Issue 188 - Memorable Messages
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December 2018
Jean Vanier's letter and Mark Shields's speech left lingering impressions that we will long remember. See what they had to say...
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Cosmic Consciousness and
Primal Innocence
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Jean Vanier begins his recent letter from Trosly- Breuil, France, to subscribers with an exclamation, “90 years old!" Then he reflects on his recent celebrations with
L’Arche communities and his visit to the 20,000 year-old caves in Lascaux where he marveled at the “extraordinary wisdom” of those cave dwellers.
As I read
Vanier’s letter I marvel at this remarkable man with a rare combination of cosmic consciousness and “primal innocence” all the while expressing gratitude to parents, communities, and nature that continue to inspire him moment by moment. As he walked along the beach one evening, he reflected, “Alas, the moon was hidden on the other side of the earth: the moon which is so gentle, so humble, reflecting the light of one which is greater than itself.”
Jean Vanier is no ordinary man. Bill and I refer to him as a gentle giant. While his
awards are impressive, his
parents are candidates for canonization (saints), and his 30+
books are life-changing reading, it is the person – his heart and soul – that makes one approach him with affectionate awe. I can imagine the gentle tenderness of his interactions with the many disabled men and women he has touched in L’Arche
homes for physically and intellectually disabled (168 homes in 37 countries on 5 continents). Remarkably, it was a chance meeting of Vanier and
Henry Nouwen, that eventually led to Vanier inviting Nouwen to become L'Arche Daybreak's pastor, and thus was the seed of inspiration for millions who read Nouwen's 50+
books.
Jean Vanier’s inspiring and uplifting messages challenge those of us who follow him, to walk a similar path and be roused by his memorable messages - especially this from his latest letter:
“The reason for the expansion of our L’Arche and Faith and Light communities is first and foremost the cry of so many people with disabilities around the world. This cry is an appeal: ‘Do you love me?’ This is the cry of many humiliated and vulnerable people, who feel alone and abandoned, and who are seeking an authentic, simple encounter; it is a cry that continues to resonate in our world.
In this way, our communities want to reweave humanity into a unity, where each person can find their true place, the weakest as well as the strongest, and where there is no more division or separation.
In this way, a new and universal humanity will be born in the hope that walls, fears and arrogance will collapse to make way for a song of love and universal brotherhood.”
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On November 27, Jan and I were part of an overflow crowd gathered at
Trinity University to hear a
lecture by syndicated columnist
Mark Shields. Speaking on “Politics and Policy: How Will History Judge Today's Headlines?”, Shields was insightful, funny, rambling, and still informative. His mastery of detail was impressive.
He said much our current political climate can be explained by comparing some simple statistics: On election day in 2008, Republican candidate John McCain was viewed favorably by 52% of the population; Democratic candidate Barack Obama was viewed favorably by 55%. Contrast that with 2016, when Democratic candidate Hillary Clinton was viewed favorably by only 43% of the population and Republican Donald Trump was even worse, viewed favorably by only 38% of the people. Not only are we living with the results of a negative election, Shields argues: It was an election based on fear – Donald Trump appealing to the fears of many voters about changes in our country, and Hillary Clinton basing much of her campaign on stoking voters’ fears of Donald Trump.
Still, Shields warned against pessimism. While he mentioned political foolishness and cowardice – by both parties – he also applauded successes by both parties, from the land-grant universities, to civil rights, to great environmental progress, such as cleaning up the Great Lakes. He ended on a note of encouragement, hope, and commitment to the common good:
The question is never, Shields contends, Are you better off than you were four years ago? It is always, Are
we better off than we were four years ago? “Are the weak among us more protected? Are the strong among us more just? Because every one of us has been warmed by fires we did not build. Every one of us has drunk from wells we did not dig. We can do no less for those who come after us. And together, with good will and commitment and dedication, we can do more.”
These days, it is easy to despair of American politics. Shields never denied that we face serious challenges. But it was refreshing to see someone with deep knowledge of the American political scene express such resilient hope.
Bill
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Jean Vanier tells us how to become fully human...
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Recent Issues
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Copyright (c) 2018 Soul Windows Ministries
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Sincerely,
Bill Howden and Jan Davis
Soul Windows Ministries
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