Attachment201508letterjeanvanieren.pdf
Fall 2015
Once again, the moment for my annual stay at the Abbey of Orval (Belgium) has come round: the singing of the monks brings me peace and lifts me up to the heaven in them and in me; I rediscover the swallows back from Africa, dancing and diving into the pond outside the church; I feel renewed by times of prayer, a joy-filled space with restful thanksgiving to God...
A Letter from Jean Vanier
Once again, the moment for my
annual stay at the Abbey of Orval
(Belgium) has come round: the
singing of the monks brings me peace
and lifts me up to the heaven in them
and in me; I rediscover the swallows
back from Africa, dancing and diving into the pond
outside the church; I feel renewed by times of prayer, a
joy-filled space with restful thanksgiving to God; walks
in the forest on legs that sometimes wobble a little;
also time to read a book on the prophet Isaiah written
by a Belgian priest, Jacques Vermeylen (Brother Luc, a
Dominican, had told me he thought the book of Isaiah
had been the bedside book of John the Evangelist).
I have also re-read Hannah Arendt's book on the trial of
Eichmann, who, during the war, coordinated the
extermination of Jews in the different concentration
camps, especially Auschwitz. In his defence, he pleaded:
"I have done nothing but obey my superiors." In
addressing the banalisation of evil, Hannah questions
the attitude of a person who obeys without making a
personal judgment, who just does the same as everyone
else, following a culture promoted, among others, by the
media and advertising industry. But, faced by social
norms and laws, is there not a personal conscience
within each of us inviting us to be agents of peace, truth
and justice? Would that not correspond to the deep
meaning of L'Arche, which is to welcome people with
intellectual disabilities who are so often condemned by
exclusion or abortion.
-
It was the 100th anniversary of Brother
Roger's birth, the 75th anniversary of the
birth of the community and the 10th of his
assassination. Brother Roger was a pastor
of the Reformed Church in Switzerland;
thanks to a very warm relationship he had
established with a Catholic family, he
became very enthused by Christian unity.
This family was living the same love as his
own Protestant family, so how come there
were differences in theology, in ways of
praying and worship? Along with other
Protestant pastors, Brother Roger was led
by the Holy Spirit and by Jesus to establish
this amazing community, whose goal from
the beginning was common prayer and the
welcome of people in need and the desire to
live unity among Christians. The community
expanded rapidly, since it attracted many
young people from different Christian
churches in Europe and beyond, thirsting for
renewal, for a life of prayer, simplicity and
evangelical poverty, as a sign of peace and
unity among Christians.
Around August 15th, I broke into this month
spent at Orval, to travel to Taizé, that
extraordinary community founded by
Brother Roger.
the community. These young people received
a tremendous welcome and participated in
various discussion forums. I was invited to
give a witness testimony on L'Arche and on
the vision of "living with" as a place of healing
and transformation, as a source of peace and
unity. A thousand young people attended
one of the forums, and 300 came to the
other. I was surrounded by ten members of
L'Arche Les Trois Fontaines (Ambleteuse).
Their joyful, exuberant presence put flesh on
my words. At the end of the larger forum, we
all danced together, a real celebration. The
week-long presence of the group from
Ambleteuse, meant that young people from
so many European countries, could
experience the deep sense of L'Arche as a
community of peace and unity.
Photo: kna-bild
The three days I spent in the community were
days of joy and wonder. For these
anniversaries, their church, which has been
gradually and creatively enlarged over the
years, welcomed 6000 young people and
friends, gathered around the 90 brothers in
While there, I also met Nayla Tabbara, Muslim,
and a priest, Father Fadi, who together
founded an interfaith formation centre in
Beirut to help Muslims and Lebanese
Christians to get to know each other better.
Nayla Tabbara also supports Muslim
members of Faith and Light and of L'Arche in
Bangladesh, of Bethlehem and elsewhere, to
deepen the spirituality of L'Arche: to discover
God and be transformed through a
relationship with people with intellectual
disabilities. Nayla and Father Fadi are coming
to Trosly in September 2016, to lead a session
on "divine hospitality" in the Christian vision
and the Muslim vision.
