and challenging inspiration. Deep gratitude is due to his children Clare, John, and Bryant for making these writings of a wise, faithful contemporary Christian disciple and role model available to the rest of us.”
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