Befriending the Stranger
Jean Vanier is a remarkable man, a master of the spiritual life and a man of practical action as the founder of L'Arche. Befriending the Stranger, one of his many books, is a series of retreats conferences he gave for workers at L'Arche. For this reason, the book is great for reading aloud: down to earth and illustrated with wonderful personal anecdotes, some extremely touching.
Vanier's humility and humanity shine forth on every page. His living interpretation of the gospel: fellowship with all persons, no matter how lowly, hurt, angry, or disappointed, is steeped in a profound encounter with the Word of God. His is a radical message of hope and love, presented with no distracting frills. He makes the life of service sound possible and desirable. An excellent read so far! Highly recommended.
Brothers' rating: 5 of 5
current page as of Jan 19: 45
“Living in community I discovered who I was. I discovered also that the truth will set me free, and so there's the gradual realization about what it means to be human. To be human is that capacity to love which is the phenomenal reality that we can give life to people; we can transform people by our attentiveness, by our love, and they can transform us. It is a whole question of giving life and receiving life, but also to discover how broken we are.”
- Jean Vanier
posted by Prior Peter, OSB | 11:00 AM
1 Comments:
Having spent three years as an "assistant" at an Arche community in France (Brittany), I was quite moved to find that you are reading Jean Vanier together. If you liked "Befriending the Stranger", you will find rich food in "Community and Growth". But maybe you already read it.
My community had close ties to a nearby Benedictine abbey (Landévennec; visit them at http://abbaye-landevennec.cef.fr/). It struck me how one of the principles of l'Arche, which is to be "not a solution, but a sign," is equally true for monastics. As I continue my journey, ready to begin a position in a business environment, I want to try and carry on this fundamental attitude of hospitality and gratuitiousness.
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