At the present time, in all Western countries
we feel the fear that comes from acts of
terrorism committed in our countries and the
horrific, mad violence committed by "Daech"
(ISIL) in Syria and Iraq, not only against
Christians but also against other Muslims and
other religious groups. Coordinated by
Daech, terrorists seek to create panic,
division and hatred in our Western countries,
and make us forget the deeper meaning of
Islam as a religion of prayer, worship of God
and openness to the poor through works of
charity. L'Arche has a role to play to help each
person to discover and experience this deep
sense of Islam.
Yes, everywhere around the world there are
Muslims who discover the universal meaning
of this human family.
I like to quote a text written by an Algerian
Muslim woman, Oum El Kheir, a friend of
Bishop Claverie of Oran, the bishop murdered
by terrorists in Algiers in 1996. This is what
she wrote:
In two days' time, I take the road back to my
community in Trosly: the joy of reconnecting
with my life there, and my
community, and especially the meals in my
home at Le Val. I am so happy in the midst of
my community, despite the difficulties and
divisions of life that can arise there. I give
thanks for everyone and especially for
Christine McGrievy who carries
responsibility for the Trosly community with
great competence and a concern for each.
My joy is to live among people who were
humiliated in their youth on account of their
disabilities. My joy is to be with them
because they were chosen by God in their
weakness and folly to confound those who
place importance and value on power and
knowledge. Living with them teaches me to
be a little crazy and weak.
The other day, on the train, there was a very
serious looking gentleman near me who
seemed rather closed up. But at one point,
he got nearer to his young child, and began
to make utterly ridiculous gestures and
facial expressions, laughing with him. If I
had seen his gestures and his face without
the child being there, I would have thought
that this gentleman was not "all there". The
child teaches us to discover the freedom to
be oneself, the freedom to play, the
freedom to live. At L'Arche, we too are
learning to be free, weak and sometimes
ridiculous with people who are graced with
a certain "craziness".
The Gospel of John
The Gospel of Relationship
Vanier examines the two great
commandments: the love of God
and love of others. Vanier
eloquently demonstrates how
the two commandments are, in
fact, the same as individuals
express their love for God
through compassionate care for
one another and encounter the
love of God tangibly through closeness. In this chapter-bychapter
exploration of the Gospel of John, Vanier explains
how Jesus taught this lesson throughout his ministry. The
book includes personal stories from his work with L'Arche
that express the great privilege we have of developing our
relationships with one another and with God.
In a short time I will be 87 years old, believe it
or not! I see my 90th is getting closer... In the
past, I considered this a ripe old age. Now
that it has arrived, I also see that it is a
moment to live what I have been preaching a
long time, the value of disability and
weaknesses in human life. In fact, each of us
has to live his own weaknesses and not just
talk about or help those who are weak.
Fortunately, Odile is here, watching over me.
Pray for me that I may learn to live this great
age well, by discovering its riches.
For now, I receive it as a great gift, being able
so often to preach the Gospel at La Ferme in
Trosly. On my return, there will be a retreat
with a large group of Faith and Light from
Lebanon, and then another for Irish priests,
then a group from Norway, followed by
other groups of Faith and Light from Russia
and South America. There will also be
retreats open to everyone, organised by La
Ferme. And then there will be retreats for
people who have been humiliated in
particular ways: for street people, for those
who have divorced and sometimes
remarried, for homosexuals. I discovered
that all these people have the gift of meeting
God in truth and, through their humility, they
teach me a lot about humanity.
Life’s Great Questions
Vanier explores the ponderings
every great philosopher seeks to
understand, such as: Who are
we? Why are we here? What is the purpose of life? With
Vanier’s characteristically deep yet accessible style, the
philosopher and humanitarian encourages his readers
to delve more deeply into their own faith and
spirituality, while guiding you to find your own answers
to life’s great questions.
Two new books published
by Franciscan Media
An audible Audio Edition
is available
Audio book
5 hours and 41 minutes
The Gospel of John
The Gospel of Relationship
Vanier examines the two great
commandments: the love of God
and love of others. Vanier
eloquently demonstrates how
the two commandments are, in
fact, the same as individuals
express their love for God
through compassionate care for
one another and encounter the
love of God tangibly through closeness. In this chapter-bychapter
exploration of the Gospel of John, Vanier explains
how Jesus taught this lesson throughout his ministry. The
book includes personal stories from his work with L'Arche
that express the great privilege we have of developing our
relationships with one another and with God.
