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A Sign for the Times
“L’Arche seeks not to offer a solution but a sign, a sign that a society, to be truly human must be founded on welcome and respect for the weak and downtrodden.” (Charter of L’Arche)  In the splendid neo-gothic surroundings of the college chapel in Maynooth, the quivering voices rose as the procession filed up the aisle into the pews. Ubi caritas et amor, Deus ibi est (Where there is tender care and love, God is present). Never mind that some voices were a little sharp here and there or that they might be a little out of synch with those further ahead in the procession. It was no time for self-consciousness. “Growth begins when we accept our own weakness,” according to Jean Vanier. The founder of the L’Arche, (with Fr Thomas Philippe OP), Faith & Light (with Marie-Hélène Mathieu), Faith & Friendship (with Rev Ruth Patterson) & Faith and Sharing communities, was the focus of the ecumenical service. The assembled crowd of community members, their families and friends had gathered to hear this pioneer of loving-care for those with developmental disabilities speak about the humanizing impact they can have on society, the vulnerability of Jesus and our own disabilities of the heart. “We need a liberation of our hearts, our hearts of stone which are founded on fear. Our hearts are too hard. In our world there is a lack of love and there are many lonely people with disabilities.” The former naval officer’s vision of a better world is about communion and it is one in which community is central. A place where our weakest have a dignity not often afforded to them by wider society, which writes them off as physically or intellectually disadvantaged. But as every member of L’Arche knows, they are God’s most cherished, here to teach the rest of us how to value joy, acceptance and compassion. Jean Vanier. Photos: John McElroy  Vanier’s emphasis
on the unique value of every individual contrasts starkly with the
increasingly blinkered outlook of our society, where inhuman standards
of intellectual and physical perfection both before and after birth
leave us all feeling inadequate and dejected. The insidious campaign
for ‘designer babies’ is one which will deprive our society of the very
people who might re-humanize it. It also brings the reviled Nazi
doctrine of eugenics to fruition. In an interview with The Word, his only interview on this visit to Ireland, the Canadian, who is now 78, underlined that today, “the Church is the place where the weakest and the least presentable are honoured.” This vision of Church finds its inspiration in St Paul’s comparison of the Church in 1 Corinthians 12 to a human body. “Those parts of the body which are the weakest and the least presentable are necessary to the body of Christ," Vanier explains. "What we are saying is that we are changed interiorly by our relationship to the fragile. They transform us.” As a result, those who set out to help people with disabilities often find that they are in fact the net beneficiaries. “Those whom our society rejects are the ones who can heal us.” He suggests that because of our shift away from a ‘society of people’ to a ‘society of productivity’, many of us think that what we need is more money, more power or more status, and often pursue these in a manner which destroys us. “Families are breaking up because people don’t have the time to listen to each other or be with each other.” In contrast, “what people with disabilities want is relationship and care. They call us to a personal relationship, to understand people and to be concerned about them.” “In France, more and more couples between the ages of 30-35 are coming to L’Arche because they find that there is too much travelling in the world of work, too much tension and their families are suffering and they don’t have any meaning except just getting money.” By getting to know others who have a disability, things begin to change. It is a mutually transformative relationship. “People who join L’Arche discover that they can give life to others, they can give joy and they can give happiness. It is a complete turnaround from wanting more money, more television, etc. They discover that as they give life to people they are happy.” Radiating joy, warmth and deep compassion, Jean Vanier is the epitome of a gentle giant; his reflective delivery of his words contrasts to his huge physical stature. You just can’t imagine him barking orders at his naval subordinates. After serving with the British and the Canadian Navies in World War II, he resigned his position and embarked on his academic studies which culminated in a doctorate. There must have been a seductive temptation for Vanier as a young, handsome, academic high-flyer with a privileged background (his father was Governor-General of Canada) to live an altogether more pampered and indulgent existence. But in 1964, having spent two years living in solitude in Fatima while he was finishing his doctoral research, he opted to leave his post as a philosophy lecturer in Toronto to go and live with two disabled men at Trosly in France. From this small beginning, L’Arche has grown into 130 communities worldwide. “In our community we have a lot of fun. You can tell whether a community is living by the way it celebrates.” This celebration is embodied by the shared meal, which is of central importance in every L’Arche community, where everyone comes together to participate. “The whole vision of the Church is that it is a body where the weakest and the most fragile are at the centre and are the most important. Luke 14 is a beautiful text. Jesus says when you give a meal, don’t invite members of your family or your rich neighbours, don’t invite your friends – invite the poor, the lame, the disabled and the blind and you shall be blessed.”  While
Vanier is regarded as a profoundly important and prophetic example of
the Catholic faith in contemporary society, L’Arche communities
themselves are open to those of all faiths and none. This ethos of
inclusivity sets it apart in a post-9/11 culture when governments are
ratcheting up people’s sense of fear of the ‘other’ and when terror
seems to lurk at every turn. When asked how difficult it is to bring
people of different faiths together in a l’Arche community, Vanier
smiles and then pointedly replies, “We don’t bring them together, they
come together.” The founder of four faith communities, who has written a number of books about his spiritual journey, explains to The Word that in France, a country which last year saw so much strife between the state and the marginalized second generation immigrant communities, a small number of Muslims have joined L’Arche. “We have communities in India where Muslims, Jews, Christians and Hindus have come together. In my own community (Trosly) we have two Muslims: beautiful people from Morocco who are deeply moved and touched by those with disabilities. We all have human hearts. A mother who has a son with a disability be she Muslim or Christian will still have a broken heart. People come to L’Arche because they want to serve and then they discover the joy of being community and the joy of difference. We are different but we can love each other as human beings. That is very beautiful.” At a time when many are increasingly isolating
themselves in faith-ghettoes notable for their exclusivity, L’Arche is
giving a prophetic lead and attempting to make people realise that love
is stronger than hate. It must have pained him then when some in the
Curia sought to pressurize Vanier into defining L’Arche as a Catholic
organisation. “It takes time for people to understand what is new. The
reality is that we welcome people because they are in pain, be they
Catholic or non-Catholics. We are a community and people who have
disabilities are part of our family. The whole vision of L’Arche is
compassion for those who are disabled in body or in mind. People with
disabilities are healing me and I am healing them – we are in it
together.” “Each one is important. Each one is the face of Jesus. Our God is a vulnerable God. Jesus needs us. He is knocking at the door of my heart and yours saying ‘may I come in and live within you and be a presence of God in a world so lacking in this presence?’ The beauty of human beings is our capacity to love. But we also have a terrible capacity to say no. Listen to the spirit of Jesus in your heart. He wants to create a body where each person whatever one's capacities or incapacities has his or her place. One of the great sins is not only do we not trust Jesus but we don’t trust ourselves as children of God, as people who are important. Each of us has a mission – a mission to announce love and be a presence of God through our lives.” © Copyright 2006 by theword.ie Publication on Jean Vanier: The Miracle, The Message, The Story: Jean Vanier and L’Arche By Kathryn Spink; Darton, Longman & Todd. Publications by Jean Vanier: Encountering the Other; Veritas Publications. Becoming Human; Paulist Press. Befriending the Stranger; Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Company. Drawn into the Mystery of Jesus Through the Gospel of John; Darton, Longman & Todd. Man and Woman He Made Them; Darton, Longman & Todd. |
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