Jean Vanier, Caritas, and "Ordinary Things"

 “To be lonely is to feel unwanted and unloved, and therefor unloveable. 
 Loneliness is a taste of death.
 No wonder some people who are desperately lonely
 lose themselves in mental illness or violence to forget the inner pain.” 

 Becoming Human Jean Vanier

 “One of the marvelous things about community 
is that it enables us to welcome and help people in a way we couldn't as individuals. 
When we pool our strength and share the work and responsibility, 
we can welcome many people, even those in deep distress, 
and perhaps help them find self-confidence and inner healing.” 

 Community And Growth Jean Vanier
  
So much has been written about Canadian ex-pat Jean Vanier in the few days since his death, all celebrating his remarkable life, which ended at age 90. He felt blessed by his long earthly existence and was prepared for what God had in store. The CBC spoke of his "charitable work" with the movement he founded for the physically and cognitively challenged called L'Arche, or Ark. My immediate response was that Vanier's work was not charity, it was caritas, an expansive and inclusive Christian love. Charity runs the risk of being "what we do for them" while for Vanier there was no "them", only us, together. 
There are now L'Arche communities in 35 countries on five continents but it began with Vanier inviting two men with disabilities into his home in a village in France in 1964. What a simple yet remarkable beginning.

Jean Vanier has been described as a modern-day saint, which suggests spiritual superstardom. He was a such a gentle, humble man, even speaking before thousands. And his unrelenting emphasis was on community, our life together as the followers of Jesus the Christ. Another exceptional Christian, Henri Nouwen, gave up his rather exalted status to work in a L'Arche community north of Toronto.

L'Arche is his legacy, so he won't be forgotten. I thank God for his witness. While we may not be spiritual giants we can all live into loving, accepting Christian community. As he put it “We are not called by God to do extraordinary things, but to do ordinary things with extraordinary love. ”