Download the Letter
Association Jean Vanier
ContactA Letter from Jean Vanier
Once again, the moment for my
annual stay at the Abbey of Orval
(Belgium) has come round: the
singing of the monks brings me peace
and lifts me up to the heaven in them
and in me; I rediscover the swallows
back from Africa, dancing and diving into the pond
outside the church; I feel renewed by times of prayer, a
joy-filled space with restful thanksgiving to God; walks
in the forest on legs that sometimes wobble a little;
also time to read a book on the prophet Isaiah written
by a Belgian priest, Jacques Vermeylen (Brother Luc, a
Dominican, had told me he thought the book of Isaiah
had been the bedside book of John the Evangelist).
I have also re-read Hannah Arendt's book on the trial of
Eichmann, who, during the war, coordinated the
extermination of Jews in the different concentration
camps, especially Auschwitz. In his defence, he pleaded:
"I have done nothing but obey my superiors." In
addressing the banalisation of evil, Hannah questions
the attitude of a person who obeys without making a
personal judgment, who just does the same as everyone
else, following a culture promoted, among others, by the
media and advertising industry. But, faced by social
norms and laws, is there not a personal conscience
within each of us inviting us to be agents of peace, truth
and justice? Would that not correspond to the deep
meaning of L'Arche, which is to welcome people with
intellectual disabilities who are so often condemned by
exclusion or abortion.
-
It was the 100th anniversary of Brother
Roger's birth, the 75th anniversary of the
birth of the community and the 10th of his
assassination. Brother Roger was a pastor
of the Reformed Church in Switzerland;
thanks to a very warm relationship he had
established with a Catholic family, he
became very enthused by Christian unity.
This family was living the same love as his
own Protestant family, so how come there
were differences in theology, in ways of
praying and worship? Along with other
Protestant pastors, Brother Roger was led
by the Holy Spirit and by Jesus to establish
this amazing community, whose goal from
the beginning was common prayer and the
welcome of people in need and the desire to
live unity among Christians. The community
expanded rapidly, since it attracted many
young people from different Christian
churches in Europe and beyond, thirsting for
renewal, for a life of prayer, simplicity and
evangelical poverty, as a sign of peace and
unity among Christians.
Around August 15th, I broke into this month
spent at Orval, to travel to Taizé, that
extraordinary community founded by
Brother Roger.
the community. These young people received
a tremendous welcome and participated in
various discussion forums. I was invited to
give a witness testimony on L'Arche and on
the vision of "living with" as a place of healing
and transformation, as a source of peace and
unity. A thousand young people attended
one of the forums, and 300 came to the
other. I was surrounded by ten members of
L'Arche Les Trois Fontaines (Ambleteuse).
Their joyful, exuberant presence put flesh on
my words. At the end of the larger forum, we
all danced together, a real celebration. The
week-long presence of the group from
Ambleteuse, meant that young people from
so many European countries, could
experience the deep sense of L'Arche as a
community of peace and unity.
Photo: kna-bild
The three days I spent in the community were
days of joy and wonder. For these
anniversaries, their church, which has been
gradually and creatively enlarged over the
years, welcomed 6000 young people and
friends, gathered around the 90 brothers in
While there, I also met Nayla Tabbara, Muslim,
and a priest, Father Fadi, who together
founded an interfaith formation centre in
Beirut to help Muslims and Lebanese
Christians to get to know each other better.
Nayla Tabbara also supports Muslim
members of Faith and Light and of L'Arche in
Bangladesh, of Bethlehem and elsewhere, to
deepen the spirituality of L'Arche: to discover
God and be transformed through a
relationship with people with intellectual
disabilities. Nayla and Father Fadi are coming
to Trosly in September 2016, to lead a session
on "divine hospitality" in the Christian vision
and the Muslim vision.
At the present time, in all Western countries
we feel the fear that comes from acts of
terrorism committed in our countries and the
horrific, mad violence committed by "Daech"
(ISIL) in Syria and Iraq, not only against
Christians but also against other Muslims and
other religious groups. Coordinated by
Daech, terrorists seek to create panic,
division and hatred in our Western countries,
and make us forget the deeper meaning of
Islam as a religion of prayer, worship of God
and openness to the poor through works of
charity. L'Arche has a role to play to help each
person to discover and experience this deep
sense of Islam.
Yes, everywhere around the world there are
Muslims who discover the universal meaning
of this human family.
I like to quote a text written by an Algerian
Muslim woman, Oum El Kheir, a friend of
Bishop Claverie of Oran, the bishop murdered
by terrorists in Algiers in 1996. This is what
she wrote:
In two days' time, I take the road back to my
community in Trosly: the joy of reconnecting
with my life there, and my
community, and especially the meals in my
home at Le Val. I am so happy in the midst of
my community, despite the difficulties and
divisions of life that can arise there. I give
thanks for everyone and especially for
Christine McGrievy who carries
responsibility for the Trosly community with
great competence and a concern for each.
My joy is to live among people who were
humiliated in their youth on account of their
disabilities. My joy is to be with them
because they were chosen by God in their
weakness and folly to confound those who
place importance and value on power and
knowledge. Living with them teaches me to
be a little crazy and weak.
The other day, on the train, there was a very
serious looking gentleman near me who
seemed rather closed up. But at one point,
he got nearer to his young child, and began
to make utterly ridiculous gestures and
facial expressions, laughing with him. If I
had seen his gestures and his face without
the child being there, I would have thought
that this gentleman was not "all there". The
child teaches us to discover the freedom to
be oneself, the freedom to play, the
freedom to live. At L'Arche, we too are
learning to be free, weak and sometimes
ridiculous with people who are graced with
a certain "craziness".
The Gospel of John
The Gospel of Relationship
Vanier examines the two great
commandments: the love of God
and love of others. Vanier
eloquently demonstrates how
the two commandments are, in
fact, the same as individuals
express their love for God
through compassionate care for
one another and encounter the
love of God tangibly through closeness. In this chapter-bychapter
exploration of the Gospel of John, Vanier explains
how Jesus taught this lesson throughout his ministry. The
book includes personal stories from his work with L'Arche
that express the great privilege we have of developing our
relationships with one another and with God.
In a short time I will be 87 years old, believe it
or not! I see my 90th is getting closer... In the
past, I considered this a ripe old age. Now
that it has arrived, I also see that it is a
moment to live what I have been preaching a
long time, the value of disability and
weaknesses in human life. In fact, each of us
has to live his own weaknesses and not just
talk about or help those who are weak.
Fortunately, Odile is here, watching over me.
Pray for me that I may learn to live this great
age well, by discovering its riches.
For now, I receive it as a great gift, being able
so often to preach the Gospel at La Ferme in
Trosly. On my return, there will be a retreat
with a large group of Faith and Light from
Lebanon, and then another for Irish priests,
then a group from Norway, followed by
other groups of Faith and Light from Russia
and South America. There will also be
retreats open to everyone, organised by La
Ferme. And then there will be retreats for
people who have been humiliated in
particular ways: for street people, for those
who have divorced and sometimes
remarried, for homosexuals. I discovered
that all these people have the gift of meeting
God in truth and, through their humility, they
teach me a lot about humanity.
Life’s Great Questions
Vanier explores the ponderings
every great philosopher seeks to
understand, such as: Who are
we? Why are we here? What is the purpose of life? With
Vanier’s characteristically deep yet accessible style, the
philosopher and humanitarian encourages his readers
to delve more deeply into their own faith and
spirituality, while guiding you to find your own answers
to life’s great questions.
Two new books published
by Franciscan Media
An audible Audio Edition
is available
Audio book
5 hours and 41 minutes
The Gospel of John
The Gospel of Relationship
Vanier examines the two great
commandments: the love of God
and love of others. Vanier
eloquently demonstrates how
the two commandments are, in
fact, the same as individuals
express their love for God
through compassionate care for
one another and encounter the
love of God tangibly through closeness. In this chapter-bychapter
exploration of the Gospel of John, Vanier explains
how Jesus taught this lesson throughout his ministry. The
book includes personal stories from his work with L'Arche
that express the great privilege we have of developing our
relationships with one another and with God.
Download the Letter
Association Jean Vanier
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